President Urges G77 and China to invest in sustainable development

President Irfaan Ali, in his address to the Group of 77 (G77) and China on Monday, urged member countries to inject more of their time and resources into meeting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has become even more critical since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, Guyana took over the Chairmanship of the G77 and China vowing to maintain the Group’s core principles; to build upon past achievements, and to promote collective economic interests for all involved. Monday marked the 75th anniversary of the United Nations (UN) and President Ali delivered a keynote address themed ‘The future we want, the United Nations we need: reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism’.

He told the stakeholders that though the COVID-19 pandemic has undermined many of the development gains of the past decades, the 2030 Agenda is still not out of reach. The 2030 Agenda seeks to address the major poverty-environmental challenges facing the world’s population which include depleted natural capital, climate vulnerability, gender inequality, rural-urban migration, and growing resource demands.

Not only do nations have a responsibility to change this, but President Ali said that poor and developing countries must be given special consideration due to their unique challenges.

“We must seek to strengthen solidarity to address the pandemic, commit to take forward the 2030 Agenda, and intensify our global partnerships. We also reaffirm that the imposition of unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries is an impediment to economic and social development and to dialogue and understanding among countries. We must do everything we can to fulfill our obligations to the peoples of this world, in this Decade of Action and Delivery for Sustainable Development. All of our actions must, at all times, ensure democratic rule and adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law,” he stated.

He told the G77 and China that that pandemic has brought to the forefront the development bottlenecks faced by developing countries, ranging from insufficient financing; inadequate market access for goods and services; the expanding digital divide; restrictions in accessing needed pharmaceuticals and medical supplies; and reductions in revenue from tourism and exports, among others.

He called on the Organisation to reflect on its achievements and to recommit objectives of multilateralism, peace, justice, and development.

“As we reflect on the state of our world, seventy-five years after the bold step to establish the United Nations, it is disheartening to note that millions of the world’s people are still living in poverty. Eradicating this scourge remains the greatest global challenge and the first priority for our Group,” he stated, adding:

“To this end, the Group of 77 and China calls for more resources and actions to be mobilized in a timely manner to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We are committed to taking the actions needed for coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to the development challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including initiatives on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and beyond, aimed at producing a menu of policy options necessary to resolve the crisis and to ensure resilience… the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is our roadmap; its implementation is a necessity for our survival.

Guyana joined the United Nations in 1966 pledging to be active in making an honest contribution to advancing and realizing the ideals of the Organization. President Ali renewed that pledge on behalf of the country on Monday and called on all member states to commit likewise so that a collectively desired future can be achieved.