UN chief: “The world is failing developing nations”

The secretary general of United Nations, Antonio Guterreson Friday praised efforts to achieve a better agreement at the international level for the Global South, as he inaugurated in Havana a summit of the G77 group of developing nations China.

The theme of the meetings is the scientific and technological gap between rich and poor countries, and its impact on development.

Guterres said greater international equality was essential to building the consensus needed to address climate change and all development issues.

“The world is failing developing nations,” he said, expressing hope that the meeting will strengthen the influence of participants on issues ranging from cooperation to mitigate climate change to reducing the burden of external debt.

Hit by extreme weather, the pandemic, international tension and economic hardship, developing countries are pushing for better treatment from developed countries on several fronts, from international finance to technology sharing.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel listed a series of statistics that he said highlight international inequality and that now include the Internet and advances in digital technology.

“Science, technology and innovation have reached the unimaginable,” he stated, and pointed out that “they could greatly benefit our countries (…), but they are not being shared”he noted in a speech.

The G77, which was initially launched in 1964 with 77 nations, now has 134 countries adhering.

China says it is not a member of the G77, despite being included as such in the bloc, but Beijing says it supports the group’s legitimate claims and has maintained cooperative relations.

Although more than a hundred delegations participate in the Summit, which ends on Saturday, only a few dozen are led by heads of state.

Source: Reuters