G77 plus China summit ends with emphasis on empowerment of the Global South

The Group of 77 (G77) plus China summit concluded on Saturday with a call for more participation and voice from the Global South in the governance system. The event was attended by delegations from more than 100 countries, including more than 30 heads of state and government.

First established in 1964, the G77 now has more than 130 members, with its presidency rotating among member countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America based on regional principles. As the largest multilateral coordination organization among developing countries, the G77 member states represent more than 80% of the world’s population and more than two-thirds of the member countries of the United Nations. China is not a member, but has supported and cooperated with the group under the “G77 plus China”.

During the event held in Havana, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the economic embargo that the United States applies against Cuba and rejected the inclusion of the Caribbean country, by the Americans, in the list of nations that do not fully collaborate against terrorism. “Cuba has been a champion of fairer global governance. And to this day it is the victim of an illegal economic embargo. Brazil is against any unilateral coercive measure”, stated the president.

Lula praised the format of the meeting for its broad representation and stated that the two major transformations underway, the digital and the energy transition, “cannot be shaped by a handful of rich nations, reissuing the relationship of dependence between the center and the periphery ”.

“Large multinationals in the technology sector have business models that accentuate the concentration of wealth, disrespect labor laws and, often, fuel human rights violations and encourage extremism”, highlighted the Brazilian.