G-77 High-Level Conference on Science and Technology
27 - 30 October 2002, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The High-Level Conference on Science and Technology, to be hosted by the City of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 27 to 30 October 2002, will be the first-ever South-South event convened by the Group of 77 in order to bring together representatives from government, the scientific community, civil society, the business sector and other stakeholder groups to formulate a South-South strategy for the execution of initiatives in the field of science and technology.

Aim
This four-day conference will bring together policy makers from national governments as well as representatives from relevant scientific organisations, research institutions, universities, foundations, the business sector and other stakeholder groups dealing with science and technology, with the aim of fomulating global strategies and clear policies within the South for the promotion of science and technology. To facilitate this aim, a high-level interactive dialogue and workships on information communication technology, safe drinking water, and biotechnology will be held during the conference.


Key Objectives

• Adoption of a South-South platform in the field of science and technology;
• Launching of further initiatives to promote the development of knowledge and technology in developing countries;
• Strengthening cooperation among scientific and research institutions of the South

The conference will also serve as an important forum for members of the Group of 77 to formulate their common position in preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society.

The Participants
Participants will include high-level delegations from the 133 member states of the Group of 77 as well as representatives from foundations, academia, corporations and other stakeholder groups. Representatives from the media are also expected to cover the event.

List of the Member States of the Group of 77

What is the Group of 77?

Establishment
The Group of 77 (G-77) was established on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries signatories of the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven countries" issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. Beginning with the first Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 in Algeria in 1967, which adopted the Charter of Algiers, a permanent institutional structure gradually developed, which led to the creation of Chapters of the Group of 77 in Geneva (UNCTAD), Rome (FAO), Vienna (UNIDO), Paris (UNESCO), Nairobi (UNEP) and the Group of 24 in Washington, D.C. (IMF and World Bank). Although the membership of the G-77 has increased to 133 countries, the original name was retained because of its historic significance.

Aims
As the largest Third World coalition in the United Nations and the largest grouping in the South, the Group of 77 provides the means for the developing world to articulate and promote its collective economic interests and enhance its joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues in the United Nations system, and promote economic and technical cooperation among developing countries (ECDC/TCDC).

Structure
The organization and modalities of work of the G-77 in the various Chapters have certain minimal features in common such as a similarity in membership, decision-making and certain operating methods. The Group of 77 is headquartered in New York, where the Chairmanship resides. The Group’s work in each Chapter is coordinated by the Chairman, who also acts as its spokesman. The Chairmanship rotates on a regional basis (between Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean) and is held for one year in all the Chapters. Currently, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela holds the Chairmanship of the Group of 77 in New York for the year 2002, while the United Arab Emirates is the presiding country of the Group of 77, Paris Chapter.

The Ministerial Meeting is the supreme decision-making body of the Group of 77. They are convened annually at the beginning of the regular sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York and periodically in preparation for UNCTAD sessions and the General Conferences of UNIDO and UNESCO. Special Ministerial Meetings are also called as needed such as on the occasion of the Group’s 25th anniversary (Caracas, June 1989) and 30th anniversary (New York, June 1994). In April 2000, the Group of 77 met for the first time at the level of Heads of State or Government which will, therefore, elevate decision-making within the Group of 77 to the highest political level.

The Intergovernmental Follow-up and Coordination Committee on Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries (IFCC) is a plenary body consisting of senior officials which meets once every two years to review the state of implementation of the Caracas Programme of Action (CPA) adopted by the Group of 77 in 1981. IFCC was last convened in Tehran in August, 2001. Subsidiary structures created to support the implementation of the CPA include, among others, the Chapters of the Group of 77, the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP), the Perez-Guerrero Trust Fund (PGTF) for ECDC/TCDC, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Group of 77 (G-77 CCI), and National Focal Points for ECDC/TCDC.

Finance
The activities of the Group of 77 are financed through contributions by Member States.

Activities

For more information about the South-South High-Level Conference on Science and Technology or the Group of 77 please contact: