handover of chairpersonship of Group of 77 and China
7 January 2007
South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on Wednesday,
10 January 2007, join the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in
a ceremony in which South Africa will hand over the Chairpersonship of the
Group of 77 (G-77 and China) to Pakistan at the United Nations Headquarters in
New York.
Minister Dlamini Zuma is leading a South African delegation, including
Director-General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba and Deputy Director-General George Nene, to
New York as part of processes following South Africa's ascendancy to the
non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council last week.
During Minister Dlamini Zuma's visit to New York, the United Nation Security
Council will also be discussing threats to international peace and security
under the January Presidency of the Russian Federation.
Other issues on the agenda of the United Nation Security Council for January
2007 include: Cote d I'voire, Democratic Republic Congo, Central African
Republic, Ethiopia-Eritrea, Chad, Sudan, Haiti, Nepal, Georgia and the Middle
East as well as cross-border issues in West Africa.
Group of 77 and China
The handover ceremony of the chairpersonship of G-77 + China to Pakistan
will, in addition to Minister Dlamini Zuma and United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon, be addressed by Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, the President of
the United Nation General Assembly, the Secretary-General of United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Supachai Panitchpakdi, and the
Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kemal
Davis.
The Group of 77 (G-77) is the largest coalition of developing countries in
the United Nations, which provides a platform for the countries of the South to
articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their
joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic and development
issues in the United Nations system, promote South-South co-operation and
strengthen economic and technical co-operation among developing countries
themselves.
During its tenure as Chairperson of the G-77 + China in 2006 South Africa
was committed to enhancing the position of the Group as a constructive and
responsible partner in promoting North-South relations, in support of the
development agenda of the South.
As Chair, South Africa engaged with the broad membership of the Group in
order to generate consensus on potentially divisive issues, in addition to
engaging with the development partners on a daily basis to promote and protect
the mandate received from the Group.
The context in which South Africa chaired the G-77 and China during 2006 was
an unprecedented one in terms of the number of important new issues that the
Group dealt with as part of the international debate on the need to reform the
UN and make it a stronger and more effective organisation. As a consequence of
South Africa's efforts during the last year, the G-77 and China has managed to
generate new levels of preparedness, cohesion and solidarity within its
ranks.
Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
7 January 2007
