Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel emphasized in New York the leadership of the G77 and China as the legitimate spokesperson for the positions of the Global South in the face of the lack of a coordinated international response to its challenges.
During the 47th ministerial meeting of the bloc, the dignitary remarked that in the face of monumental challenges, it is more urgent than ever to achieve consensus, constructive reflection, unity of ideals, alignment of thinking at the service of the design and promotion of a new international economic order.
“In the last five decades instability and unequal exchange have multiplied, to which is added the multi-systemic crisis aggravated by the pandemic,” he insisted.
Díaz-Canel added that progress in ending extreme poverty was set back by three to four years, while the poorest countries allocated more resources to debt service than to public health, meanwhile, the richest one percent has hoarded almost two thirds of the wealth generated since 2020 globally.
Photo: @DiazCanelB
“For Cuba this permanent claim of our Group has not been guided by the defense of the legitimate economic rights of the South,” he noted and insisted on his call for a new and fairer global contract.
He pointed out that “our nations cannot continue to be laboratories of colonial recipes and renewed forms of denomination that use debt, the current financial architecture and current coercive measures to perpetuate underdevelopment and increase the coffers of a few”.
In an assessment of the nine months of Cuba’s pro tempore presidency of the G77 and China, the president highlighted unity as a strength. “We have been able to articulate ourselves strategically in defense of our positions and legitimate claims for the benefit of our peoples,” he emphasized.
The meeting, held at the United Nations headquarters on the occasion of the high-level segment of the 78th General Assembly, insisted on the importance of the emblematic grouping of nations of the South, composed of 134 members.
Photo: @PresidenciaCuba
The meeting was also attended by Dennis Francis (pictured), president of the 78th session; and Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General.
The G77 and China determined that Uganda, a country located in East Africa, will occupy the next pro tempore presidency of the largest and most diverse negotiating bloc within the United Nations.
