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THIRD SOUTH SUMMIT OUTCOME DOCUMENT |
1. We, the Heads of State and Government of the Member Countries of the Group of 77 and China, gathered in Kampala, Republic of Uganda for the Third South Summit, from 21 to 22 January 2024, in this historic 60th anniversary year of the establishment of our Group, fully convinced of the imperative to continue to act in solidarity and unity for a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous world that responds to our aspirations, reaffirm our full commitment to the spirit and principles of the Group of 77 and China, and to the defence and promotion of our collective interests in genuine international cooperation for development.
2. We recall the first Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77, held in Algiers from 10 to 25 October 1964, at which the Group adopted the Charter of Algiers, which established the principles of unity, complementarity, cooperation and solidarity of the developing countries and our determination to strive for economic and social development, individually or collectively. We are convinced that convening this Third South Summit in an international context characterized by multidimensional crises and new challenges is an occasion for our Group to chart a new course on behalf of our peoples.
3. Having reviewed the implementation of the Doha Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the Second South Summit of the Group of 77 and China, held in Doha, Qatar, from 12 to 16 June 2005, as well as, the Havana Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the First South Summit of the Group of 77 and China, held in Havana, Cuba, from 10 to 14 April 2000 and the achievements of the Group of 77 and China, as well as the challenges facing it in the promotion of development, we reiterate their continuing relevance and call for their full implementation.
4. We reaffirm full respect for the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law. We reaffirm in this regard the need to respect the principles of equality among States, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-interference in their internal affairs. We also reaffirm the need to respect the right to self-determination of peoples living under colonial or foreign occupation and other forms of alien domination.
5. We reaffirm that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. We stress the importance of building a culture of peace by strengthening multilateralism based on international law, developing friendly relations among nations, promoting peaceful settlement of disputes, and taking other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace and to ensure the fulfilment, promotion and protection of all human rights, including the right to development.
6. We reaffirm our principled and longstanding support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the achievement of justice and their legitimate national aspirations, including for freedom, peace and dignity in their independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, and the Arab Peace Initiative. We therefore stress the urgent need for a credible political horizon to bring an end to the Israeli occupation that began in June 1967 and to address and resolve the root causes of this ongoing injustice, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
7. We deplore the systematic, grave breaches of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, committed by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and call for full compliance with international law and for accountability. We also deplore the dire humanitarian catastrophe, the severe socio-economic conditions and challenges, including the widespread of extreme poverty and the unprecedented scale of death, devastation, and destruction, including of civilian infrastructure essential for human survival, and the health, water, sanitation, energy and telecommunications crises, facing the civilian population, in particular as a result of the ongoing Israeli illegal blockade and siege and the war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed by Israel, the occupying Power, against the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied Gaza Strip.
8. In this regard, we call for accountability for these violations and for the Security Council, in line with its Charter duty for the maintenance of international peace and security, to undertake serious efforts to implement its resolutions, imperative for bringing an end to Israel's impunity, realizing justice for the victims, and contributing to a just and peaceful solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without delay. We reiterate our demand for the resumption of a peace process, including negotiations based on international law and the UN resolutions and for the immediate and full withdrawal of Israel, the occupying Power, from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan to the line of 4 June 1967 and from the remaining Lebanese occupied land. We also reiterate our demand for the immediate and full lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip, which constitutes massive collective punishment, and in this regard, we call for the full and immediate implementation of the relevant resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 2334 (2016), 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023) and General Assembly resolutions ES-10/21 and ES-10/22.
9. We reiterate our call for the complete dismantlement and immediate cessation of all illegal Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan. We also reaffirm our conviction that the Israeli occupation remains the main obstacle to the efforts to achieve sustainable development and a sound economic environment in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan.
10. We call on Israel to end its strikes on Syrian civil infrastructure, including civil airports, which constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, threatens the livelihood of civilians and the safety of civil aviation, and hinders United Nations humanitarian operations.
11. We call on Israel to end its violations of Lebanese sovereignty by air, land and sea that threatens its security, which is a critical factor in promoting the tourism, industry and the economy. We also call on Israel to refrain from using white phosphorus against Lebanon in contravention to International Humanitarian Law, which have caused major health, environmental and agricultural disasters and led to fires in Lebanese forests and agricultural lands. We also call on Israel to provide the United Nations with all the maps and information on the location of the landmines that it has planted in the south of Lebanon during its occupation as well as cluster bombs fired indiscriminately at Lebanon during Israel's aggression in 2006, which are hindering the development and rehabilitation of the south of Lebanon and preventing the agricultural exploitation of vast areas of rich agrarian land, and we express support for the assistance in the demining efforts in the south of Lebanon.
12. We emphasize the necessity to have Israel withdraw from all occupied Lebanese territories including Shebaa Farms, Kfarshouba Hills and the occupied lands in the outskirts of the town Al-Mari, which partly includes the urban expansion of the village of Ghajar, in accordance with relevant international resolutions and in particular Security Council resolution 1701.
13. We stress that the Government of Israel needs to assume responsibility for prompt and adequate compensation to the Government of Lebanon and other countries directly affected by the oil slick caused by the destruction by the Israeli Air Force in 2006 of the oil storage tanks in the Jiyah electric power plant in Lebanon, that covered the entirety of the Lebanese coastline, extended to the Syrian coastline and hindered efforts to achieve sustainable development and demanded Israel to fully implement the relevant General Assembly Resolutions on the "Oil slick on Lebanese shores". We reiterate the right of Lebanon to its oil and water and gas resources, especially those located within its exclusive economic zone.
14. We reaffirm the need for the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume negotiations in accordance with the principles and the objectives of the UN Charter and the relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, in order to find, as soon as possible, a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas, South Georgias and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, and appreciate the good predisposition and willingness of Argentina in holding negotiations related to this aim and recalled UN General Assembly Resolution 37/9, which, inter alia, entrusted the Secretary-General with a mission of good offices in order to assist the parties to resume the said negotiations.
15. We express our strongest rejection of the implementation of unilateral coercive measures and reiterate our solidarity with Cuba. We reaffirm our call upon the Government of the United States to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on that sisterly nation for more than six decades that constitutes the major impediment for its full development. At the same time, we regret the measures implemented by the government of the United States since November 9th, 2017, which strengthen the blockade. We express deep concern over the widening of the extraterritorial nature of the embargo against Cuba, including the full implementation of Chapter III of the Helms-Burton Act, and reject the reinforcement of the financial measures adopted by the Government of United States, aimed at tightening the embargo.
16. We reaffirm that the main strengths of our Group continue to be its unity and solidarity, its vision of fair, just and equitable multilateral relations, the commitment of its member States to the well-being and prosperity of the peoples of the South, as well as our commitment to uphold multilateralism and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.
17. We reiterate the commitment to devote collectively to the pursuit of global development and "win-win" cooperation on the basis of extensive consultations, joint contributions and shared benefits, which can bring huge gains to all countries and all parts of the world in building a community of shared future for humankind.
18. We underscore our critical role in providing the Global South with the means to articulate our shared vision, promote our interests and enhance our joint negotiating capacity within the United Nations system. We are proud of the great legacy and achievements of the Group in defending and promoting the interests of the developing countries and in pursuing sustainable development and shared prosperity. We will intensify our efforts to work collectively for the well-being and prosperity of the countries and the peoples of the South, for mutually beneficial cooperation and a world order that is just, equitable, stable and peaceful.
19. We note with concern that those interests are today more than ever threatened by developments in the international context that pose grave challenges to the international community, and in particular, to the developing countries. The global order underpinned by international law and the institutions that uphold it, is under threat by a retreat from multilateralism and from a collective approach to problem solving. The rise in unilateral policies and actions in the political, economic and trade domains is a major threat to multilateralism and should be stopped.
20. We recall, in this context the adoption of General Assembly resolution 78/203 and Human Rights Council resolution 54/18, on the right to development which included the submission to the General Assembly of the United Nations of the draft International Covenant on the Right to Development for its consideration, negotiation, and subsequent adoption, which will be of paramount importance for the effective realization of the right to development, which we consider a universal, indivisible and inalienable human right of all our peoples.
21. We recognize that the global scenario has changed dramatically since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We note also that, unfortunately, the overall progress in the achievement of sustainable development has fallen short of expectation. Progress at the halfway point of the 2030 Agenda implementation is slow or fragile. Obstacles to progress include limited support to developing countries, especially with regard to financing for development, transfer of technology and capacity building.
22. We further note with deep concern that the gap between developed and developing countries has continued to widen and that the major challenges generated by the current unfair international economic order for developing countries have reached their most acute expression in current times due, inter alia, to the persistent negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions and conflicts, unilateral coercive measures, the fragile global economic outlook, increased pressure on food, fertilizer and energy, continued inflation and volatility of the financial markets, the growing burden of the external debt, increased displacement of people, widening levels of extreme poverty and food insecurity and setbacks in the gains that had been achieved in the eradication of poverty in developing countries, rising inequalities within and among countries, including deepening gender inequality, and the growing challenge and adverse effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, desertification, sand and dust storms and environmental degradation, as well as the digital divides, with no clear roadmap so far to address these global problems.
23. Under these circumstances, we urgently call for joint, and coordinated action-oriented efforts to strengthen multilateralism, better harness and utilize the growing potential of South-South Cooperation, putting development at front and centre of our Group, pursuing sustainable development in its three dimensions in accordance with the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs and for placing the Global South in a more influential and equal footing in the international arena and in mutually beneficial cooperation with all partners.
24. We also emphasize that, while developing countries are committed to undertaking their international obligations, it is imperative that identical obligations are not forced on unequal participants and we are determined to defend and take appropriate concerted actions to ensure that the international community remains sensitive to their different levels of development and take into account the need for equity, flexibility and national policy space for developing countries while assuming international commitments.
25. We reaffirm all the principles of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, in particular, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
26. We reiterate that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement adopted under the UNFCCC, the New Urban Agenda and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, as well as all other major outcome documents in relation to countries in special situations, shall be implemented in their entirety, and the commitments enshrined in them shall be honoured, in line with the principles of multilateralism and international cooperation.
27. We reaffirm the universality of the 2030 Agenda and its comprehensive, far-reaching, people-centred and transformative set of Sustainable Development Goals and targets, guided by the principle of leaving no one and no country behind. We reaffirm that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. We reaffirm our commitment to work tirelessly for the full implementation of this Agenda by 2030 in a balanced and integrated manner to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions and building on the achievements and lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to address their unfinished business. We urge our developed partners to join with us in this universal aspiration, to facilitate the transfer of technology, capacity building and financing for sustainable development, and achieve the SDGs.
28. We welcome the political declaration adopted by the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly (SDG summit) held in New York on 18 and 19 September 2023 and urge timely action to ensure its full implementation including through strengthened intergovernmental mechanisms within the UN to follow up and promote the implementation of its commitments.
29. We stress the importance of adequate means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and call upon developed countries to agree and commit to a new phase of international cooperation through a strengthened and scaled-up global partnership for development. Achieving the SDGs requires new, additional, quality, adequate, sustainable, and predictable financing, as well as a bold approach to development finance. In this context, we stress that the Addis Ababa Action Agenda is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda. We call for its full and effective implementation which is critical for the realization of the SDGs and their targets and look forward to the IV International Conference for Financing for Development to assess its progress and address the current and emerging financing challenges.
30. We recall the holding of UNCTAD 15 in Barbados from 3-7 October 2021, reaffirm the Bridgetown Ministerial Declaration and renew our commitment to support UNCTAD as the major UN voice for the South in the area of trade and development in order to fulfil its mandate as envisaged by our Group in the Joint Declaration of 15 June 1964. We reiterate the role of UNCTAD as the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development, and in contributing to supporting the full and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda, to carry developing countries' voice within the United Nations and beyond.
31. We note that the year 2024 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Group of 77 and of UNCTAD from which the Group was born, and in that context underscored the historical significance of such commemoration. We look forward to the successful and meaningful celebrations of both anniversaries.
32. We are deeply concerned by the increase in the SDG financing gap and recognize the urgency of providing sufficient development finance to developing countries.
33. We reaffirm our commitment to take urgent actions needed for coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response to the developmental challenges and the need to support the national efforts of developing countries to build resilience against future shocks, putting people at the centre of the response.
34. We note with great concern that the international financial architecture has not kept pace with a changing global landscape and has failed to deliver the financing or stability needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and call for urgent reform of the international financial architecture, including the international financial institutions and their governance structure, to be equitable and responsive to the financing needs of developing countries, to enhance their effectiveness, and to broaden and strengthen the voice, participation, and representation of developing countries in international economic decision-making, norm-setting and global economic governance including with the aim to accelerate the achievement of sustainable development. In that sense, the comprehensive reform of the IFIs is a long-standing demand that seeks to be faithful to the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter and international law.
35. We reaffirm the need to uphold and strengthen the role of the United Nations, in particular the General Assembly and ECOSOC in dealing with the reform of the international financial architecture to ensure that the voice of every nation is heard and taken into account in such important matters pertaining to global governance. We reiterate that, in light of the tightening global financial conditions and severe debt crises in many developing countries, reforms of the international financial architecture should better reflect the needs and priorities of developing countries and include a lasting and fair solution to the debt crisis and substantially enhance the capacity of and urge multilateral development banks to meet the financing needs of all developing countries, including low- and middle-income countries, through concessional finance and grants.
36. We reaffirm the need to ensure that developing countries have the necessary fiscal space for recovery and achieving the SDGs, note the increasing financing gap and underline that bridging this gap is essential to move towards recovery. This would require, amongst other measures, fulfilment of ODA commitments, access to concessional finance by all developing countries, in particular low- and middle-income countries, debt treatment, enhanced financing mechanisms including innovative financing, combatting illicit financial flows that drain resources from developing countries, as well as larger FDI to the Global South.
37. We reaffirm our call to seek ways in which concessional loans and grants can be scaled up. We reiterate the essential need to channel unutilized quotas of existing and newly allocated SDRs from developed countries with strong external positions to the developing countries most in need of liquidity and regional development banks. We also call for new issuances of SDRs, driven by the need to enable the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including eradicating poverty.
38. We stress the urgency and importance of IMF quota share realignment and urgently conducting the shareholding review of the World Bank to better reflect members' relative positions in the world economy, while ensuring that no developing country is left worse off in terms of voice and shareholding. In this context, we look forward to the work to develop, by June 2025, possible approaches as a guide for further quota realignment, including through a new quota formula, under the 17th General Review of Quotas.
39. We note with concern that countries with substantial IMF loans are burdened with additional interest in the form of surcharges, and that the existing structure of IMF charges and surcharges is inefficient since it operates procyclically, and inequitable since it leaves the most distressed countries bearing the heaviest financial burden. In this regard, we urge the IMF to suspend the surcharge policy charge with immediate effect.
40. We recognize that the unsustainable debt burdens in developing countries are stretching social safety nets, causing socioeconomic distress and constraining sustainable development, while the multilateral response has been subdued, considering the severity of the situation.
41. We call for an improved global sovereign debt architecture with the meaningful participation of developing countries, allowing for fair, balanced and development-oriented treatment.
42. We reiterate the need for multilateral debt mechanisms to fully address sovereign external debt distress and provide an effective, efficient, equitable, comprehensive and predictable mechanism for managing debt crises in a way that is aligned with the development needs of all developing countries, in particular in low- and middle-income countries. We recognize the need to consider a concrete tool to incentivize, encourage, or ensure private creditors participation in debt treatments alongside the official sector to ensure comparable treatment of creditors.
43. We reaffirm the urgent need for scaling up debt swaps for SDGs, including debt swaps for climate and nature, to allow developing countries to use debt service payments for investments in sustainable development and taking multilateral measures to standardize the use of these mechanisms, while recognizing debt swaps cannot replace broader debt treatments in unsustainable debt situations.
44. We urge for tangible progress in MDBs reform to bring forward actions to mobilize and provide additional development financing within their mandates to support developing countries to achieve the SDGs, including through securing increases to grants and concessional finance and technical assistance better leveraging their capital bases and considering ways to increase their capitalization, expanding local currency lending, participating in the formulation and new financial instruments and mechanisms for developing countries.
45. We stress that inaccurate credit ratings can impact the cost of borrowing and the stability of the international financial system. Given their role in either facilitating or hampering progress on debt treatment and affecting the cost of borrowing, it would be important that credit rating agencies ensure that their ratings are objective, independent and based on accurate information and sound analytical methods. We encourage transparency from credit rating agencies to consider adapting the use of criteria to extraordinary circumstances.
46. We reiterate the need to resolve to reduce mechanistic reliance on credit-rating agency assessments, including in regulations, and to promote increased competition as well as measures to avoid conflict of interest in the provision of credit ratings in order to improve the quality of ratings, and note that Member States may consider the feasibility of establishing public rating agencies.
47. We welcome the Secretary-General's SDG stimulus proposal to tackle the high cost of debt and rising risks of debt distress, to enhance support to developing countries and to massively scale up affordable long-term financing for development and expand contingency financing to countries in need. We call on developed countries and international financial institutions to take the necessary actions to implement the SDG Stimulus.
48. We reaffirm the urgent need to establish the set of measures of progress on sustainable development that complement or go beyond gross domestic product through a UN-led intergovernmental process in consultation with all relevant stakeholders to inform access to concessional finance and technical cooperation for developing countries and to have a more inclusive approach to international cooperation. We emphasize that this will also require increased investment in national statistical systems, in data collection, and the provision and mobilization of the necessary resources to support capacity building for national statistical agencies in developing countries.
49. We reaffirm that Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains the main channel for international cooperation and stress its paramount importance in supporting the sustainable development needs of developing countries, in particular countries in special situations and those facing specific challenges.
50. We note with concern that target for developed countries to provide 0.7% of their GNI in ODA has not been met once since its formal approval more than 50 years ago. We urge developed countries to fulfil their unmet ODA commitments to developing countries, in keeping with their previous undertakings, and to scale up those efforts to play a meaningful role in eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, and to increase their flows of ODA to 0.7 percent of GNI to developing countries and 0.15-0.20 per cent of GNI to LDCs, as called for in target 17.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
51. We note that a significant portion of ODA is dedicated to in-donor services to refugees, which is not consistent with long-term and sustainable approach to financing for development to achieve 2030 Agenda targets.
52. We stress that, for ODA flows to be most effective, they should be aligned with national priorities and development strategies of the recipient countries and should not be tied to conditionalities.
53. We note with deep concern the increase in the illicit financial flows, particularly from developing countries, and the negative impact it poses with respect to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, the rule of law and the security of nations. We urge all States to scale up the level of cooperation to curb illicit financial flows and recover the proceeds of crime, including embezzled public funds, stolen assets and unaccounted-for assets that are found in safe havens, and to demonstrate strong commitment to ensuring the return of such assets to the countries of origin. We also urge the international community to enhance its support for the efforts of Member States to develop and strengthen capacities in various areas, inter alia, their national tax authorities, legal and regulatory institutions, businesses and financial institutions, and for increased public awareness to enhance accountability mechanisms and help to combat illicit financial flows. In addition, we call upon States to consider the possibility of waiving or reducing to the barest minimum the processes and costs of the recovery of assets, in particular by reducing the administrative and legal bottlenecks in the recovery of illicit assets.
54. We emphasize that promoting inclusive and effective international tax cooperation remains a critical prerequisite to the achievement of the SDGs, since it enables developing countries to effectively mobilize their domestic resources. It is clear that current international tax governance structures need considerable improvements. We look forward to the successful completion of the process initiated by the resolution "Promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations" and calls upon all countries to continue to participate and negotiate in good faith.
55. We commit to promoting a universal, rules-based, open, transparent, predictable, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and equitable multilateral trade system that has development in its centre, as well as meaningful trade liberalization. We emphasize the importance of facilitating the accession of developing countries to the WTO, promotion of preferential trade access for developing countries and strengthening and operationalizing the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries, while continuing WTO negotiations, with a view to achieve positive results within the given mandates at the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference.
56. We call on all WTO Members to work on the necessary reform of the Organization and to restore the Appellate Body, recognising the importance and urgency of addressing current and future challenges in international trade, thus enhancing its relevance and effectiveness in placing development at its centre. We stress that the reform must, inter alia, preserve the centrality, core values and fundamental principles of the WTO.
57. We reiterate that the multilateral trading system should contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals, providing policy space for national development objectives, poverty eradication and sustainable development, consistent with relevant international rules and countries' commitments, and promote export-led growth in the developing countries through, inter alia, preferential trade access for developing countries, special and differential treatment that responds to the development needs of developing countries, in particular least developed countries, and the elimination of trade barriers that are inconsistent with WTO agreements.
58. We look forward to the 13th session of the WTO Ministerial Conference, from 26 to 29 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as an opportunity to advance on the reform of the WTO.
59. We express deep concern with the increase in unilateral and protectionist measures, which run counter to the spirit and rules of the WTO and the purposes and principles of the UN, and not only undermine the multilateral trading system, but also leads to negative impact on access of the developing countries' exports to the global markets. We emphasize the importance of promoting an open world economy and generating greater positive effects of globalization.
60. We reaffirm our firm rejection of the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries and reiterated the urgent need to eliminate them immediately. We emphasize that such actions not only undermine the principles enshrined in the Charter of the UN and international law but also severely threaten the freedom of trade and investment. We therefore call upon the international community to adopt urgent and effective measures to eliminate the use of unilateral coercive economic measures against developing countries.
61. We welcome the adoption of General Assembly resolution 78/135 on "Unilateral Economic Measures as a Means of Political and Economic Coercion against Developing Countries", particularly the request to the Secretary General of the United Nations to monitor, with the support and cooperation of the resident coordinators and United Nations country teams, the impact of unilateral coercive measures on affected countries, including the impact on trade and development. In this regard, we also welcome the launch of a uniform and universal tool, as elaborated by the Special Rapporteur on the Negative Impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures on the Enjoyment of Human Rights, for the purpose of monitoring and assessing the impact of unilateral coercive measures and overcompliance on human rights, as well as on the economic and social development of developing countries targeted by these measures and on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
62. We also express deep concern regarding unilateral protectionist measures taken by some trade partners that would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between countries or a disguised restriction on international trade, including, unilateral and discriminatory border adjustment mechanisms and taxes.
63. We recall that Article 3.5 of the UNFCCC , which states that "The Parties should cooperate to promote a supportive and open international economic system that would lead to sustainable economic growth and development in all Parties, particularly developing country Parties, thus enabling them better to address the problems of climate change. Measures taken to combat climate change, including unilateral ones, should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade," and Article 4.15 of the Paris Agreement, which states that "Parties shall take into consideration in the implementation of this Agreement the concerns of Parties with economies most affected by the impacts of response measures, particularly developing country Parties." In this regard, we welcome the recognition in the Global Stock Take at COP28 that measures taken to combat climate change, including unilateral ones, should not constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on international trade, and we call on parties to reconsider such measures and suspend their implementation.
64. We stress the critical importance of industrialization for developing countries, as a critical source of economic growth, economic diversification, and value addition. We will invest in promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development to effectively address major challenges. In this regard, we welcome relevant cooperation within the United Nations system, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and we further encourage their role in advancing the linkages between infrastructure development, inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation.
65. We recognize the important role of connectivity in promoting policy synergies, trade facilitation, infrastructure connectivity, financial cooperation and people-to-people exchange at the subregional, regional and global levels. We commit to accelerate global connectivity for all by 2030, and to create an enabling environment at all levels, and to facilitate sustainable and inclusive industrialization, and modernization as well as to develop and promote investment in quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure in developing countries through transfer of technology, access to enhanced financial, technological and technical support from developed countries to developing countries. We recognize that the UN can play a greater role in this regard, and support further discussions on the establishment of an infrastructure Policy Board under UN auspices. We recognize that stable and sustainable industrial and supply chains should be built to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.
66. We call for a coherent set of policy actions at the national, regional and international levels to support the need for developing countries rich in critical minerals to add value to their supply chains as a way of contributing to their economic structural transformation, creating decent employment, increasing export revenues, and participating in the process of economic development.
67. We call on the international community to urgently support countries affected by the food crisis, including through coordinated actions and enhanced partnership among countries and other relevant stakeholders, in such areas as food production, storage, transport, food loss and waste reduction, and improve food security, nutrition and food self-sufficiency of developing countries. We reaffirm the importance of keeping food and agriculture supply chains functioning, and ensuring trade channels and markets open for food, fuel, fertilizer and other agricultural products, by promoting a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory, and equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO.
68. We recognize the important nexus between international migration and development and the need to deal with this issue in a coordinated and coherent manner with a view to addressing the challenges and opportunities that migration presents to countries of origin, destination and transit, thus deserving effective international cooperation in order to harness its positive effects.
69. We acknowledge the importance of preserving the cultural and traditional practices of Indigenous Peoples and of local communities in the context of respecting all their human and fundamental rights, in conformity with the relevant international instruments. We take note of the Special Declaration on the Coca Leaf of the Heads of State and Government of the Latin American and Caribbean States within the framework of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, held in Havana on 29 January 2014, and further note the efforts of Bolivia in this regard at the United Nations.
70. We stress the interlinkages among the SDGs, and that addressing the well-being and the rights of youth, women and girls, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, older persons, migrants, refugees and those in vulnerable situations, are a prerequisite for achieving the 2030 Agenda.
71. We stress the importance of Indigenous Peoples in the achievement of sustainable development in developing countries and their critical role in the social, economic and political processes of our countries, while strengthening the local views and values referred to as the holistic views of Mother Earth.
72. We recognize that gender equality and the full participation of women in all spheres are integral to building a just society for all and must be at the centre of all economic and social development. We recommit ourselves to the urgent goal of achieving gender equality, to eliminating discrimination and violence against women and to ensuring their full participation in all areas of life and at all levels.
73. We emphasize the mutually reinforcing relationship among women's economic empowerment and the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We furthermore acknowledge the important contribution of women and girls to sustainable development and reiterate that women's economic empowerment not only helps to fulfil women's rights, fosters gender equality and improves the lives and wellbeing of women, but it also accelerates achievement across other development outcomes. We reaffirm in this regard that gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls and women's full and equal participation and leadership in the economy and as partners for development are vital for achieving sustainable development, promoting peaceful, just and inclusive societies, enhancing sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and productivity, ending poverty in all its forms and dimensions everywhere and ensuring the well-being of all throughout their life course.
74. We stress the importance of establishing and implementing targeted policies and measures to eradicate poverty, including by formulating rural development strategies with clear poverty eradication goals, strengthening national statistical capacity and monitoring systems, implementing nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, and taking concrete actions to prevent the return to poverty.
75. We recognize the importance and different history and particularities of South-South cooperation, and we reaffirm our view of South-South cooperation as a manifestation of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South that contributes to their national well-being, their national and collective self-reliance and the attainment of internationally agreed development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals, according to national priorities and plans. South-South cooperation and its agenda have to be set by countries of the South and should continue to be guided by the principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, non-conditionality, non-interference in domestic affairs and mutual benefit.
76. Developed countries should bear the primary responsibility in financing for development, which is essential to address current development imbalances and the challenges of the 21st century. We reiterate that South-South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North-South cooperation and reaffirmed that South-South cooperation is a collective endeavour of developing countries.
77. We reaffirm the outcome documents of the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Nairobi in 2009 and the second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Buenos Aires from 20 to 22 March 2019 and we call upon the international community to support their full implementation.
78. We also reaffirm our support for the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation and welcome decisions 21/1 and 21/2 adopted during its twenty-first session, held from 30 May to 2 June 2023.
79. We note that current trends in international development cooperation, characterized by a steady decline in international development assistance and prevailing geopolitical context, make it necessary for us to take appropriate collective actions to reinvigorate South-South cooperation as a complement to and not a substitute for North-South cooperation with the aim to maximize the full potential of capacities, knowledge, technologies and infrastructure existing in the South to effectively address the new development challenges facing the developing countries, as well as providing for a better playing level field for all of our countries in the multilateral processes, as reflected, inter alia, in the outcome of the Havana Summit on "Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation".
80. We commit to fully support the UN development system, including the Resident Coordinator system and the Joint SDG Fund, to deliver better in support of programme countries and their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs. We support the United Nations in playing a central and coordinating role in international development cooperation, in accordance with national development policies, plans, priorities and needs.
81. We further reaffirm our resolve to launch South-South cooperation initiatives in the different areas envisaged in this document and to mandate our Ministers of Foreign Affairs to follow up on those actions during the annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 and China in the sidelines of the High Level Segment of the United Nations General Assembly. In this context, we will also seek a greater involvement of the UNOSSC, the United Nations Regional Commissions, Specialized Agencies, Funds and Programmes, within their respective mandates, in supporting developing countries' South-South cooperation initiatives.
82. We welcome efforts to enhance South-South and triangular trade cooperation under interregional trade arrangements, such as the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries, as a vehicle to support export diversification, economic resilience and technological upgrading.
83. We reiterate that international development cooperation, especially North-South cooperation, remains a fundamental catalyst to sustainable development. As North-South cooperation is the main channel of development financing, the international community must uphold the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" (CBDR) and reinvigorate North-South cooperation to continue to play its key role.
84. We reaffirm the importance of triangular cooperation, and acknowledge that triangular cooperation is aimed at facilitating, supporting and enhancing South-South initiatives, through the provision of, inter-alia, funding, capacity-building, technology transfer, resource mobilization, policy dialogue and exchange of best practices as well as other forms of support, at the request of developing countries, in line with the principles of South-South cooperation, and must be led by the countries of the South.
85. We welcome the initiative of the Republic of Guinea to create the International Institute for the Development of South-South and Triangular Cooperation, and encourage support for the institute.
86. We reiterate our strong support to the mandate of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and stress that the Office is the articulator of South-South cooperation in the United Nations system. We appreciate the countries of the South who have stepped up their cooperation with UNOSSC. In this context, we call on the UNOSSC to strengthen its support to South-South cooperation projects.
87. We recognize the important role of the South Centre as think tank of the countries of the South and emphasize its relevance in enhancing South-South Cooperation through providing the intellectual and policy support required by developing countries for collective and individual action in the international arena, and promoting solidarity and mutual understanding among the countries and peoples of the South.
88. We call on the South Centre to examine ways and means to support more effectively developing countries in multilateral negotiations with the view to enhance the capacity of the South in addressing current and emerging challenges. In this context, we further call on the South Centre to build bridges and synergies with other institutions of the South with the purpose of using intellectual networking to reinforce the negotiating capacity of the Global South.
89. We emphasize the importance of adopting science, technology, and innovation strategies as integral elements of national sustainable development strategies to help promote innovation-driven development, economic recovery, and poverty eradication.
90. We welcome the Leaders' Political Declaration adopted at the G77 and China Summit on "Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation", held in Havana, Cuba, from 15-16 September 2023, which highlights positions of the Group on these issues. We congratulate the government and the people of Cuba for the hospitality shown during the Summit, as well as for the preparation, organization and hosting of this important event.
91. We emphasize that a governance system based on science, technology and innovation is essential to identify problems and find effective solutions aimed at sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, poverty eradication and inequality reduction. In this context, we further stress that technology transfer is one of the core priorities of the developing countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda. We reiterate the need to accelerate the transfer of technology to developing countries on favourable terms including on concessional and preferential terms. It is key to strengthen strategic partnerships between countries of the North and the South so as to contribute to the sharing of knowledge, innovation and transfer of technology.
92. We emphasize the formulation of the international science, technology and innovation agenda and the evolution of the global innovation system should take into account the perspective of developing countries. We further emphasize the need for a more inclusive approach to prioritize the development dimension into global processes for developing countries to benefit from the opportunities offered by technological advancements to end discriminatory restrictions, and to ensure that processes such as the Global Digital Compact, the Summit of the Future and the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS+20) General Review contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of SDGs, and respond to the concerns, priorities, and needs of developing countries in the field of technology.
93. We recognize that technology can enable rapid transformations for bridging the existing digital divides and accelerate progress for inclusive and sustainable development, and, to this end, agree on the need to increase investment in digital public infrastructure which can be built and leveraged by both the public and private sectors, based on sustainable and resilient infrastructure and can be built on open standards and specifications, as well as open-source software to enable delivery of services at societal-scale.
94. In our voluntary efforts to make digital public infrastructure interoperable, we recognize the importance of data free flow while respecting applicable legal frameworks to make digital public infrastructure interoperable. We also reaffirm the linkage between data and development.
95. We agree on the need to invest more in science, technology and innovation and to implement initiatives at all levels for the development of human resources in these fields. We stress the importance to develop strategies aimed at confronting the brain drain of specialized human resources trained in the countries of the South. In this regard, we agree to continue to promote women's and young people's interest in scientific studies, including the educational sphere, through inter alia, scaling up investments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, digital literacy education, e-commerce for farmers and enhancing technical, vocational and tertiary education, distance education and training and lifelong learning and participation for all, particularly for women and girls.
96. We believe that science, knowledge and technology integration and innovation should be instruments for promoting peace and people's sustainable development, well-being and happiness and that they should thus be oriented towards the promotion of the empowerment of the poor, the eradication of poverty and hunger, and the promotion of solidarity and complementarity among and within peoples so that they may live well in harmony with Mother Earth.
97. We call upon the international community, the United Nations System and the International Financial Institutions to support the efforts of the countries of the South to develop and strengthen their national science, technology and innovation systems. We urge developed countries to urgently mobilize means of implementation such as technology transfer, technical assistance, capacity building and financing through new, additional, and predictable resources in relation to the needs of developing countries, including in this area, in accordance with their national needs, policies and priorities.
98. We call upon the international community and the United Nations entities, funds and programmes to take urgent action aimed at reducing technological gaps between and within countries and advancing digital inclusion, including through active support to greater participation of developing countries in global research networks and projects and increased international assistance in the strengthening of national innovation ecosystems.
99. We call for the promotion of new research, the development and transfer of the necessary technologies, and access to the existing ones, including in the areas of food and nutrition, health, water and sanitation, and energy, in order to contribute to the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, and the achievement of sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, human wellbeing and sustainable development.
100. We reiterate our decision to resume the work of the Consortium on Science, Technology and Innovation for the South (COSTIS), and urge the members of the Group to evaluate and outline strategies to ensure its effective functioning.
101. We recognize that information and communication technologies are a key catalyst and enablers for sustainable development. We reaffirm the vision of building an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society.
102. We stress the important role of science, technology and innovation as pillars, enablers and catalysts to support sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, accelerating the full and effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and, in this context, reaffirm the need for political decision-making at all levels to create an enabling international environment for science, technology and innovation development and to take into account, in the first instance, available scientific knowledge and innovation, as well as the use and promotion of traditional, local, afro-descendant and indigenous knowledge and capacities.
103. We call for consideration of an international technology framework, including the Global Digital Compact, aligned with the SDGs, aimed at offering preferential access for developing countries to relevant advanced technologies and focusing global research and development on scientific breakthroughs relevant to achieving the SDGs.
104. We call upon the international community and relevant bodies of the United Nations system to take urgent action aimed at reducing all digital divides, and inequalities in data generation, infrastructure and accessibility within and among countries and regions, as well as between developed and developing countries, with special attention to the poorest and most vulnerable among them. We urge the creation of the necessary conditions to provide developing countries with affordable and reliable connectivity, aimed, inter alia, at promoting digital access and inclusion, including for people in remote and rural communities, as well as to ensure ethical, reliable, and more equitable development, access and use of artificial intelligence.
105. We recognize that currently, there is no multilaterally agreed approach on data governance and that dealing with data and associated opportunities and challenges, will require a global response, with the equal participation of all countries, and stresses the need to strengthen international cooperation, and pursue greater harmonization in this regard.
106. We reject technological monopolies and other unfair practices that hinder the technological development of developing countries. States which have monopoly and dominance in the Information and Communication Technologies environment, including Internet, should not use Information and Communication Technologies advances as tools for containment and suppression of the legitimate economic and technological development of other States. We call upon the international community to foster an open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological development.
107. We further call on the international community to strengthen its support to developing countries, especially given the inequalities and additional strains that overlapping crises have placed on public finances, and to increase the resources available to them to build their capacities to meaningfully participate in and benefit from e-commerce and the digital economy.
108. We call for scaled up investments in digital infrastructure, connectivity, education, skills-training and capacity-building to ensure that developing countries can take better advantage of the digital economy.
109. We look forward to the development of a global digital compact to bridge the digital divide and to strengthen digital cooperation through an open, transparent and inclusive intergovernmental process.
110. The Global Digital Compact should build upon key documents and forums to advance digital cooperation, inter alia, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in particular the Tunis Agenda and the Geneva Plan of Action, the Internet Governance Forum, and take into account the Secretary-General Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.
111. We further look forward to the General Assembly's comprehensive review in 2025 of the progress made since the World Summit on the Information Society.
112. We emphasize that the international community must address the challenges and needs faced by developing countries, especially countries in special situations, in particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States as well as specific challenges faced by many middle-income countries, conflict and post-conflict countries and countries and peoples living under foreign occupation.
113. We recall the special needs of Africa and recognize that, while economic growth has improved, there is a need to sustain the recovery, which is fragile and uneven, to face the ongoing adverse impacts of multiple crises on development and the serious challenges that these impacts pose to the eradication of poverty and achievement of zero hunger, which further undermine the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals in Africa, including Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.
114. We underline the need to address the economic, social and environmental impact of climate change, desertification and land degradation in Africa, and highlights the importance of supporting the implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing agriculture resilience in Africa, in particular the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and other initiatives launched under the leadership of the African Union Commission such as the Great Green Wall and the Land Policy Initiative, as well as initiatives launched by African countries such as the Adaptation of African Agriculture and the Security, Stability and Sustainability initiatives.
115. We welcome the admission of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 at the New Delhi Summit on 9-10 September 2023, which should promote African efforts to advocate for a more inclusive and equitable global economic order.
116. We reiterate our call on the international community and development partners to support development activities and initiatives in order to strengthen African efforts in addressing the root causes of conflict in the continent and stress the urgent need for the UN system to support the efforts of African countries to achieve durable peace and sustainable development in Africa.
117. We call for strengthening and accelerating the development of start-up ecosystems in developing countries and, in that regard, we note the Algiers Declaration for Start-up Development adopted at the African Start-ups Conference held in Algiers, Algeria, on 5-6 December 2023.
118. We welcome the convening of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi from 4 to 6 September 2023, takes note of the Nairobi declaration on "Climate Change and Call to Action", and reaffirms the importance of the provision of the means of implementation to developing countries.
119. We welcome the Doha Programme of Action of Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2022-2031 adopted at the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries. We emphasize that the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the decade 2022-2031 (DPoA), constitutes an opportunity to place the LDCs at the centre of international cooperation and foster the prosperity and wellbeing of their population. We stress that, as it coincides with the remaining years of action to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, its implementation will require a robust international cooperation and partnership on the basis of mutual trust and benefit, focusing on the needs of least developed countries.
120. We recognize the special development needs and challenges of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) arising from their landlockedness, remoteness from world markets and geographical constraints that impose serious impediments for export earnings, private capital inflow and domestic resource mobilization, adversely affecting their overall sustainable development. We express our concern on how these countries' efforts towards the achievement of sustainable development are affected by the frequent falling of commodity prices and their high exposure to climate change, which produces disproportionately adverse effects in those countries.
121. We welcome the convening of the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries that is scheduled to be held in Rwanda from 18-21 June 2024, to undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and to formulate and adopt a renewed framework for international support to address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and to strengthen partnerships between the landlocked developing countries and transit countries and their development partners.
122. We reaffirm that small island developing states (SIDS) remain a "special case" for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities, including their small size, remoteness, narrow resource and export base, external economic shocks, and exposure to global environmental challenges, including to a large range of impacts from climate change and more frequent and intense natural disasters. Climate change and its adverse impacts continue to pose a significant risk to SIDS and their efforts to achieve sustainable development and, represent the gravest threat to their survival and viability, including through the loss of territory.
123. We welcome the convening of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States that is scheduled to be held in Antigua and Barbuda from 27 to 30 May 2024, under the theme SIDS#4: Charting the course towards resilient prosperity. We note that SIDS4 is taking place amid unprecedented global challenges and therefore must deliver the transformation needed to ensure SIDS are able to achieve sustainable development and build resilience to external shocks. Therefore, we call on the international community to show solidarity and support for SIDS during the preparatory process of the Fourth SIDS Conference and the elaboration of the next 10-year SIDS Programme of Action.
124. We recognize the importance of addressing the specific challenges facing middle-income countries (MICs). In order to ensure that achievements made to date are sustained, efforts to address ongoing challenges should be strengthened through the exchange of experiences, improved coordination and better and focused support, aligned with MICs' specific needs and priorities, from the UNDS, the international financial institutions, regional organizations and other stakeholders. We also acknowledge that ODA and other concessional finance are still important for a number of these countries and have a role to play for targeted results, taking into account the specific needs of these countries.
125. We stress the need to make all institutional arrangements necessary to support MICs within the UN system and we call for advancing the elaboration of a specific inter-agency, comprehensive, system-wide response plan aimed at better addressing the multidimensional nature of sustainable development and facilitating sustainable development cooperation and coordinated and inclusive support to middle-income countries based on their specific challenges and diverse needs.
126. We note the convening of the Ministerial Conference on Middle-Income Countries, organized by the Kingdom of Morocco, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, on the 5 and 6 February 2024, in Marrakech, Morocco, under the theme: "Solutions to address development challenges of Middle-Income Countries in a changing world'.
127. We stress the need to further mainstream sustainable development at all levels, integrating economic, social and environmental aspects and recognizing their interlinkages, so as to achieve sustainable development in all its dimensions.
128. We acknowledge that the Earth and its ecosystems are our home and we are convinced that, in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations in an equitable manner, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth. We also recognize that "Mother Earth" is a common expression for planet Earth in a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit.
129. We underscore that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), are the primary international, intergovernmental forums for negotiating the global response to climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification, and ecosystem and land degradation.
130. We reaffirm that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and its widespread, unprecedented impacts disproportionately burden all developing countries and in particular the poorest and most vulnerable among them. Extreme weather events and slow on-set events affected the environment, the economy and society and reversed hard-earned developmental gains, increasing the adverse impact on people and local communities. They reiterated the objective of the UNFCCC, and its principles, including the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances, while recognizing the need for an effective and progressive response to the urgent threat of climate change on the basis of the best available scientific knowledge and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, while recognizing historic responsibilities, in that regard.
131. We stress the urgency of the provision of means of implementation from developed countries to developing countries to ensure the effective implementation of UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement adopted under the Convention. We stress on the importance of the provision of new, additional, adequate, predictable and sustainable financial resources by developed countries, distinct from ODA to address the special needs of developing countries in the context of addressing the adverse impacts of climate change.
132. We welcome the adoption of the UAE Consensus by the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change at its twenty-eighth meeting (COP28) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as well as the findings of the first Global Stocktake. We further welcome the historic decisions on the establishment and the full operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund taken at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt and at COP28 in Dubai, UAE respectively. We further welcome the commitments totalling USD 792 million for the initial capitalization of the Fund at COP28.
133. We look forward to the hosting by the Government of Azerbaijan of the twenty-ninth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) from 11 to 22 November 2024 in the city of Baku and by the Government of Brazil of the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) from 10 to 21 November 2025 in the city of Belém.
134. We reiterate that urgent and significant actions are needed to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. We also reaffirm the necessity of fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and from digital sequence information on genetic resources as well as the contribution from Indigenous Peoples and from local communities whose traditional knowledge, including traditional knowledge associated to genetic resources, and practices are relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.
135. We welcome the convening of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, as well as the Meetings of the Parties to the Protocols to the Convention, held in Kunming, China, from 11 to 15 October 2021 and Montreal, Canada, under the presidency of China from 7 to 19 December 2022, under the theme "Ecological civilization: building a shared future for all life on Earth", and its outcomes, including the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and urge their timely implementation to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to place the global community on a path towards realizing the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity.
136. We call for the provision and mobilization of new, additional, adequate and predictable means of implementation from developed countries to support developing countries in the full implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and urge developed countries to fulfil their commitments under the Convention on the provision of means of implementation to developing countries, in line with Articles 20 and 21.
137. We welcome the adoption by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention at its fifteenth meeting of the strategy for resource mobilization for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in support of the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention as well as the establishment of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Fund, we urge its full operationalization and capitalization and call upon developed countries to make contributions to the fund commensurate with the targets of the framework.
138. We welcome the decision to host the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity in Colombia, from 21 October to 1 November 2024.
139. We underline that desertification, sand and dust storms, land degradation, drought and water scarcity are other major challenges for achieving sustainable development.
140. We welcome the decisions of the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, and stresses the importance of their effective implementation.
141. We welcome with appreciation the offer made by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the Sixteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, in Riyadh from 2 to 13 December 2024 and looking forward to its outcome.
142. We recognize that sand and dust storms and the unsustainable land and water management, soil, agricultural and livestock practices, among other factors, can cause or exacerbate these phenomena, including climate change, pose a serious challenge to the sustainable development of affected countries and regions. We also recognize that, in the past few years, sand and dust storms have inflicted substantial economic, social and environmental damage on the inhabitants of the world's arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas, especially in Africa and Asia, and underscore the need to treat them and to promptly take measures to address those challenges.
143. We emphasize that water and sanitation are critical for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty and hunger, that water, energy, food security and nutrition are linked and that water and sanitation are indispensable for human development, health and well-being.
144. We welcome the holding of the United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Sustainable Development", 2018-2028, in New York from 22 to 24 March 2023.
145. We reiterate the need to commit to improving cooperation across borders, in transboundary waters, in accordance with applicable international law.
146. We recognize the need for a broader, systemic and a more people-centred preventive approach to disaster risk. Disaster risk reduction practices need to be multi-hazard and multi-sectoral, inclusive and accessible in order to be efficient, effective, and that to achieve the 2030 Agenda disaster risk reduction must be integrated at the core of development and finance policies, legislation, and plans. In this regard, we recall the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, reaffirming that developing countries are disproportionately affected by the impacts of disasters, in particular the LDCs, SIDS, LLDCs and African countries, as well as MICs facing specific challenges, need particular attention in view of their higher vulnerability and risk levels, which often greatly exceed their capacity to respond to and recover from disasters, and recognizing also that similar attention and appropriate assistance should also be extended to other disaster-prone countries with specific characteristics, such as archipelagic countries, as well as countries with extensive coastlines. We also recognize the health aspects of the Sendai Framework and stress the need for resilient health systems.
147. We reaffirm that developing countries need adequate, sustainable and timely provision of support, including through finance, technology transfer and capacity-building from developed countries and partners tailored to their needs and priorities, as it is reflected in the principles of the Sendai Framework. In this context, we reaffirm the need to implement the Sendai Framework in the context of poverty eradication efforts.
148. We stress the importance of the ocean for sustainable development, emphasizing that means of implementation, including increasing finance and scientific knowledge, developing research capacities and transferring marine technology are crucial to improve ocean health and conserve and sustainable use marine biodiversity, and in that regard, welcome the convening of the third UN Ocean Conference in June 2025.
149. We welcome the adoption of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). We note with appreciation Chile's offer to host the Secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement.
150. We underscore the importance of securing an ambitious international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, under the framework of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), which could include both binding and voluntary approaches, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, taking into account, inter alia, the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as national circumstances and capabilities.
151. We resolve to strengthen the principles of unity, solidarity, complementarity, and cooperation among the members of the G77 and China, ensuring that our collective efforts are pursued in an efficient, effective and transparent manner.
152. We request the Chairperson of the Group of 77 to establish an open-ended working group to study possible ways and means to strengthen the G-77 and its Secretariat, including identifying common modalities to facilitate interchapter cooperation, as well as innovative approaches to address resource and personnel requirements of the G77 Secretariat so that it may meet the needs of the entire Group of 77 and to submit a report to the Annual Ministerial Meeting at an appropriate time.
153. We invite the coordinators of the Chapters of the G77 to reinforce ways and mechanisms to improve coordination among the Chapters, with a view to advance the positions of the G77 in the UN system and to report on the consultations among the coordinators of the Chapters in the G77 annual ministerial meetings in New York.
154. We express our satisfaction with the results achieved by the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund for South-South Cooperation (PGTF) and appeal to all countries, in particular developed countries, to scale up the contributions, in support of such cooperation to the PGTF to preserve its responsiveness to the growing demands of financial support to South-South cooperation activities.
155. We decide to convene the Fourth South Summit in the Latin America and the Caribbean region in 2029.
156. We express our deep appreciation and recognition to the government and the people of the Republic of Uganda for all their great hospitality and efforts in organizing and hosting the Third South Summit.