New York, January 18, 2019. In her statement at the First Meeting for Ambassadors of the Group of 77, of this year, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations and Chargé d'Affaires ai, Ambassador Ana Silvia Rodríguez Abascal, pointed out that the history of the group has been intertwined with that of the United Nations, having endorsed since its inception, on June 15, 1964, values such as unity, solidarity and cooperation. She added that these values have an unquestionable validity nowadays, as the role of the Group of 77 and China in the United Nations is also unquestionable.
The diplomat made reference to the complex processes that the Group will face in 2019, including: follow-up on the implementation and fulfillment of the commitments of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement; the negotiations on South-South Cooperation, Financing for Development and the High-Level Political Forum; the implementation of the commitments derived from the reform process of the Organization, as well as the growing challenges facing Multilateralism and the United Nations, among others.
Rodriguez Abascal took the opportunity to recognize the outstanding work done by Egypt in the exercise of the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 in 2018; while she welcomed the chairmanship of the State of Palestine, which will assume such responsibility during the year 2019. She noted that the Palestinian chairmanship of the Group recognizes the activism and outstanding role of the Arab nation as a full member of the Group as well as the inalienable rights of its people. She reiterated her conviction that under the Palestinian leadership, the Group of 77 will continue to strengthen its role in promoting and defending the interests of the countries of the South.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations