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

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE GROUP OF 77
MOURAD AHMIA
HONORED WITH "2005 SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AWARD"

Doha, 14 June 2005 --- The Executive Secretary of the Group of 77, Mr. Mourad Ahmia, was honored today with the 2005 Spirit of Excellence Award-Emerging Leader for Global Public Service by the Canada-based Institute for Leadership Development, a specialized institution of the World Trade University Global Secretariat in Canada.

The Award ceremony took place as a side event during the ongoing Second South Summit of the Group of 77 which is taking place in Doha, Qatar.

Mr. Ahmia was selected by a number of distinguished citizens who themselves have had highest international reputation in global public service and their decision acknowledges his longstanding contribution in support of the work of the Group of 77 and promoting the interests of the developing nations in the United Nations.

The President and CEO of the World Trade University Global Secretariat, Mr. Sujit Chowdhury, stated that "this event celebrates hope and inspiration of an emerging leader in the international public service. More than ever, public service requires commitment, dedication, perseverance and performance. Mr. Ahmia fulfills these qualities in his coordinating role within the Group of 77".

Upon acceptance of the Award, Mr. Ahmia said that he was particularly humbled to be the recipient of such a prestigious Award because “I strongly believe that this Award goes beyond the recognition of my modest commitment within the Group of 77 to the best interests of our developing nations”. I dedicate my own nomination to the millions of young leaders who flourish throughout the South at a time when our countries have to face important political, economic and social challenges”, he added.

The event was attended by a number of personalities, including Ambassador Anwarulkarim Chowdhury, United Nations Under-Secretary General for the Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Countries; Mr. Yash tendon; Executive Director of the South Centre; Mr. Luis Fernando Jaramillo; Convener of the South Centre Council of Representatives; Professor M.H.A. Hassan, Executive Director of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS); and Mr. Zhou Yiping, Director of the Special Unit on South-South cooperation. Several delegations from the Member States of the Group of 77 attending the Summit were also represented.

Mr. Mourad Ahmia is an Algerian-born diplomatic adviser and career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service at age 20. He has been serving as the Executive Secretary of the Group of 77 in New York since April 2000. Since 1994, he was seconded formally by the Algerian Government and served as Coordinator of the Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77 in New York. In that capacity, he directed the preparatory processes for a number of high-level G-77 conferences that led to the first ever G-77 South Summit in Havana, Cuba, in April 2000, and during which he was appointed as the First Executive Secretary of the G-77. During his diplomatic career, Mr. Ahmia served as Diplomatic adviser in the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and attended many international conferences and summits in the South as an expert in international economic, social and environment issues.

Mr. Ahmia has served as an active member on the Board of many international foundations. He is currently the President of the International Secretariat of the Trieste System for Science and Technology as well as Honorary Member of the International Foundation for Scientific Progress and Freedom in Trieste. He was conferred with many awards and decorations mostly by the Governments of the Member States of the G-77.

The World Trade University (WTU) was launched in partnership with the United Nations on the occasion of the 3 rd United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, held in Brussels, in May 2001.

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.