02 February 2015 – The Philippines took over as chair of the Geneva Chapter of the Group of 77 and China after the handover ceremony held at the United Nations Office in Geneva on January 29. The Philippine term will end on December 31. The country had served as vice chair of the Group of 77 and China in 2014. Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong, who will now serve as the chairperson, takes over from Ambassador Malloum Bamanga Abbas, Permanent Representative of Chad to the United Nations in Geneva.
During the handover ceremony, Ambassador Rebong congratulated Ambassador Abbas for his excellent stewardship of the Group in 2014. She said that, “Through his leadership and wisdom he was able to effectively lead our group during numerous difficult negotiations conducted last year. More importantly, he was able to advance the interests of the developing world.”
Ambassador Abbas, for his part, said that the Group was able to make an impressive and meaningful contribution to the outcome of the G-77 summit held in June 2014 in Bolivia to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Group of 77 and China. He also stated that the G-77 and China stood firm and proud together as a Group in advancing the members’ interests.
He added that under the chairmanship of Ambassador Rebong, the Group must intensify and enhance its contributions to the broader work of the G-77. “We must provide solid inputs to the G-77 preparations for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and provide concrete contributions and ideas in the process to articulate the post-2015 development agenda,” he said.
In her statement, Ambassador Rebong emphasized that the Philippines volunteered for the chairmanship of this important group because it “has always regarded the multilateral arena as the best way to promote the collective interests of the developing world given our many areas of convergence on the most pressing development issues,” she said.
She outlined the Philippines’ vision for the group, saying. “The Philippine chairmanship will place an emphasis on the strengthening of the group as a negotiating force in the field of development by encouraging healthy debate and discussions among member countries.” Ambassador Rebong added that the Philippines’ chairmanship will emphasize the importance of unity and cooperation among all members of the Group of 77 and China. It is only by maintaining this unity and solidarity that the developing world will be able to overcome the many challenges that will be faced in the coming year as the Group prepares for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) XIV meeting in Lima, Peru in early 2016.
Ambassador Rebong underscored that “The Philippines will uphold and stay true to the principled positions of the group as articulated in the Joint Declaration that established it in 1964, which called for the acceleration of development so that the world may realize prosperity for all.”
Ambassador Rebong noted that the Philippine chairmanship comes at a crucial juncture given the important events in 2015, which UNCTAD and the G-77 and China would continue to discuss and prepare for, notably the Third International Conference on Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July, on-going negotiations on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris in December, and the UNCTAD XIV in 2016. By assuming the 2015 chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China in Geneva, the Philippines will be able to take a leadership role in shaping the post 2015 development agenda.
UNCTAD XIV will build on previous conferences held in Accra, Ghana (UNCTAD XII) and Doha, Qatar (XIII) in 2008 and 2012 respectively. The conference sets the development goals and targets as well as work priorities of the organization. Member states are also given the opportunity to review current trade and development issues during these conferences.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi. In his statement he pointed out that in 2015, UNCTAD looks forward to specific engagement as it goes through significant events such as those mentioned by the Philippine Ambassador, and including the articulation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Ministerial Conference 10 of the World Trade Organization.
The Asian Group, GRULAC and African Group expressed their trust and confidence to the Philippine chairmanship, and pledged that they will continue to cooperate with the Group in pursuit of its common interests and development needs.
The Group of 77 and China is a collective grouping of developing countries that was founded in Geneva in 1964 during the first United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. From the original 77 members, this number has now expanded to 134. The main aim of the Group is to accelerate the industrialization of developing countries, improve the living standards of people in the developing world, and to establish a framework of international trade that is consistent with the needs of rapid development. Aside from Geneva, it has chapters in New York, Vienna, Nairobi, Rome and Paris. The Philippines was chair of the New York chapter in 1995 and Vienna chapter in 2014. END