New York, 24 September 2022 (TDI): Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari chaired the 46th Annual Ministerial Meeting of the G77 and China. The annual meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing 77th UNGA Session in New York.
🔊: PR NO. 4️⃣6️⃣0️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣
Foreign Minister Chairs Annual Ministerial Meeting of G77 and China
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— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) September 24, 2022
The theme of the Ministerial Meeting was “Major priority issues and addressing the food, fuel, and financial crises and pathways towards achieving the SDGs”.
Also Read: Pakistan on sidelines of 77th UNGA Session
The meeting was also attended by the United Nations Secretary-General; Antonio Guterres, President of the General Assembly; Csaba Korosi, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); Rebeca Grynspan.
The Director General of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), as well as the Under Secretary General (DESA) Li Junhua also attended the event.
Opening Remarks
The Foreign Minister of Pakistan delivered the opening statement of the annual meeting. He stated that:
“We have suffered disproportionately from a series of shocks: the Covid-19 pandemic, rising commodity prices, the proliferation of conflicts, and the growing impacts of climate change.”
He went on to further say that “Our challenges have been exacerbated by a deficit in solidarity from our developed country partners.”
Chaired 46th Annual Min. Meeting of G77 & China on margins of #UNGA. Foreign Ministers proposed urgent & log-term actions to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, eliminate hunger, combat rising food & energy prices, reduce unsustainable debt burden, & tackle climate change. pic.twitter.com/Bc1I2ZsrRk
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) September 24, 2022
“To overcome these cascading crises, restore our economies and achieve the SDGs, we need to secure implementation of a series of emergency measures and simultaneously promote structural changes in the unequal and unjust international economic system.”
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari then suggested possible emergency measures to cope with the problems. “One, mobilize urgent humanitarian, economic and financial support to the more than 50 developing countries which are in economic distress,” he said.
“This implies larger ODA and concessional finance. We welcome the proposal (of the Secretary-General) for an “SDG stimulus” of $500 billion to enable those countries which are in extreme economic distress to revive their economies and development objectives.”
“Secondly, provide emergency food supplies through the WFP to the 250 million people in food distress. Further moderate prices by enlarging food production and supplies; and support small farmers access to seeds, fertilizer, and finance.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari mentioned the third measure as maintaining access to energy, particularly gas, for developing nations and finding methods to lessen the economic burden of energy imports.
Fourthly, he also discussed mobilizing widespread access to Covid-19 vaccinations and treatments. In addition to, boosting vaccine manufacturing, in order to decisively stop the COVID pandemic.
“Five, provide urgent and adequate assistance to countries suffering from the impacts of climate change.”
