Jakarta (VOA) —
Indonesia emphasizes the importance of unity and solidarity from the G77 group considering that developing countries are the parties most affected if a crisis occurs. Indonesia’s commitment can be seen when carrying out its duties as Chair of the group of 20 largest economies in the world, the G20 and Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during a two-day visit to Havana, the capital of Cuba on September 15-16. He also attended the G77 high-level conference (Summit) representing President Joko Widodo.
“I also emphasize the importance of unity and solidarity from the G77 group because from one crisis to another, developing countries are always the most affected. I also emphasize that the Bandung spirit is more relevant now,” said Retno in a virtual press conference from Havana, Saturday ( 9/16).
The G77 is a cooperative group of United Nations (UN) member countries consisting of 134 developing countries with the main agenda of advancing development cooperation.
On the same occasion, Retno also emphasized the importance of strengthening multilateralism, for which the G77 must be a moral guide for multilateralism, solidarity and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi attends a press conference after the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta on September 7, 2023. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)
Indonesia, said Retno, also appealed to the G77 to encourage efforts to strengthen development rights for developing countries, including the right to develop downstream industries and be part of the global supply chain.
In addition, science, technology and innovation play a very important role, therefore the G77 must be able to encourage stronger access to science, technology and innovation for developing countries.
“Therefore, Indonesia encourages strengthening cooperation in the fields of science, technology and innovation and is ready to contribute through the Non-Aligned Movement and Indonesian development cooperation,” added Retno
Retno added that the G77 meeting in Havana produced a document called the Havana Declaration, which emphasized, among other things, the important role of science, technology and innovation in achieving short-term global development goals and in overcoming various global challenges.
The Havana Declaration highlights the gap in access between developing and developed countries to science, technology and innovation. The Havana Declaration also emphasizes the commitment to strengthen south-south, south-north and triangular cooperation in the science, technology and innovation sectors.
World leaders attending the G77 group summit take a group photo in Havana, Cuba, Friday, September 15, 2023. (Photo: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)
The influence of G77 is not significant
International Relations Observer from Diponegoro University, Mohamad Rosyidin, reminded that the influence of the G77 is currently not that great compared to other groups such as the G20 or G7.
“This is because it has too many members. There are 77 developing countries and each of them certainly has interests. Especially when it is linked to rivalry between big countries, they definitely cannot all have one unified voice. Some are pro-American, some are pro-China, and so on “This makes it difficult for the G77 to be able to influence international governance,” Rosyidin told VOA.
Apart from its membership being too large, the G77 does not have a strong platform regarding its vision for international order. The G77’s solidarity has faded and it has no position when facing international issues, such as the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In an economic context, according to Rosyidin, southern cooperation can accommodate the interests of developing countries to progress. However, so far he sees that the G77 has not played much of a role in voicing the interests of developing countries at the global level.
Most of the issues raised by the G77 are development, especially investment and import-export because the G77 controls 80 percent of the world’s total population.
According to him, the G77 must have a country that plays the role of leader but not the position of chairman. The G77 must also have a vision of a global order that favors developing countries. (fw/ah)