First Ambassadorial meeting of the Group of 77 and China held

Islamabad: At the First Ambassadorial meeting of the Group of 77 and China, Ambassador Munir Akram, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan in his capacity as the Chair, said that the group’s responsibility to address the multiple challenges facing our countries was daunting.

“We can only do so if our response is coherent and concerted and if our Group remains united,” Ambassador Munir Akram, insisted. Ambassador Akram while discussing the confronted challenges to the world community said recalled that: “Since 2007, when Pakistan last chaired the Group, the global economic and social conditions have changed radically”.

He mentioned Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s statement in the G77 handover ceremony saying: “we are confronted with a triple challenge: recovery from the Covid-19 Pandemic; achievement of the SDGs – during the remaining decade of action; and the existential threat of climate change”.

While deliberating on the responsibilities of the Group of 77 + China in the past he recalled that: “In the past, the Group of G77 has shaped the discourse and outcomes of multilateral processes on a range of issues of collective importance to its members.”

As a Chair of the Group, Ambassador Munir Akram, elaborated on some of the actions Pakistan had proposed including that G77 + China should develop a declaration on vaccine equity that is hampering recovery of the developing countries from Covid-19 pandemic.

He stressed that the group should ensure its voice is heard at the G20 (industrialized countries), G7 (rich countries), IMF (International Monetary Fund) and other decision-making platforms on the rising and unsustainable debt burden, as a major concern among many developing countries.

He maintained that the G77 + China should ensure that the new general allocation of US $650 billion special Drawing Rights (SDRs) by the IMF are utilized for the recovery, and press for their reallocation to the developing countries who need the liquidity.

He said the G77 + China should prioritize for unification and niversalization of measures on social protection during 2022, for which Pakistan is leading discussion on the Declaration to establish a global knowledge platform.

The group, he contended, should underscore the role of UN Development System and private sector to substantially upscale and accelerate investments to bridge the global infrastructure gap.

Akram urged for a follow-up of the Glasgow Climate Pact to ensure reflection of G77 priorities in the actions proposed in the pact.

He called for convening a series of consultations to enable the Group to formulate a common position on the issues of interest in the Secretary-General’s “Our Common Agenda” report for the developing countries.

He emphasized for consideration of the creation of the ‘South-South Trade Promotion Bureau (SSTPB)’ to boost flow of goods between them.

Ambassador Munir Akram expressed his gratitude for the confidence reposed in Pakistan to Chair the Group in these challenging times. He also thanked Guinea for so skillfully guiding the Group last year. Pakistan is Chairing the Group of G77 and China fourth time.