KAMPALA, Uganda, CMC – Guyana has underscored the need for global solidarity and united action to address the interconnected socio-economic, environmental, and governance challenges that threaten the sustainable development of the Global South.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, addressing the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China 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 fulfill 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 take decisive, coherent actions at various levels.
He emphasized the need for support from 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, emphasizing the need for common positions to tackle the developmental challenges faced by the Global South and stressing 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 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, “We must take appropriate collective actions to capitalize on our full potential, capacities, knowledge, technologies, and infrastructure to address the new development challenges effectively.”
Phillips said that as a matter of priority, the G77 and China should continue supporting efforts to develop and implement the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI). He said there must be continuous advocacy for concrete actions by developed countries to deliver on previous commitments and 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 realization 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 severe, 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 that 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”.
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 unfavorable 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 digitalization. In all of this, we must work and act together.”
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