Establishment

The Group of 77 (G-77) was established on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries.

Seventy-seven countries signed the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries” at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.

Although the members of the G-77 have increased to 134 countries, the original name was retained due to its historic significance.

Objectives

The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations.

Provides means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests.

Enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system.

Promote South-South cooperation for development.

Structure

The organization and modalities of work of the G77 have certain minimal features in common.

These include similarity in membership,mode of decision-making and certain operating methods.

The Group's work in each Chapter is co-ordinated by a chairperson, who acts as its spokesperson.

The Chairmanship, which is the highest political body within the organizational structure of the Group of 77, rotates on a regional basis (between Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean) and is held for one year in all the Chapters.

Currently the Republic of South Africa holds the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 in New York for the year 2015.

A permanent institutional structure gradually developed which led to the creation of Chapters of the Group of 77 with Liaison offices in:

• Geneva (UNCTAD)

• Nairobi(UNEP)

• Paris (UNESCO)

• Rome  (FAO/IFAD)

• Vienna (UNIDO) The South Summit is the supreme decision-making body of the Group of 77. The First and the Second South Summits were held in Havana, Cuba, on 10 – 14

April 2000 and in Doha, Qatar, on 12 – 16 June 2005, respectively. In accordance with the principle of geographical rotation, the Third South Summit is due to be held in Africa.

The Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 is convened at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York.

Periodically: Sectoral Ministerial Meetings : for UNCTAD sessions General Conferences : UNIDO and UNESCO  In addition to the Sectoral Meetings, the Intergovernmental

Follow-up and Coordination Committee on South-South Cooperation (IFCC), which is a plenary body consisting of senior officials, meets once every two years.

Special Ministerial Meetings: On the occasion e.g: Group’s anniversary (25th,30th,40th).

Activities

Besides resolution and decisions initiated by the Group of 77 in the UN General Assembly and its Committees as well as various UN bodies and specialized agencies, the Group of 77 produces joint declarations, action programmes and agreements on development issues.

Members

Group of 24

There were 77 founding members of the organization, but by November 2013 the organization had since expanded to 134 member countries.

The Group of 24 (G-24) is a chapter of the G-77 that was established in 1971 to:

1. Coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issue.

2. To ensure that their interests were adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters.

Member countries- G24

Region I (Africa):   Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,

Nigeria, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Region II (Latin America and the Caribbean):  Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru,

Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Region III (Asia):  India, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and

Syria.

How The G-24 Operates

The G-24 operates at the political and operation level. The political level :

Comprises of Ministers, their Deputies, the Bureau, and other representatives who participate in the Committee

The operational level :

• run by the G24 Liaison Office

• This includes the G24 Secretariat and the Research Coordinator. 

To coordinate the position of developing countries on monetary and development issues.

Particularly issues on the agendas of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) and the Development Committee (DC).

To ensure increased representation and participation of developing countries in negotiations on the reform of the international monetary system. 

The governing body of the G-24 meets twice a year.

The plenary G-24 meetings are addressed by the heads of the IMF and the World Bank Group as well as by senior officials of the UN system.