Developing Nations to Meet in Tehran

UNITED NATIONS (15 June, 2001) - Ambassador Bagher Asadi of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chairman of the Group of Seventy-Seven (G-77), announced today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York that the Islamic Republic of Iran will host the tenth meeting of the Intergovernmental Follow-up and Coordination Committee on Economic Cooperation Among Developing Countries (IFCC-X) from 18 to 23 August, 2001 in Tehran. The announcement came during a press conference to mark the 37th anniversary of the G-77. The conference will work toward strengthening the economic independence of the South in a fast globalizing economy.

"The IFCC-X conference represents a significant step forward in strengthening mechanisms through which developing countries can achieve economic progress by engaging in South-South cooperation," remarked Ambassador Asadi. "This conference provides an opportunity for the South to pool our collective knowledge, resources, and potentialities in various fields of cooperation toward the promotion of the well being of all the people of the South."

The conference is being sponsored by the Group of Seventy-Seven, which represents 133 countries, including China, and is the largest coalition of developing nations in the world. The conference will be continuing the work of the ninth session of the IFCC which was held in Manila, Philippines (1996), along with building on the work of last year's historic South Summit in Havana, Cuba. The G-77 Chamber of Commerce and Industry, made up of representatives of the business community of the developing world as well as the heads of the National Focal Points for South-South Cooperation of G-77 member states, will be convening during the IFCC in an interactive dialogue to further strengthen South-South trade, specifically in the areas of e-commerce.

The conference will be attended by high level officials from members states of the Group, guest countries, along with other intergovernmental, and nongovernmental organizations from the South. As an integral part of the IFCC conference will be a meeting of the economic groupings and organizations of the South which will take place with a view to addressing the challenges of globalization facing the developing world and characterized by economic blocs, subregional, and regional economic integration around the world.

Accreditation and registration forms are available for journalists interested in covering the conference. Requests for media accreditation can be submitted to either the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations or to the Iranian Foreign Ministry in Tehran. During the conference members of the media will be able to access statements, presentations, audio recordings, and photos of the conference at the conference's web site: http://www.g77.org/ifcc. Members of the media with questions regarding their coverage of the conference should contact the Office of the Chairman at (212) 963-4777.

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