Guyana calls for global solidarity at Third South Summit of the Group of 77 in Uganda

Prime Minister Mark Phillips of Guyana addressed the gathering at the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China, which came to an end in Uganda on Monday.

Prime Minister Phillips used the opportunity provided by this forum to call for nations to show solidarity and take collective action to tackle socio-economic, environmental and governance related issues which have the potential to hinder the progress of nations in the Southern Hemisphere.

In his address to the summit, Phillips stated the following, “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.”

This statement hit the nail on its head, considering that the theme of the summit was “Leaving No One Behind”.

He also highlighted the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both developed and developing countries, adding that developing nations need more time to recover and achieve pre-pandemic levels of economic growth.

This has a considerable effect on the ability of these nations to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are meant to be enforced by 2030 according to the current timeline.

PM Phillips explained that, “We have seen daunting reports of regression with more than 50 per cent of our targets off track, some in reverse. Support for development efforts is paramount, and we must look both to ourselves and the developed world to move forward.”

He was adamant that both developed and developing countries must make a collaborative effort to tackle this issue and move towards definitive actions that take the needs of all parties into consideration.

Thus, according to Prime Minister Phillips, it is imperative that both developed and developing countries support each other in every way possible for the betterment of the world.

He also stated that unity and collective action are the need of the hour, to ensure that the Global South can overcome the challenges that it is facing.

He said, “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.”

Prime Minister Phillips used the opportunity to reiterate Guyana’s stance on the Gaza conflict and the concept of a two-state solution, which is largely considered to be the most apt solution to the issue.

To this end, he stated the following, “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.”

Prime Minister Phillips spoke of the need for securing developmental financing to address the needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which he believes to be affected more than most by climate emergencies, financial and debt related crises and rising food prices.

He also highlighted the fact that due to these reasons such nations suffer from poverty and financial inequality, which have a profound impact on the efforts being made to achieve the current global sustainability goals.

“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.”

Prime Minister Phillips delineated what he believes the summit must help member nations achieve, by saying that a coordinated South-South, North-South and Triangular cooperation between developing countries is necessary to capitalise on the potential, capacities, knowledge, technology and infrastructure that nations possess today to effectively address new development challenges.

He added that G77 nations and China must back the efforts being made to build up and apply a Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) to facilitate reforms to the international financial structure. In his opinion, as is the case with many others, this is an important step to spur the transformation that the international fraternity is looking towards in the near future.

Phillips said, “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.”

Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland also spoke at the summit, stating the following, “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. 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 imperative.”