(Opening ceremony only) 50th Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77

African countries. These countries face intersecting vulnerabilities, yet they also hold immense potential. Their priorities must be reflected in international financing, trade, technology, climate action, and global decision making. Excellencies, the future of multilateralism will be determined not by the number of declarations we adopt, but by whether we deliver meaningful results for the people we serve. The G77 in China has repeatedly demonstrated the power of collective action. I count on your leadership. Your Excellency, Madame Laura Dupuy-Lasserre. At a time of deepening mistrust, conflict and inequality, the role of Global South is indispensable to sustaining the future of multilateralism. As President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Friends, one and all, I welcome you and call to order the 50th Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 and China. I wish to thank you sincerely for your presence, as today we embark on our important work. With your cooperation and support, I trust that our deliberations will prove constructive and productive, and that they will contribute to advancing the common priorities and interests of our group. Allow me now, if you will, to deliver my opening address. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, friend Antonio Guterres indeed, heads of state and government, ministers, friends, It is my pleasure to welcome you here today and to thank you for your presence at the 50th Annual Ministerial Meeting of G77 China. Its theme is the Global South and the future of multilateralism. I also wish to welcome the Secretary-General and emphasize the fact that he is with us today for the last time in his capacity as Secretary-General. That is, it will be his last meeting with us at a ministerial meeting of the group. As such, I wish to thank him, as I must, for the fact he has permanently remained open to dialogue with G77 and China. I wish to acknowledge his unstinting commitment to this organization and to the defense of multilateralism. Secretary-General, I am deeply, deeply grateful to you. Thank you. Moreover, I wish to thank the President of the General Assembly, Khalilur Rahman. After the Secretary-General's address, he will make a statement via a previously recorded video, and I wish to convey to him the group's readiness to work with his presidency. Uruguay took up the presidency of G77 in China for the first time with a clear conviction. This group is not only a forum for coordination, rather it is the primary global, the primary forum of the developing world within the United Nations that is for negotiation. It is also a vital tool with which we can transform our political weight into the ability to influence and shape agendas. Over the course of this year, we have exercised this responsibility with transparency and with a desire to build consensus. But we've also done so with the resolve that defending the common interests of 134 countries demands. Our unity is a prerequisite to ensuring that the global South priorities occupy their rightful place in the international agenda. Ours is an international landscape marked by growing tensions and fragmentation. Against that backdrop, the ability to build agreements between countries with different points of view takes on particular significance. Defending multilateralism, strengthening multilateralism, and bolstering our ability to achieve agreements is, in this context, essential if we are to build a more representative, more effective, and more peaceful international order. However, defending multilateralism does not mean championing the status quo. A system which distributes representation and resources unequally, as well as decision-making capacity, sees its legitimacy eroded. Developing countries must participate in developing rules. They must not simply adapt to decisions adopted without them. That's not what we must do. Multilateralism will only be universal if it reflects the clout, the views and the priorities of our global south. We stand a mere four years away from 2030 and the world is far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Poverty and hunger remain. We are seeing the rising tide of inequality and increasing indebtedness. Financing continues to fall short of need and climate, technology and humanitarian crises are dealing ever heavier blows to our countries. The Seville commitment provided us with a roadmap to renew commitment to and strengthen financing for development. It is now incumbent upon us to see its implementation. We cannot accept a situation whereby debt postpones crucial investments in healthcare, education, social protection, or climate action. We need a fairer financial architecture. We need effective responses to the debt crisis, and we need to see ODA commitments upheld. South-South cooperation will continue to remain a tangible manifestation of solidarity and an expression of the fact that solutions must be built that are tailored to our realities. However, South-South cooperation complements, it cannot replace, North-South cooperation. Neither can it stand in for the obligations of developed nations. AI can expedite development, however, it can also widen divides. if we simply remain reduced to consumers. In this year so far, the group has championed inclusive international governance and equitable access to capacity, digital capacity that is, as well as data and digital infrastructure. As things stand within the United Nations, we are negotiating the system reform process that's known as UN80. At the same time, we are beset by financial difficulties stymieing the organization's functioning. Against this backdrop, our presidency has engaged constructively with developing countries and with the UN Secretariat. We have facilitated candid dialogues with all parties, and that has contributed to decisions being taken which seek to strengthen the impact of the organization on the ground. We have succeeded in turning positions into tangible results. We have championed dialogues on UN 80. We have worked to modernize how how appropriations are dealt with and we have sought to avoid resources sitting idle. We have championed the voice of the South in the governance of AI and we have promoted South-South cooperation. The UN's reform must be assessed in view of its ability to better discharge its mandate and serve member states. We have supported a more agile and effective organization. We have not, however, lost sight of the development pillar. That pillar must receive adequate, predictable and sustainable financing. This year coincides with the selection of the person that will take up the office of Secretary-General in 2027. This selection process must be transparent, inclusive and, as indicated by General Assembly resolution 79/327, it is important that this process works to achieve equal and fair distribution in terms of the gender and geographical balance with regard to the appointment. As you are well aware, and as you can see on the agenda for today's meeting, this afternoon we will move to the adoption of the ministerial declaration for G77 in China. That declaration includes substance which will guide our negotiations in such a way that we will stand united. I thank delegations and negotiating groups that have worked tirelessly to achieve a text able to reflect our diversity and to affirm our common interests. We will also elect the next chair of the group. Uruguay will support the future chair and quite naturally, will place its full wealth of experience at the service of that new president. Today, the Global South is not asking for permission to participate in the building of the future. We provide solutions. We are the bedrock of the international system and we legitimately ask that our priorities are the stuff of decisions. The strength of G77 and China lies in our ability to act together, once again, to act together in unity. When we preserve this unity, our voice cannot not ever be ignored. With this conviction, consequently, I open the ministerial meeting of G77 and China. Thank you. Distinguished ministers, excellencies, distinguished delegates, for me it is a great honor to have with us the United Nations Secretary-General. I wish to invite His Excellency to address the group. It is a great honor to do so. Thank you.

Mr.

President.

Since 1964, the G77 has spoken with a common voice. Together, you have championed development, driven South-South cooperation, strengthened multilateralism, including your support for the Pact for the Future, and provided vital leadership for key UN reforms. Excellencies, the G77 and China's quest for justice must continue. Conflicts are raging, ceasefires are broken, human rights and international law are flouted with impunity, climate chaos is worsening with another year of record-breaking heat, inequality is deepening, and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is lagging. Development is the ultimate driver of equality, human dignity, prosperity and peace. But declining official development assistance and falling trust and solidarity demand that we urgently find ways to protect the vision and goals of the 2030 Agenda. We must also recognize the clear need for peace. From the Middle East to Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere, We need an end to the conflicts that are pushing development further out of reach. Excellencies, these converging challenges demand solutions grounded in justice. First, financial justice. Developing countries are drowning in debt. They need an additional $4 trillion per year to achieve the SDGs. Through the Seville Commitment, member states pledged to work to raise more domestic resources and to better channel them to areas of greatest need. But multilateral development banks must aggressively scale up investment. Bank shareholders must accelerate reforms, provide fresh capital, expand concessional finance, and unlock private investment. And we must increase the participation and weight of developing countries across the international financial architecture, bringing it in line with today's global economy and reforming adequately the international financial institutions. More than 100 G77 countries are supporting our spearheading initiatives under the Seville Platform for Action. And we need your leadership across our initiatives to make global economic governance more effective and inclusive, including the Borrower's Platform and the negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation. Second, climate justice. The climate crisis is hitting developing countries hardest. Extreme heat, floods, droughts, storms, and rising seas are destroying lives, livelihoods, and eroding hard-won development gains. Climate justice means protecting people before disasters strike, and standing with them as they recover and adapt. That requires a tripling of adaptation finance, far greater resources for loss and damage, accessible, predictable, and at the scale required. And every person on Earth being protected by an effective early warning system. Climate justice also means ensuring that developing countries benefit from the renewables revolution. Clean energy now attracts twice as much investment as fossil fuels, but the benefits are not being shared equally. The countries with some of the greatest renewable energy potential are receiving the least investment. Africa has 60% of the planet's best solar potential, but receives just 2% of global clean energy investments. Developing countries must be leaders and beneficiaries of the clean energy revolution not spectators. And that means affordable finance for renewables, grids, and storage. And it means justice in the responsible management of critical minerals, benefiting and adding value in producing countries first and foremost. As I usually say, no more plundering, no more exploitation. The clean energy transition must reduce global inequalities, not reproduce them. Third, technological justice. Artificial intelligence should benefit all countries, not just those that can afford it. We cannot let it perpetuate the inequalities and injustices that plague our world. I am grateful for the G77 support for the UN in establishing an independent international scientific panel and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance to give all countries an equal voice. And your support will be critical in establishing a Global Fund for AI Capacity Development. And fourth, justice through reform. From the start, the G77 and China have been strong and vocal supporters of our efforts to reform global institutions. For example, the United Nations Security Council and the Bretton Woods Institutions were created before many of your countries became independent. These systems do not reflect the voice, the influence, and the economic and political power that developing countries in particular now yield. They must be reformed. And you have been a wellspring of ideas and support as we move forward also with our UN80 initiative. This includes reforms to advance gender parity and to adjust this in geographic representation focus on country-level results and improves the effectiveness of our work. To expand countries' access to UN assets and knowledge across the system to deal with complex challenges and make progress on Agenda 2030. And to revitalize key UN bodies, including the committees of the General Assembly and ECOSOC. Every step of the way, we are working to respect the leadership of Member States and the principle of national ownership, all while maintaining a laser focus on the three core pillars of organization, peace and security, development, and human rights. I urge you to continue working with us as we finalize these reforms and ensure effective and impactful support of your priorities for decades to come. Excellencies, from the start, The G77 shown that narrow self-interest is no match for countries acting in solidarity. While this is my last meeting with your ministerial group as Secretary-General, I will always stand with you in your quest for justice, development, and peace. Thank you.

Many thanks, indeed, to you, Secretary-General, for being with us today. We wish you every success in discharging the lofty responsibilities of your office for the remainder of your tenure. On behalf of the Group of 77 in China, I wish to convey to you our hearty gratitude for your address today. And as your tenure draws to a close, we wish to thank you for your commitment to our group and for your support over your years in office. Many, many thanks indeed, Secretary-General. Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, As I had indicated, owing to other commitments, the President of the General Assembly is unable to join us in person this morning. Nevertheless, we are delighted to have received a pre-recorded video statement from the President. As such, I invite you now to turn your attention to the screen to hear an address by His Excellency Mr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the General Assembly.

Laura Dubois, your Excellency, Laura Dubois, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations and Chair of the Group of 77. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to address this landmark 50th annual ministerial meeting of the Group of 77 in China. As someone from a G77 country, I know the group's enduring strength, its solidarity, its moral authority, and its capacity to give voice to the aspirations of the great majority of humanity. At a time of deepening mistrust, conflict, and inequality, the role of Global South is indispensable to sustaining the future of multilateralism. As President of the General Assembly, my overriding priority for this 81st session is to support the future of multilateralism by restoring trust, Trust among member states, and above all, trust in the United Nations as an institution capable of delivering for people. This requires renewed collective action. First, on peace and security, the United Nations must uphold the charter in its entirety in both letter and spirit. The Security Council bears primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. When it is able to discharge that responsibility effectively, impartially, and in accordance with the Charter, it bolsters public trust and confidence in our organization. Yet where the Council is unable to act, the Assembly must discharge its respective responsibility under the Charter and unfailingly adhere to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. The global south has also carried a large share of the burden of peacekeeping and peacebuilding. My country, Bangladesh, alone has contributed more than 200,000 peacekeepers over the years. This commitment must be matched by adequate mandates, predictable financing, political support, and a genuine focus on conflict prevention and sustainable peace. Second, on sustainable development, we have only four years left to deliver the 2030 agenda. Important progress notwithstanding, only 36% of SDG targets with available trend data are on track or making moderate progress. Nearly half, 49%, are moving too slowly, and 15% have slipped below their 2015 baselines. The financing environment has become even more difficult. Official development assistance fell by a record 23% in 2025. Global economic prospects offer little room for complacency. Persistent poverty and hunger, debt distress, climate shocks, and failing development assistance are putting hard-won progress at risk. We must close the financing gap. honor commitments, and accelerate implementation of the SDGs and Compromiso de Sevilla. The SDG Summit in 2027 will offer a crucial opportunity to assess implementation honestly, identify the barriers to delivery, and chart the steps needed beyond 2030. The climate outlook is equally stark. Under existing policies, we are on track for up to 2.8 degrees Celsius of warming this century, far beyond the 1.5 degree threshold we pledged to pursue. Climate change is already a daily reality for countries of the South. The recent catastrophic disaster in Nepal and China, triggered by a glacier-related collapse and devastating floods, is a stark warning of the cascading risks facing Himalayan communities and countries downstream. As warming destabilizes glaciers, permafrost, and mountain slopes, the threats of glacial lake outburst floods, landslides, water insecurity, and the destruction of critical infrastructure will grow. Adaptation, early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, disaster risk reduction, and adequately funded loss and damage arrangements must be central to our collective response. Third, We must also act with urgency on artificial intelligence. AI can help advance the sustainable development goals, but without effective norms and guardrails and independent oversight and human control, there is the danger that it may generate profound harm. AI governance must be inclusive, equitable, and development oriented, ensuring that AI narrows rather than widens the digital divide. Excellencies, on each of these issues, South-South cooperation is essential. Countries of the South are innovators, providers of practical technologies, and creators of solutions that can be adopted and scaled across regions. We must expand technology sharing, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and regional and interregional partnerships among countries of the South. Special and sustained support is essential for least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing states, and African countries. These countries face intersecting vulnerabilities, yet they also hold immense potential. Their priorities must be reflected in international financing, trade, technology, climate action, and global decision making. Excellencies, The future of multilateralism will be determined not by the number of declarations we adopt, but by whether we deliver meaningful results for the people we serve. The G77 and China has repeatedly demonstrated the power of collective action. I count on your leadership throughout this session to bridge divides, advance practical solutions, and ensure that the United Nations remains true to its charter and effectively deliver to all peoples, including peoples of the South. I thank you.

Thank you very much. On behalf of the group, I wish to thank the President of the General Assembly for his statement and for sharing his reflections with us on this important occasion. We have thus concluded the opening session. And I believe that we can immediately proceed to the next items on the agenda. Distinguished delegates, honourable ministers, you have before you the draft agenda of the ministerial meeting. Are there any comments on the agenda? As I see no requests for comments, the agenda is adopted. We will now proceed to item two, election of the country to assume the chairmanship of the Group of 77 for 2027. Honourable ministers, distinguished delegates, I now draw your attention to agenda item two. election of the country to assume the chairmanship of our group for the year 2027. As you are aware, the chairmanship of the G77 and China rotates annually among its three regions. And next year, it is the turn of the African group. The African group has endorsed the candidature of the Republic of Rwanda. for the chairmanship of the Group for the year 2027. This notification has been circulated to all Member States. May I take it that the Ministerial Meeting wishes to elect by acclamation the Republic of Rwanda to assume the chairmanship of the Group for the year 2027? On behalf of the Member States of the Group of 77 and China, allow me to congratulate the Government of the Republic of Rwanda on its election to this most important office. We are confident that under the able leadership of the Republic of Rwanda and with your cooperation, as well as with the valuable support of our Secretariat, the Group of 77 and China will achieve new milestones next year. It is now my pleasure to invite the head of the delegation of the Republic of Rwanda, His Excellency Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda, to address the meeting.

But he's coming here. Okay, you are the floor, Minister.

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to take the floor on behalf of the Government of Rwanda to address you on this important occasion of our 50th Annual Ministerial Meeting. First of all, I would like to thank you, Mr. Chair, for your kind words and generous statement on my country's nomination to chair the Group of 77 for 2027. I would like also to thank the African Group for the trust and confidence they have placed in the Republic of Rwanda for the chairmanship of our prestigious Group of 77 for 2027. Your unanimous decision is commendable. Let me also express our gratitude and appreciation for the collective confidence of all the members of the group in entrusting us with this high office and great responsibility. The government of Rwanda accepts the nomination of 134 developing countries to chair the Group of 77 for the coming year 2027. As a founding member of the Group of 77 in Geneva on 15th June 1964, Rwanda has always been a strong supporter of the vision, principles and objectives of the Group of 77, with a deep sense of commitment to the cause of the South. As an African nation, we understand fully the basis for developing countries' struggles to achieve economic independence and development, especially in these trying times. In the spirit of South-South solidarity and cooperation that has always characterized our group, I pledge my government's full commitment to discharge its obligations and responsibilities with honor, integrity, and in a manner worthy of the trust of the member states of the Group of 77 and China. Despite these challenging times, we are committed to work very closely with all delegations and our small but efficient G77 Secretariat, as well as with our partners. I would like to seize this occasion to express our sincere appreciation for the sterling role that Uruguay has played in leading the Group of 77 this year of 2026, despite these times that are extremely challenging for developing countries. Yet, under your leadership, Mr. Chair, our group has made tremendous progress and achievements on the global dialogue on international economic cooperation, and we affirmed and promoted the role of South-South solidarity. It is our sincere hope that during Rwanda's tenure of office, the Group will be able to advance its interests even further. We are determined to promote the Group's agenda and we will spare no effort to actively pursue the needs and aspirations of developing countries in all fora. Rwanda looks forward to carrying out the mandate of the Group of 77 in 2027 and to defend the collective positions of the Member States so as to enable the Group of 77 to achieve its development objectives and goals. I thank you.

Thank you very much, Minister.

I believe I speak for all the participants of this meeting when I thank you for your words, the official ceremony for the handover will be held in early January 2027. And our Executive Secretariat will in due course inform all delegations of the arrangements for the ceremony. Allow me to thank all delegations and our Executive Secretariat for the valuable support that they have extended to the Chair. We look forward to your continued support during the remaining months of our tenure. In accordance with established practice, a paragraph reflecting the election of the Republic of Rwanda to this high office for 2027 will be included in the draft ministerial declaration. Thank you very much. I now proceed to item three, honorable ministers, distinguished delegates. Let us now turn to agenda item three, the global South and the future of multilateralism. And before opening the floor for the interactive dialogue, I would like to kindly remind distinguished ministers that The Chair will be guided by the provisional list of speakers that has already been circulated in establishing the order of statements. But nevertheless, delegations wishing to take the floor are requested to press the microphone button at their respective seats and to inform Secretariat staff when their principals are ready to take the floor. In accordance with the protocol of the group and established practice, the floor will be given to honourable prime ministers, deputy prime ministers, ministers, and vice ministers in that order. In order to ensure the widest possible participation, speakers are kindly requested to limit their statements to four minutes. And it is now my pleasure to give the floor to His Excellency Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, Minister of Foreign Relations of Burkina Faso, you have the floor.

Mr. Chairman, Burkina Faso would like to express its gratitude to Uruguay for its commitment at the home of our group. The theme, the Global South and the future of multilateralism, resonates with the current challenges that our world faces. Today, the Global South represents the majority of the world's population and accounts for a growing share of global wealth. It also represents an immense reservoir of innovation and solutions, yet it still remains largely on the margins of development and global governance. The current multilateral architecture must therefore be readjusted so that the nations of the South can fully participate in shaping the rules that govern the international system. To this end, Burkina Faso would highlight four priorities. First, reform the international financial system to ensure more equitable access to development financing, and to provide sustainable solutions to debt-related challenges. Second, reform global governance so that international institutions better reflect the realities and the aspirations of the South. And third, move from a logic of aid to a logic of partnership based on co-creation, mutual respect, shared responsibility, and the end of dependency relationships. And 4th, preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. Terrorism, interference, and violations of sovereignty also constitute obstacles to development and to the aspirations of peoples. Under the leadership of the President of Burkina Faso, our country has chosen a development path based on a greater mobilization of its own domestic resources. The experience of the Confederation of Sahel States and its three member states demonstrates that unity and pooling capacities can strengthen our autonomy and our ability to act. We must therefore strengthen our solidarity and South-South cooperation in order to reduce dependencies and to better leverage our own potential. united within the group of 77 in China, we can contribute to building a more representative, more equitable and truly people-centered multilateralism, and I would like to conclude by addressing my heartfelt congratulations to Rwanda for its appointment as the chair of the G. 77, and assured of Burkina Faso's commitment, as well as that of the Confederation of Sahel States, to work towards consolidating the achievements made by our organization. Thank you.

Minister, and now I want to-- yes, I want to pass the floor to Costanza Banda, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francophonie, and Congolese Abroad of the Republic of Congo. You have the floor.

Is the Republic of the Congo Minister present in the room?

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Chairman, at the outset, on behalf of the Republic of the Congo, I would like to welcome and applaud the election of our sister nation, the Republic of Rwanda, to the chairmanship of our organization. for the year 2027. It is with great pleasure that I take the floor on a topic of great importance to our era, the global south and the future of multilateralism. This question is at the heart of profound transformations currently taking place in the world, which is currently marked by multiple crises, climate upheaval, insecurity, pandemics, migration, terrorism, and rising inequalities. These challenges are complex, interdependent, and they go beyond borders. No country, no matter how powerful it is, can resolve them alone. And this underscores the importance of our group, the G77 and China, which together constitutes the majority of the members of the United Nations General Assembly. In this context, multilateralism remains an essential necessity and It represents the will of states to work together, prioritize dialogue, and seek common solutions to problems that go beyond our national borders. It rests on a simple but essential idea-- peace, security, development. These are all very dear to the president of our republic, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who has put them front and center of his action. country continues wishes to continue contributing its voice to the concert of nations and in this context we reiterate our interests and seek the support of the group of g77 and China in our ambition to be come a member of the Security Council as a non-permanent member for the period 2030 2031 thank you very much

Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. And now I have the pleasure to give the floor to Claudio Mariz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala.

Guatemala.

Thanks Uruguay for its leadership of G77 and China this year. We also thank them for their efforts to preserve