In February 2014, 42 countries met in London and signed the Declaration on Illegal Wildlife Trade, where they made a collective commitment to end this scourge, help communities that suffer from its side effects and protect endangered species.

The effective monitoring and control of transboundary movements is a key component of wildlife protection. In most countries, this task falls upon Customs which is at the forefront of efforts to counter wildlife trafficking and ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is practiced legally by implementing the provisions of the Convention on International Trade Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as well as relevant national legislation.

Preventing crimes which harm our natural resources is critical to protecting these species, but so too is reacting when these crimes occur to catch the perpetrators and ensure they face justice.

With 180 States (called Parties) signatory to the Convention, CITES is the principal instrument in regulating international trade in wildlife. Over 35,000 species of wild plants and animals are listed in its three Appendices,5 each corresponding to differing levels of trade control to ensure that trade is not detrimental to the survival of species in the wild.

Wildlife and forest crimes exact a terrible price from developing countries and their communities. Fragile ecosystems are destroyed and biodiversity is reduced.

The staying power of the United Nations is remarkable. For nearly 70 years, the UN's membership has grown rapidly after newly independent countries joined its ranks. It is encouraging too that no country has felt a strong enough urge to leave the organization in spite of its democratic deficiencies.

As we mark half a century of engagement and achievement, let us recall the words of the Group's first ministerial meeting, in Algiers in 1967, which still ring true today: In a world of increasing interdependence, peace, progress and freedom are common and indivisible.

The unity of the Group of 77 was not founded on homogeneity of political systems or a single identity of economic interests. They were based on a shared and common perception of the inequitable nature of the then existing economic order, the unfair and unethical rules of the game and the necessity to change them.

I see the Group of 77 as a symbol of the quest for and an essential element of the democratization of international relations, of the United Nations and of the UN system.

G-77 at 50: not an age of retirement but of experience and wisdom to transform the world economy, for poor countries and people.Go ahead!