Vientiane, September 2023. The political declaration of the Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the Group of 77 and China on “current development challenges: role of science, technology and innovation”, was formally adopted as the culmination of two intense days of work by all the delegations including the RDP Laos, on September 15-16 in Havana, Cuba.
The text was approved by acclamation, by all participants in the high-level meeting, said Rodolfo Benítez, general director of Multilateral and Legal Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
The G77 and China welcomed Mexico's decision to rejoin the mechanism. It was also reported that in the second half of January 2024, the Third South Summit will be held in Kampala, Uganda. In this context, the transfer of the pro tempore presidency of the mechanism from Cuba to Uganda will take place.
The declaration insists on the rejection of the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial effect and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions against developing countries, and underlines the urgent need to eliminate them immediately.
Even though the event has not technically ended, Benítez affirmed that the Summit of the Group of 77 and China can already be classified as successful, due to the significant number of interventions and proposals for practical actions by the delegations during the general debate.
The Minrex official said that the summit, whose focus has been the current challenges of development and the role of science, technology and innovation, has had extremely positive results.
More than 1,300 participants from 116 countries and 12 organizations and agencies of the United Nations system attended. 33 nations from Latin America and the Caribbean, 46 from Africa and 34 from Asia and 3 from Europe were represented. 31 heads of state and government, 12 vice presidents, dozens of ministers from multiple portfolios and other high dignitaries participated, the diplomat said.
He recalled that the G77 did not meet at such a high level many years ago. “23 years have passed since the historic Southern Summit, in Havana, and 18 years since the Second Southern Summit, which was held in Qatar.”
The results of this event in the Cuban capital demonstrate, Benítez pointed out, that “this was a necessary and cannot be postponed event.” “It has been an austere summit, without luxuries or waste of any kind. It has been organized with the minimum necessary resources, due to the serious financial and material resource limitations as a consequence of the unprecedented tightening of the United States blockade against Cuba. However, he stressed that the meeting was very productive.
In the closing session, the intervention of Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, and on behalf of the Cuban people and Government, deeply appreciated the numerous expressions of rejection of the criminal blockade imposed against Cuba and the solidarity and support for the Cuban people, who today resist and heroically overcomes enormous difficulties and challenges.
Likewise, he highlighted the contributions of the participating countries and their firm statements, which demonstrate their willingness to defend the rights to sustainable development of the South and a more inclusive and fair world. The RDP Lao had a consistent supportive stance.
Among the topics addressed at the Summit, the main challenges generated by the current international economic order and the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the global financial architecture stood out, with a more inclusive and coordinated approach to global financial governance.
Embassy of Cuba