V.Muraleedharan, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs represented India and addressed at the Plenary session of the Group of 77 +China (G-77+China) Third South Summit, held in Kampala, Uganda on 21-23 January 2024. He emphasised the pivotal role of the Global South as the world’s “future growth engine.”
- The theme of (G-77+China) Third South Summit was, “Leaving No One Behind.”
- The third South Summit was hosted by the Republic of Uganda, under the Chairmanship of H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Points to Note:
i.India shares its development experience with the Global South through the Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation (ITEC) Programme, which now extends to 160 partner countries.
ii.India became the 1st nation to announce a Duty-Free Trade Preference Scheme in 2008 for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to provide market access to LDC goods.
Highlights:
The MoS underscored the pivotal role of:
- Reaffirming Global South commitments;
- Exploring innovative development solutions;
- Reforming International financial architecture; and
- Fostering South-South cooperation.
Objectives:
i.The (G-77) Third South Summit is the largest United Nations (UN) intergovernmental organization of developing nations that aims at boosting South-South cooperation, including in the areas of trade, investment, poverty, etc.
ii.During the summit, the 135 member states (Including China) reaffirmed their commitment to solidarity, unity, and complementarity.
- The objective is to ensure a collective and unified voice, working towards common goals and objectives.
Note: The South Summit is the supreme decision-making body of the G-77.
Chairmanship:
i.It is the highest political body within the organizational structure of the G-77.
ii.It rotates on a regional basis (between Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Caribbean) and is held for 1 year in all Chapters.
iii.For the year 2024, the Republic of Uganda holds the Chairmanship of the G-77 in New York, United States of America (USA).
iv.Cuba held the chairmanship of the G-77 in 2023.
Source for the Projects:
The Group of 77 sponsors projects on South-South cooperation through funding from the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation (PGTF).
Establishment of G77:
i.G-77 was established on June 1964 by 77 developing countries following the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries” at the 1st UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) session in Geneva, Switzerland.
- The 1st and the 2nd south summits were held in Havana, Cuba in 2000 and in Doha, Qatar in 2005, respectively.
ii.2024 marks the 60th anniversary of G77, India held the very first Chairmanship of the Group in 1970-71.
Recent related News:
The 18th edition of the NASSCOM- Data Security Council of India (DSCI) Annual Information Security Summit (AISS), a 3-day event was held from 19th to 21st December 2023 at the Leela Ambience Hotel, Gurugram, Haryana.
About Uganda:
Capital– Kampala
Prime Minister– Robinah Nabbanja
Currency– Ugandan Shilling
