22 September 2022

H.E. Mr. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and Chair of the G77 and China,

Mr. Secretary-General,

Excellencies,

It is my great pleasure to participate in the 46th Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 and China.

I commend Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and the Government of Pakistan, for their leadership of the Group this year.

As the leading voice of the developing world for six decades, the G77 has a key role to play in shaping the solutions that will help us manage – and solve – the “mega crises” unfolding across our world.

Excellencies,

 

Let’s call things by name.

It is a new era. It is a new chapter of history unfolding as we speak.

The nature of the crises we face.

The method of actors addressing them.

The nature of the leadership roles played.

The changing economic and environmental realities and the changing roles of our organizations are all witness of new realities.

These crises have seriously undermined our efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

And the benchmarks by which we should measure success also are reconsidered.

 

I count on the G77 – with its collective wisdom and sheer strength of diversity – to create enabling environments and implement action-oriented solutions so that we can achieve the 2030 Agenda together.

To reach out and to reach our aims, we must keep people – and the human capacity to innovate – at the core of all activities.

This means working to close the widening gap between the global North and the global South. The rich and the poor.

The solutions we seek must help countries build the productive and innovative capacities they in order to grow, develop and thrive.

We can no longer tolerate the uncompromising financial systems that keep developing countries trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and interest.

Systems that obstruct the opportunities of these nations to boost productive capacities.

We need an international financial system, based on inclusion, which inspires full commitment to multilateralism, sustainability and social stability.

One that treats countries as equals.

That fosters investments that are climate and water smart, and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Excellencies,

The 77th session will have to focus on the future we want.

It requires from all of us to concentrate better on the most burning issues, the most relevant ones for our societies.

In broad terms, these are crisis management and transformation.

To survive the near future and to be successful in the overall, too.

It is not reassuring to have 181 focus areas in a session.

I cannot change this, it, because these are mandated items.

But we can address them through the lenses of crisis management and transformation.

We aim to use this year to forge ahead, to find solutions. To use data and scient in ways that transform how we think and we do business.

In our discussions, I challenge ourselves to rethink how we approach growth and development, anchored in solidarity, science and sustainability, rather than obstruction, profit and selfishness.

With 134 members, the G77 including China is the primary stakeholder in these discussions.

Excellencies,

We came together in 2015 to create these goals. This year ahead we need to come together again, in solidarity, to bring them back on track.

As an African proverb so eloquently observes: “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion”.

For my part, I will work tirelessly to ensure that all your voices are heard loudly, clearly and equally across the General Assembly.

I thank you.