Common Goal, Just Appeals Emerge From South Summit

The first South Summit concluded Havana, Cuba Friday in what is believed to be a milestone in the South quest for its development in the new century.

The three-day summit, the largest gathering of heads of state and government of the Group of 77 (G-77) since its founding in 1964, strengthened the Third World's collective call for more aid, fewer debts, reduced poverty, a greater say in international political and economic decision-making, and a bigger role of the United Nations in safeguarding the common interests of developing countries.

Some 60 heads of state or government and delegations from 122 developing countries attended the first summit of G-77, whose membership has swelled to 133 countries over the past decades.

The summit, which opened here Wednesday following two days of preparatory meetings, was convened at a time when many developing countries are being marginalized and the North-South gap is further widened in economic and social development.

The summit also came at a time when the world is seeing a weakening role of the United Nations in vital areas of world economy, peace and security, and many important issues have been shifted to forums outside the U.N. system.

"Only a relatively small number of countries are enjoying these games of world economy. Many millions of people are excluded, left behind in squalor," U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

Under the current unjust and irrational international political and economic system, developed countries are in a dominant position in setting the "rules of the games" of world economy, and the "dividends" of the globalization have not been fairly shared between the developed and developing countries.

Developing countries, representing some 80 percent of the world's total population, are faced with armed conflicts, difficulties in access to markets in the North, crushing debt burdens, unprecedented spread of AIDS, and a shortage of necessary funds to join the North in technology revolution.

Though globalization has presented severe challenges to the South, the process also provided developing countries with a big room for cooperation. Meanwhile, the new situation requires new thinking and new approaches to the South-South cooperation.

To shake themselves off the embarrassed situation, the Third World countries vowed to strengthen the South-South cooperation in addition to their pains-taking efforts to enter the North-South dialogue.

The Program of Action, adopted at the summit, said that developing countries will continue to review the proposal of the establishment of a South-South monetary fund, South-South economic and social development fund and a South-South commodity price stabilization fund within the process of reviewing the feasibility study of the South Bank.

Meanwhile, a declaration issued by the summit called for close cooperation with the industrialized North.

"It is imperative to promote a North-South dialogue based on the spirit of partnership, mutual benefit and genuine interdependence," it said, citing the need to shrink foreign debts, transfer technology and reverse declining official development assistance.

Globalization and technical advancement have greatly increased interdependence among countries in the world, and there will be no peace and prosperity in the global village without peace and prosperity in the South.

"We are deeply convinced of the need to create a new spirit of international cooperation based on the principles of achieving shared benefits, but also based on common but differentiated responsibilities, between the developing and industrialized countries," the declaration said.

The summit demonstrated the urgent need for the South to reflect on the world economic situation, and the emerging challenges of economic and social development, identifying the problems that affect the South and seeking solutions.

With problems discussed and actions planned, the South will work together in a cooperative spirit to map out a strategy for common development in the new century. As long as developing countries are united as one and make tireless efforts, a peaceful, stable and prosperous South will firmly stand in the world.

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