High-level Forum on Trade and Investment
Doha Qatar, 5 -6 Decemebr 2004

UNITED NATIONS - 8 November 2004 – Senior officials and high-level delegations from the Member States of the Group of 77, United Nations institutions, intergovernmental organizations will gather in Doha (Qatar) from 5 to 6 December 2004 for a High-level Forum that aims to strengthen cooperation in the field of trade and investment among the nations of the South. The Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the State of Qatar is hosting the Forum in collaboration with the Group of 77 in New York.

This major Forum comes in the wake of the preparations of the Second South Summit that will bring together the Heads of State and Government from most of the nations of the developing world in Doha in 2005. The Forum, which will be the first of its kind to take place under Qatar Chairmanship of the Group of 77, is expected to provide a political vision for a South-South platform for cooperation in the field of trade and investment. To make the proceedings of the Forum as interactive as possible, a high-level dialogue at the Ministerial level will be organized on 5 December 2004, with the participation of the Ministers in-charge of Trade in developing countries, Heads of various UN agencies and institutions.

“The Doha Forum will be an occasion for the South to galvanize its strength and solidarity by lending strong political support to the objectives of South-South cooperation and by identifying specific areas in which operational mechanisms for such cooperation can be strengthened. This Forum will also help in generating concrete ideas for further promoting South-South cooperation and will serve as significant contribution to the preparations of the Second South Summit (Doha – 2005)”, said Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, Chairman of the Group of 77.

The Group of77 is the largest coalition of developing countries in the world. The Group marked its 40 th anniversary on 10 – 11 June 2004 in Sao Paulo and has grown significantly in size and influence since its inception, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste being the latest member state to join the family of the G-77 in 2003. It now comprises of 132 nations including China and represents 4/5 ths of the world’s population. The organization is headquartered at the United Nations in New York, and has chapters in various UN Centers including in Geneva, Paris, Rome, Nairobi, Washington, D.C., and Vienna.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Mourad Ahmia
Executive Secretary of the Group of 77
United Nations Headquarters, Room S-3953
New York, N.Y. 10017

Telephone: (212) 963-3816
Fax: (212) 963-3515 / 963-1753
Email: g77off@unmail.org

For media accreditation, please contact the National Organizing Committee:

Mr. Ahmed Ahen
Director of Economic and Trade Organizations
Ministry of Economy and Commerce
Doha, Qatar
Tel: (+974)4931320
Fax: (+974)4931309 / (+974)4932008
Mob: (+974)5843366
Email: forum@mec.gov.qa