77 and China, at the XIV Summit Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),
Havana, Cuba
15 September 2006
Your Majesties,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,
Your Excellencies, ministers, ambassadors and high commissioners,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
This important gathering of the nations of the South takes place at the home
of one of the giants of this Movement, Fidel Castro, whom all of us wish a
speedy recovery from his illness so that together with this assembled
leadership he can continue to offer his wisdom to the NAM as it faces both new
and old challenges confronting the majority of humanity.
On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, I thank the government and people of
the Republic of Cuba for being hospitable as always, and making us feel that we
are attending this important XIV Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement at our own
collective home.
Your excellencies, I would like to take advantage of this important Summit
of the NAM to reiterate the commitment of the G77 and China, within the context
of its mandate, to address the economic challenges facing all member-states of
both the NAM and the G77 and China, especially in the light of the failure of
the Doha Development Round and the continuing marginalisation of large parts of
the developing world by the processes of globalisation.
Throughout its existence, the NAM has always been a movement of the people
driven by the passionate determination to wrestle the fate of their own destiny
from the hands of those who falsely believed that their long-term prosperity,
stability and security is predicated on the perpetual marginalisation,
exploitation and underdevelopment of the majority of the human race.
Accordingly, there are several important matters that unite the majority of
the human race who populate the countries of the South and whose distinguished
delegates have gathered at this Summit.
One of these important issues that unite our people and which is central to
the deliberations of this Summit as well as any other gathering that discusses
the fate of all of humanity is the question whether, as a collective, our
efforts are sufficient to accelerate the outcomes of major United Nations (UN)
conferences and summits â outcomes that are critical to the development of the
lives of the billions of people we represent.
Indeed, these billions of our people, the majority of whom live the life of
poverty and wretchedness, are united that we, their representatives, should
work better, harder and perhaps smarter to ensure that there is implementation
of the commitments for more resources for the realisation of the Millennium
Development Goals.
Of course, they understand that many of our developing countries are today
experiencing difficulties to meet the Millennium Development Goals, especially
those from the African continent, precisely because of the failure of the rich
to transfer adequate resources to the needy countries of the South.
These billions, on whose mandate we participate in this Summit, believe that
with better focus, enhanced co-ordination, increased utilisation of our
collective strength as well as better monitoring mechanisms to ensure that
agreed decisions are implemented, it is possible to change their living
conditions for the better.
These masses of our people always urge us to speak with a unified voice and
act together to ensure that the developed North do indeed transfer resources to
the developing South. They know, as we do, that without these resource
transfers the vision of a better life will forever remain a mirage.
Your Excellencies,
Today, the unilateral actions of big power interventions without regard to
the sovereignty and integrity of weaker states is cutting across all continents
and affecting all nations.
As a result, the people of the South, organised under the NAM as well as its
sister organisation, the G77 and China, have expressed strong support for a UN
reform process whose outcome would be a stronger and more effective UN. The
outcome of this reform process would be the strengthening of multilateralism as
well as increased capacity of the UN so as to better respond to the
contemporary requirements of member states. This would be a UN that is able to
give the necessary attention to the implementation of development priorities
and the defence of the sovereignty and integrity of our countries. Clearly, the
billions of people that we represent want us to ensure that whatever we are
doing, within the NAM and within the UN we should, at all times guarantee them
peace, security and stability.
As the NAM confronts all these and other challenges, the central task facing
all of us is to strengthen South-South co-operation, especially with regard to
maintaining the relevance of the organisations and groupings of the South.
These various organisations, armed with specific mandates and occupying
different political, economic and cultural spaces, are important in our
all-round struggles against poverty, underdevelopment, unfair trade and
political and socio-economic exclusion and marginalisation.
Indeed, as Your Excellencies know, the strengthening of South-South
co-operation has helped create a stronger voice for the developing countries in
multilateral forums.
Undoubtedly, this South-South co-operation is an important means through
which to empower ourselves, to help each other access modern technologies and
move our nations away from underdevelopment into development.
Your Excellencies, the G77 and China remains committed to a close working
relationship with the NAM, utilising among others, the existing structures such
as the Joint Co-ordinating Committee as well as co-ordinating our joint action
at various UN centres, especially with regard to the on-going process of
fundamental reforms of the UN system as well as the Bretton Woods
Institutions.
Together, united on behalf of the billions of our people, we have the
ability to help change the world such that all of humanity can live a better,
fulfilling and prosperous life. I wish you a very successful Summit.
Thank you.
Issued by: The Presidency
15 September 2006
