Marape urges action by G77

 FINANCE and Education Minister James Marape yesterday urged members of the G77 and China to work together to achieve their development goals.

He was addressing a high-level panel of eminent persons meeting in Natadola, Fiji. 

The G77 and China are made up of 132 United Nations member states.

Marape was standing in for Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, who attended the opening ceremony in the morning but had to leave to prepare for the visit to PNG by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

The theme of the meeting was “The future landscape of South-South cooperation’’.

South-South refers to developing countries in the G77 and China that share similar development aspirations.

Marape commended Fiji on assuming the chair of the G77 and China described it as a significant milestone for the Pacific region.

He said many of the development challenges of member countries were similar and PNG was committed to working with all to achieving the ultimate goal – ensuring better livelihood of the people.

The minister urged the group to “harness this muscle power” to facilitate changes.

He urged action as a way to create much-needed momentum in the areas of energy and food security, along with the important issue of great concern for small Pacific Island states – adverse impacts of climate change.

In his welcome address, Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama welcomed PNG and other member countries to the meeting to discuss the development platform for the South.

He urged all countries to bolster their efforts in addressing the challenges of the South, taking into account evolving realities and hardships facing the developing world.

Bainimarama said the importance of the South-South cooperation must be made clear to the people, through public awareness campaigns and the use of mass and social media.

The outcome of the eminent persons panel meeting will be included in the upcoming G77 and China’s ministerial meeting in New York in September.