Islamabad, 15 January 2022 (TDI): Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi headed a virtual meeting, in which Pakistan became the chair of the Group of G-77 and China for the year 2022. Pakistan vows to work in cooperation with the member states with sincerity, as a chair of G-77.
Eminent Attendees
The meeting was attended, apart from the Pakistani Foreign Minister, the outgoing chair (Guinea). Additionally, the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the United Nations General Assembly were also there.
Pakistani Foreign Minister especially commended the services of his Guinea counterpart. He appreciated his excellent services during the last year.
Pakistan looks forward to working with all members to develop an effective & concerted action to respond to the multiple challenges confronting our countries. Mutual support, solidarity and unity will be our guiding principles as we endeavour to build a better tomorrow, together. https://t.co/u7Rk2PrWkw
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) January 14, 2022
COVID-19’s Adverse Effects on Developing Countries
Talking in the ceremony, Shah Mehmood Qureshi particularly stressed how the pandemic has put the developing nations in the position of disadvantage. He pleaded with the international community to lend hand to the developing countries in these troubled times.
He further added that recovery from pandemic inflicted losses is not possible if strict economic policies are imposed. Austerity packages increased energy prices, and actions to weaken the currencies must not be taken.
By doing so, he added, countries must not be stopped from serving their citizens. Furthermore, weak health systems and limited resources have made the conditions worse. Not only that he stated that the increased death rate is one consequence.
Over 150 million have been pushed into incredible destitution. Shah Mehmood Qureshi stressed that universal distribution of COVID-19 vaccines must be made sure as the best response to the new variant.
Debt restructuring discussed in the ceremony
Foreign Minister said that all the member states must work with unity to achieve goals and make progress. He highlighted the significance and need for debt restructuring since there are cash flow problems.
The objective of achieving the 0.7 percent Official Development Assistance target was also discussed. He also underscored the unlawful outflow of money from developing nations. It was stated that all these objectives could be achieved if the member states worked together.
){kind=link}