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ISLAMABAD, June 14: Privatization and Investment Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh while addressing the special ministerial meeting of G-77 and China in Sau Paulo (Brazil) emphasised the need for strengthening South-South cooperation in trade , finance and technology, according to a message received here on Monday.
Dr Hafeez is leading a high-level delegation to the meeting being held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Group. The meeting is also a precursor to the UNCTAD-XI ministerial meeting, which is scheduled to conclude on June 18.
The UNCTAD ministerial conferences are held once in every four years. Its last meeting was held in Bangkok in 2000. The minister called upon the Group of 77 and China to make concerted efforts based on commonality of interests for retrieval of the Doha Work Programme of the World Trade Organization.
The meeting, the message states, assessed the achievements of G-77 over the past four decades with a renewed commitment to further promote and deepen the South-South cooperation.
It also reviewed the rapidly changing global economic environment and suggested numerous steps to enhance coordination of positions in multilateral trade negotiations and make efforts for advancement of North-South partnership and close cooperation for economic and social dialogue.
Pakistan was twice elected as chairman of the Group and has all along played a leading role in its important initiatives. The Group of 77 was established on June 15, 1964 by 77 developing countries at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.
The UNCTAD-XI meeting, scheduled to commence on June 14, will include high-level round-table on a range of topics which assume increasing urgency in the crisis confronting developing countries that has been exacerbated by the structural adjustment programmes of the Western-controlled institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF.
THE TOPICS INCLUDE: trade and poverty, innovative financing for development, development strategies session on economic development and capital accumulation.
Also included in the programme are interactive thematic sessions on building competitive export capacity of developing countries' firms, assuring development gains from the international trading system and trade negotiations.
Brazil has also invited several heads of states/governments, including leaders of the G-20 grouping of developing countries, to the moot. Dr Hafeez will deliver his keynote address as a leader of Pakistan delegation at the forum on "assessment of trade in services and development gains".
Other members of the delegation are: Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Munir Akram, Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Shaukat Umar and other senior officials of the ministries of foreign affairs, commerce and finance.
