United Nation

SOS

FAO

       Select Country
    
Select Language
 

Annan, Blair and EU chief to attend South summit---Meeting of the Committee of Secretariat---Qatar all set to host G77 summit-------

  

SECOND SOUTH SUMMIT
OF THE GROUP OF 77
HOLDS MINISTERIAL MEETING

Foreign Ministers conclude review of the draft Doha Declaration
and Plan of Action; stress importance of South-South cooperation and the strengthening of the United Nations in the field of development

 

Doha, 13 June 2005 – The review of the Doha Declaration and Plan of Action was at the centre of the Ministerial Meeting held today in the context of the Second South Summit of the Group of 77. The meeting was inaugurated yesterday at the senior officials level. Both documents are to be adopted by the Heads of State and Government during their Meeting, be held from 15-16 June 2005.

Following an address by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, His Excellency Mr. Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani and of the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Jamaica, His Excellency Mr. Delano Franklin, in his capacity as Chairman of the group of 77, the Ministers held an interactive dialogue centering on the issues of South-South cooperation and the implementation of the outcome of the First South Summit; and the strengthening of the United Nations in the field of development with special reference to the proposed outcome document for the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 outlined the importance of South-South cooperation as a tool for developing and strengthening the economic independence of developing countries and achieving development as one of the means of ensuring the equitable and effective participation of developing countries in the merging global economy. In this context, South-South cooperation is not being considered as a substitute but rather a complement to North-South cooperation.

The Group of 77 decided in Havana in 2000 on an ambitious programme to expand South-South cooperation. The delegations pointed out that the vast potential of such cooperation remains largely untapped. The lack of effective arrangements was identified as one constraint.

Speaking about the proposed reform of the United Nations, the Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 stressed the importance for developing countries today that these efforts result in genuine strengthening and revitalization of the United Nations. For this to happen, it is essential that development remains the priority and at the centre of the Organization's work. In general, developing countries must support genuine multilateralism and democratization of global governance. In this context, the reform of the United Nations should also be extended to the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization (WTO) which have a vital impact on development and on international economic relations.

The Second South Summit will open at the level of Heads of State and Government on Thursday 15 June with a general debate on the development challenges facing the South, with special reference to the upcoming 60 th Session of the General Assembly.

Senior officials to finalize today Doha Declaration
and Programme of Action to be adopted by South leaders

 

Doha, 12 June 2005--- The Second South Summit of the Group of 77 opened its first working session this morning at the Doha Sheraton Hotel at the level of senior officials and in presence of His Excellency Ambassador Stafford Neil, Chairman of the Group of 77 and Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, and Mr. Mourad Ahmia, Executive Secretary of the Group of 77.

In his opening remarks to the senior officials of the 132 Member States of the Group of 77, Ambassador Stafford Neil, in his capacity as Chairman of the Group of 77, referred to the meeting as an "opportunity for the Group to demonstrate unity and solidarity in its pursuit to advance the collective will of its membership”. In the context of the reform proposal of the United Nations, Ambassador Neil added that "as we prepare for the 60 th session of the General Assembly and the impending consultations on the outcome document of the President of the General Assembly, we have to be firm, bold and clear in our articulation of the views and concerns of developing countries”. He stressed that the Group of 77 and China “must ensure that advancing the development agenda remains at the forefront of the reform and activities to be undertaken. While in Doha, we must avail ourselves of the opportunity to advance this objective and to ensure that the G-77 is fully equipped to take on the challenges of the very critical year”, he concluded.

Welcoming delegations to Doha, the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and former Chairman of the Group of 77 and China, Ambassador Nassir Abulaziz Al-Nasser, outlined “the need to establish a real global development agenda in which the Millennium Development Goals and the related role of the United Nations are given considerable significance”, in the perspective of the Millennium Summit, to be held in September, in New York. Ambassador Al-Nasser stressed the need to make “South-South cooperation the real instrument for our development, while recognizing that it cannot be a substitute for the North-South negotiations. With this understanding, we need to enhance the role of the South-South cooperation while seeking to improve our position in the international community”, he added.

Delegations convened in working groups to finalize the draft Doha Declaration and Programme of Action, to be submitted to the review of the Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs scheduled tomorrow, Monday 13 June, before their final adoption by the Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled from 14-16 June 2005.

The Group of 77 was established in 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries signatories of the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries” issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. Beginning with the first Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 in Algiers in 1967 which adopted the Charter of Algiers, a permanent institutional structure gradually developed which led to the creation of Chapters of the Group of 77 in Rome (FAO); Vienna (UNIDO); Paris (UNESCO); Nairobi (UNEP); and the Group of 24 in Washington, DC (IMF and the World Bank). Although the membership of the G-77 has increased to 132 countries, the original name was retained because of its historical significance.

As the largest coalition of developing countries in the United Nations, the Group of 77 provides the means for the South to articulate and promote its collective economic interests and enhance its joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues in the United Nations system, including South-South cooperation.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 All Rights Reserved Permanent Conferences committee - Qatar -Doha
Powered & Designed By

 




World Time


Currency Rates
Qatar Comercial Bank


Group of 77
At united nation


Visa Admition


Qatar Today

Sponsors


Qatar Airways
Al Amadi
Enterprises Group