Foreign Minister accepts G77 Chairmanship on behalf of Thailand



BANGKOK, 13 January 2016 (NNT) - The Foreign Minister has traveled to the UN Headquarters in New York and accepted the G77 Chairmanship for 2016 on behalf of the Kingdom of Thailand.

Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai attended the inauguration ceremony for Thailand to assume this year's G77 Chairmanship.

Today on January 13th, the previous G77 Chairman, South Africa, passed the torch to Thailand, which must now speak on behalf of developing countries in the United Nations. This honor is a first for the Southeast Asian country.

Thailand will use this opportunity to expound the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy for the purpose of advancing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were deliberated at the UN Sustainable Development Summit 2015, held in New York from September 25 - 27.

The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization in the UN, having expanded to 134 nations but retaining its original name.


-- NNT 2016-01-13

The G77 is essentially a UN within the UN represented by a majority of nondeveloped nations. Its mostly (and perhaps only) achievement has been to mitigate en mass UN General Assembly decision-making from being dominated by the biggest developed powers. But within the G77 itself achievements have been missing.

Since almost every issue on the G-77's agenda has its own constituency, it is basically difficult for the G-77 to be flexible as a whole to enact acts and policies for the good of the whole G-77 membership. Unity within G-77 is further diluted by members also partnering (also referred to as "double dipping") with individual G-77 nations and with non G-77 nations in trade deals and social/environmental/secuirty agreements that run counter to even their own position within G-77.

G-77 is essentially a time-out corner for nondeveloped nations where they can feel good about themselves in a world they have little control over. And for that I'm sure Thailand can be relied upon.

Now if they can just figure out what they are supposed to do.

So he sits and front of the room and says "now we will hear from the distinguished representative from.... ".