KAMPALA, Uganda – Guyana has underscored the need for global solidarity and united action to address the interconnected socio-economic, environmental, and governance challenges that threaten sustainable development of the Global South.
Delegates attending the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China in UgandaPrime Minister Mark Phillips, addressing the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China that that ends here on Monday, spoke of the urgency of a collaborative approach to surmount the formidable challenges faced by countries of the Global South.
“In addressing global challenges, we acknowledge that the world economic situation, geo-political tensions, and the peculiar environmental issues present formidable challenges for the countries of the Global South as we strive to safeguard the development interests of our nations and to ensure that ‘no one is left behind,” Phillips told the summit being held under the theme ““Leaving No One Behind.”
He addressed the severe consequences the COVID-19 pandemic had on both developed and developing countries, noting it would take developing countries several years to recover the growth levels necessary to fulfil the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“We have seen daunting reports of regression with more than 50% of our targets off track, some in reverse,” Phillips said, adding to overcome these challenges there is the need to explore common positions and taking decisive, coherent actions at various levels.
He emphasised the need for support from both developing and developed countries, adding “support for development efforts is paramount, and we must look both to ourselves and the developed world to move forward.”
Phillips called for unity and decisive action, emphasising the need for common positions to tackle the developmental challenges faced by the Global South and stressed the importance of cooperation.
“It would be to our advantage to explore common positions which require decisive and coherent actions at different levels to address the challenges to development for the Global South and ensure that no one is left behind,” the Prime Minister urged, pointing out the necessity for internal and external support to propel development efforts forward.
He also used the occasion to reiterate Guyana’s support for the Palestinian quest for a secure homeland and the two-state solution for lasting Israel-Palestine peace.
“As leaders from the developing world, we have the responsibility to come together and claim with a united voice, the changes needed to ensure a sustainable future for the current and future generations,”
In his address, Prime Minister Phillips also called for an urgent international review of development financing approaches, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are highly susceptible to external shocks such as climate emergencies, financial and debt difficulties, and surging food prices.
He said these challenges exacerbate inequalities and sustain poverty, hindering global efforts towards sustainable development.
“We further noted the urgency for a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture and a more inclusive and coordinated approach to global financial governance to aid effective response to the urgent threat of climate change based on the priorities of developing countries,”
Addressing the desired outcomes of the Summit, he underscored the “importance of South-South, North-South and Triangular cooperation” between developing countries, saying “it is necessary for us to take appropriate collective actions to capitalise on our full potential, capacities, knowledge, technologies and infrastructure to effectively address the new development challenges.”
Phillips said that as a matter of priority, the G77 and China should continue to support efforts for urgently developing and implementing the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI). He said that there must be continuous advocacy for concrete actions by developed countries to deliver on previous commitments and on the reform of the international financial architecture, “which is essential for the transformation we are advocating.
“Guyana reaffirms our strong commitment to the Group of 77 and China, noting that the unity and solidarity of the Group form the basis upon which the realisation of our goals will be achieved,”Phillips said, praising Cuba for its outstanding leadership of the Group of 77 and China and Uganda for its role as chair of the Group for 2024.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland KC, has called for greater cooperation to protect all humanity from overlapping economic, environmental and security challenges.
“Our world is tightly bound by a tangled knot of crises spanning global economic, environmental and security systems. These crises are serious, complex and increasingly entrenched.
“Overcoming them will require a level of international political and economic cooperation, which is unprecedented in this century,”she told the summit, adding “together, we have the power to shift the balance of our fracturing world from mistrust and confrontation to dialogue and collaboration. Your perspectives are essential, and your action is imperativ”.
The Secretary-General expressed concern over the absence of adequate international support for climate-vulnerable developing countries, noting that the limitations of the global financial system are letting many countries down.
She said with no alternative many developing countries are forced to borrow loans for rebuilding on unfavourable terms, resulting in a “vicious cycle of unsustainable debt”.
Research reveals that many climate-vulnerable developing countries spend more on external debt payments than on projects to protect people from the impacts of climate change.
“We need to rewire the entire system, with action rooted in the sharpest honesty about where we are, driven by evidence, and flowing through every sector: from finance, energy and trade to health, education, and digitalisation. In all of this, we must work and act together.”
