Group of 77


The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a coalition of 134 developing countries, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization headquartered in Geneva, but it has since expanded to 134 member countries according to the organization, one of which is China. China does not consider itself to be a member, nor did it when it was generally regarded as a developing country. However, the country supports and financially contributes to G77. Guyana holds the chairmanship as of 2020.
The group was founded on 15 June 1964, by 77 non-aligned nations in the "Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries" issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The first major meeting was in Algiers in 1967, where the Charter of Algiers was adopted and the basis for permanent institutional structures was begun under the leadership of Raul Prebisch who had previously worked at ECLA. There are Chapters of the Group of 77 in Geneva, Rome, Vienna, Paris, Nairobi and the Group of 24 in Washington, D.C..

Policies

The group was credited with a common stance against apartheid and for supporting global disarmament. It has been supportive of the New International Economic Order. It has been subject to criticism for its lacklustre support, or outright opposition, to pro-environmental initiatives, which the group considers secondary to economic development and poverty-eradication initiatives.

Members

As of 2020, the group comprises all of the UN member states, excluding the following countries:
  1. Members of the Council of Europe, except for Azerbaijan.
  2. Members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, except for Chile and Colombia.
  3. Members of the Commonwealth of Independent States Free Trade Area, except for Tajikistan.
  4. Two Pacific microstates: Palau and Tuvalu.

    Current founding members

Other current members

China

The Group of 77 lists China as one of its members. The Chinese government provides consistent political support to the G77 and has made financial contributions to the Group since 1994, but it does not consider itself to be a member. As a result, official statements of the G77 are delivered in the name of The Group of 77 and China.

Former members

  1. signed the original "Joint Declaration of the Developing Countries" in October 1963, but pulled out of the group before the formation of the G77 in 1964.
  2. was a founding member, but left the Group after joining the OECD in 1994. It had presided over the group in 1973–1974, 1983–1984; however, it is still a member of G-24.
  3. was a founding member, but left the Group after joining the OECD in 1996.
  4. was a founding member; by the late 1990s it was still listed on the membership list, but it was noted that it "cannot participate in the activities of G77." It was removed from the list in late 2003. It had presided over the group from 1985 to 1986.
  5. was a founding member, but was no longer listed on the official membership list after its accession to the EU in 2004.
  6. was admitted to the Group in 1976, but was no longer listed on the official membership list after its accession to the EU in 2004.
  7. joined the Group in 2002, but withdrew in 2004, having decided that it could best pursue its environmental interests through the Alliance of Small Island States.
  8. was admitted to the Group in 1976, but was no longer listed on the official membership list after its accession to the EU in 2007.
  9. became a member after it had departed from Yugoslavia as an independent state. However, since 2020, it's no longer listed as a member.

    Presiding countries

The following is the chain of succession of the chairmanship of the G77:
Presiding countryYear
India1970–1971
Peru1971–1972
Egypt1972–1973
Iran1973–1974
Mexico1974–1975
Madagascar1975–1976
Pakistan1976–1977
Jamaica1977–1978
Tunisia1978–1979
India1979–1980
Venezuela1980–1981
Algeria1981–1982
Bangladesh1982–1983
Mexico1983–1984
Egypt1984–1985
Yugoslavia1985–1986
Guatemala1987
Tunisia1988
Malaysia1989
Bolivia1990
Ghana1991
Pakistan1992
Colombia1993
Algeria1994
Philippines1995
Costa Rica1996
Tanzania1997
Indonesia1998
Guyana1999
Nigeria2000
Iran2001
Venezuela2002
Morocco2003
Qatar2004
Jamaica2005
South Africa2006
Pakistan2007
Antigua and Barbuda2008
Sudan2009
Yemen2010
Argentina2011
Algeria2012
Fiji2013
Bolivia2014
South Africa2015
Thailand2016
Ecuador2017
Egypt2018
Palestine2019
Guyana2020

Group of 24

The Group of 24 is a chapter of the G-77 that was established in 1971 to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues and to ensure that their interests were adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters. Every member of the G-24, except for Mexico, is also a member of the G77. Although membership in the G-24 is strictly limited to 24 countries, any other member of the G-77 can join discussions.