134 countries belong to the G77 community of states. At their two-day summit in Havana, the members are calling for more international participation so as not to be left behind, especially in technology and business.
In Havana, Cuba, representatives from around 130 countries concluded their joint summit of the so-called G77 states. The central theme of the two-day deliberations was closer cooperation between the members of the community and demands on the industrialized countries to enable the G77 to participate more internationally.
In a joint final declaration, the participants of the meeting warned that the economic problems in the developing and emerging countries of the global south had reached a peak as a result of several crises. The consequences of the corona pandemic, rising inflation, financial crises and geopolitical tensions put a strain on our own economic systems. And there is currently no roadmap for overcoming any of these global crises.
Who are the G77?
The G77 community of states was founded in 1964 by 77 countries from the global south. It now has 134 members. The association therefore represents around 80 percent of the world’s population. China participates in the alliance’s demands but does not consider itself a member.
The G77 is considered the largest group within the United Nations in terms of population and number of members.
States should move towards sustainable industrialization invest
The final declaration of the G77 states contains 46 points. Essentially, the members want to implement a fairer international economic and social order. For this purpose, the declaration sets requirements for the G77 itself. The “unity” within the alliance should be strengthened in order to consolidate its own “role on the international stage” through more intensive cooperation. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also called on countries to invest more in their own economies – in renewable energies, for example, or in sustainable industrialization.
But above all, the international community is making demands on the economically stronger nations. The international community, the United Nations and international financial institutions should support the G77’s efforts to develop and strengthen science, technology and innovation.
More participation technological developments
The alliance is pushing for greater participation in international financial policy decisions. To achieve this, the system and the associated institutions such as the World Bank would have to be reformed in order to enable an “inclusive and coordinated approach” even for economically weaker states.
Furthermore, the G77 are calling for more equitable participation in the area of technology. The summit’s final declaration states:
We reject technology monopolies and other unfair practices that hinder the technological development of developing countries.
States “that have a monopoly and supremacy in the field of information and communication technologies, including the Internet, should not use them as instruments to suppress the legitimate economic and technological development of other states,” criticize the G77.