SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON SPEECH AT G77 SUMMIT IN BOLIVIA

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

REMARKS AT SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT

OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA

Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 14 June 2014

 

OPENING REMARKS

Your Excellency, Evo Morales, President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia,

Distinguished Heads of State and Government,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Buenos noches.  [Good night]

Estoy muy contento de estar en Bolivia.  [I am pleased to be in Bolivia]

Agradezco mucho la hopitalidad del Presidente Morales y de los Bolivianos.  [I thank President Morales and Bolivians for their gracious hospitality]

It is an honour to join you at this Summit.

I am pleased to see so many Heads of State and Government in attendance.

I commend President Morales and the Government of Bolivia for hosting this Summit, and for Bolivia’s dynamic leadership of the G77 and China during the Group’s 50th anniversary year.

I congratulate the entire membership of the G77 and China on this important milestone.

ORIGINS OF THE G77

The G77 was founded on the fundamental understanding that all countries -- large and small, rich and poor -- deserve an equal voice in world affairs.

It recognised the need to correct the inequity of the global economic order and close the development gap between North and South.

Over the years, this diverse group – which now represents well over half the global population and some two-thirds of United Nations Member States -- has enabled the global South to speak with a common voice.

I have been privileged to witness the growing influence of G77 countries in negotiations where I have taken an especially close interest, including on climate change and sustainable development.

G77 GOALS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD

As we work to formulate a universal post-2015 sustainable development agenda, the vigour and leadership of the G77 and China is essential.

The Group provides an immense contribution to our common pursuit of peace, well-being, equity and a life of dignity for all.

Excellencies,

To quote the words of the Charter of Algiers at the first ministerial meeting of the G77:

“In a world of increasing interdependence, peace, progress and freedom are common and indivisible.  Consequently, the development of developing countries will benefit the developed countries as well.”

The coming one-and-a-half years are especially crucial for future development and global stability.

First, we must accelerate efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

I will continue to urge governments from the global North to meet and expand on existing commitments to support your efforts.

Second, the world must continue progress towards a meaningful global climate change agreement -- beginning in Lima this year and culminating in Paris in 2015.

To help add political momentum and catalyze action on the ground, I am convening a Climate Summit for leaders from government, business, finance and civil society on September 23rd.

I invite G77 members to come prepared to showcase inspiring initiatives that will reduce emissions and strengthen resilience.

Third, we must deliver a transformative post-2015 development agenda.

GLOBAL COOPERATION IS KEY TO OVERCOMING POVERTY AND BALANCING THE WORLD'S RESOURCES

Here, I count on the G77 and China to bring fresh ideas, flexible and creative negotiating approaches and practical, as well as balanced, proposals to the table.

We have a historical opportunity to overcome traditional North-South distinctions and embrace a truly universal agenda.

Acting together, Member States can eradicate extreme poverty and provide opportunity for all within the finite bounds of our planet’s resources.

Your membership encompasses all the world’s challenges – and all the world’s solutions.

Last year’s Special Event of the General Assembly on the MDGs called for a post-2015 development agenda that is universal, takes into account national contexts, and reinforces commitment to poverty eradication and sustainable development.

Eradicating extreme poverty and addressing inequality have to be at the core of our efforts.

When communities are marginalized, when youth grow up with little hope of jobs and dignity, societies cannot flourish.

But our development must balance the needs of people and planet.

For if we neglect Mother Earth, we will be denied the protection she offers.

That was my message this April on International Mother Earth Day – an initiative prompted by Bolivia. 

We need to redefine our relationship with Mother Earth.  We need a global transformation of attitude and practice.

To improve human well-being, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable, we must act on climate change and the unsustainable use of natural resources.

All countries need to act on these priorities – individually and collectively.

That is how I understand the theme of this Summit -- a New World Order to Live Well.

It is encapsulated by the concept vivir bien, promoted by President Morales.

Development based on ‘to Live Well’ is predicated on living in harmony with nature.

It must also mean living in harmony with each other.

Countries cannot achieve sustainable development while conflict rages, while human rights are breached, while good governance and the rule of law are neglected, and while inequality and injustice feed the fires of instability.

That is why it is essential that members of the G77 and China support each other – including through effective regional institutions -- to always uphold the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Excellencies,

Implementing a universal sustainable development framework will need a renewed global partnership for development.

THE ROLE OF THE G77 AND CHINA IN DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE WORLD

The G77 and China has a key role in ensuring this partnership is effective.

We should of course continue to urge the traditional economic powers to play their role.

We should also continue to press for a fairer global trade regime, transfer of technologies and capabilities, and more influence for developing countries in designing and running the world’s economic machinery. 

But innovative forms of cooperation will need to play a major and growing role in implementing the post-2015 agenda.

This will include public-private collaboration that puts people at the centre and ensures transparency and accountability.

G77 countries will need to attract, embrace and manage the investments that can help alleviate poverty and stimulate sustainable economic growth.

South-South and triangular cooperation are also going to play an ever greater role – especially as many G77 economies are among the world’s most dynamic.

You have much to learn from each other, and there are many exciting new developments.

Indeed, it is because of your practical experiences and policies that our family of nations is equipped for the first time in history to embark on eradicating extreme poverty.

Increasingly, the world as a whole will rely on to pioneer inclusive, sustainable and climate-sensitive development. 

Knowledge transfer, development cooperation and trade among G77 members can greatly boost these efforts. .

Excellencies,

We must harness the power of partnerships across the full range of development activities.

We must also put in place a robust accountability framework – backed by reliable and comparable data -- to support our universal sustainable development agenda.

As the largest group of countries in the United Nations, you play a key role in ensuring a successful outcome to the efforts of the United Nations to formulate and effectively implement the post-2015 development agenda.

The fate of billions of poor people and the state of the planet depend on the success of our efforts.

The post-2015 agenda must make a real difference in people’s lives, and safeguard the heritage we will give to future generations.

Let us be inspired by the late, great Gabriel García Márquez, whose writings expressed the yearnings of ordinary people everywhere.

When he accepted the Nobel Prize in 1982, he closed with these words.

“…it is not yet too late to engage in the creation of … a new and sweeping utopia of life, where no one will be able to decide for others how they die, where love will prove true and happiness be possible.”

Everyone has the right to live well.

If we work together, we can make this a reality for all the people of this world.

Gracias.

Thank you.