PRIME Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips, emphasised the need for global solidarity and united action to address the interconnected socio-economic, environmental, and governance challenges that threaten sustainable development of the Global South.

Prime Minister Phillips delivered these remarks at the Third South Summit of Heads of State and Governments of the Group of 77 and China, held in Kampala, Uganda, aimed to address the interconnected socio-economic, environmental, and governance challenges that threaten sustainable development and leave vulnerable nations behind with the theme, “Leaving No One Behind.”

In his address, he underscored the urgency of a collaborative approach to surmount the formidable challenges faced by countries of the Global South.

“In addressing global challenges, we acknowledge that the world economic situation, geo-political tensions, and the peculiar environmental issues present formidable challenges for the countries of the Global South as we strive to safeguard the development interests of our nations and to ensure that ‘no one is left behind.”

The Prime Minister also highlighted the COVID-19 pandemic’s severe consequences, noting it could take developing countries several years to recover growth levels necessary to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, after enduring “We have seen daunting reports of regression with more than 50 per cent of our targets off track, some in reverse.”

To overcome these challenges, the Honourable Brigadier stressed exploring common positions and taking decisive, coherent actions at various levels. He emphasised the need for support from both developing and developed countries, stating, “Support for development efforts is paramount and we must look both to ourselves and the developed world to move forward.”

Calling for unity and decisive action, Phillips voiced the need for common positions to address the developmental challenges for the Global South. Highlighting the importance of cooperation.

“It would be to our advantage to explore common positions which require decisive and coherent actions at different levels to address the challenges to development for the Global South and ensure that no one is left behind,” he urged, pointing out the necessity for internal and external support to propel development efforts.

Underscoring the importance of cooperation between the Global South countries, PM Phillips also reiterated Guyana’s support for the Palestinian quest for a secure homeland and the two-state solution for lasting Israel-Palestine peace.

He stated: “As leaders from the developing world, we have the responsibility to come together and claim with a united voice the changes needed to ensure a sustainable future for the current and future generations,”

The Honourable Brigadier also called for an urgent international review of development-financing approaches, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are highly susceptible to external shocks such as climate emergencies, financial and debt difficulties, and surging food prices. These challenges, according to PM Phillips, exacerbate inequalities and sustain poverty, hindering global efforts towards sustainable development.

“As a matter of priority, the G77 and China should continue to support efforts for the urgent development and implementation of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI). We must advocate for concrete actions by developed countries to deliver on previous commitments, as well as on the reform of the international financial architecture which are essential for the transformation we are advocating.”

Addressing the desired outcomes of the Summit, He underscored the “importance of South-South, North-South and triangular cooperation” between developing countries, stating that: “It is necessary for us to take appropriate collective actions to capitalise on our full potential, capacities, knowledge, technologies and infrastructure to effectively address the new development challenges.”

He also referenced previous commitments made at the last G77 gathering in Havana, noting that the bloc had agreed upon the significance of science, technology and innovation to boost the nations of the Global South.PM Phillips further reiterated the urgency for a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture to enable developing nations to respond to threats such as climate change.

“We further noted the urgency for a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture and a more inclusive and coordinated approach to global financial governance to aid effective response to the urgent threat of climate change, based on the priorities of developing countries,”

PM Phillips also reiterated Guyana’s enduring solidarity to cooperation and shared growth with fellow developing countries through the G77 bloc, stating: “Guyana reaffirms our strong commitment to the Group of 77 and China, noting that the unity and solidarity of the Group form the basis upon which the realisation of our goals will be achieved.”

The Guyanese Prime Minister praised the Government of Cuba for its outstanding leadership of the Group of 77 and China, as he congratulated the Government and people of Uganda on the role of Chair of the Group for 2024. (DPI)