NEW YORK, Sept 27, 2018 – Egypt calls on developing countries, which comprise 80 per cent of the world's population, to make extensive use of technology for achieving development and economic growth, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on Thursday. The developing nations have to catch up with the fast pace of political, economic and technological changes, which are happening in the advanced countries, President Sisi said before leaving New York for Cairo. "The developing countries are required to use advanced technologies and the modern means of communications to achieve economic growth, increase production, offer new services, and create new jobs for their people," President Sisi told the 42nd meeting of the foreign ministers of the Group of 77 and China. In his speech to the meeting, which was held on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly (UNGA 73) working sessions, President Sisi called for coordinated efforts for narrowing the North-South technological gap. "Therefore, it has become imperative for the G-77 member states to adopt a unified vision for narrowing the North-South technological gap and present their vision at the international conferences, which are concerned with this matter," President Sisi said. He said that the Egyptian political leadership had realised the importance of technology and is applying it for serving developmental purposes. President Sisi, citing the Egyptian experience, called on the G-77 member states to rely on modern technology in upgrading their health, education, food, water and energy sectors, which he described as the pillars of overall development. He also called for continuous exchange of technological expertise among the G-77 countries and enhancing co-operation among the group's research centres, companies and business leaders in order to increase the use of modern technologies in order to achieve sustainable development. President Sisi said that the G-77 member states were mobilising their resources to support development efforts in the face of climate change challenges. He said that agreement called for providing the developing countries with the necessary financial and technological resources to cope with negative effects of climate change. In this regard, President Sisi said that Egypt was taking the necessary steps to host an international conference on biological diversity next November. The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members' collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity at the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organisation, but by November 2013 the coalition had since expanded to 134 member countries (including China). Since China participates in the G-77 but does not consider itself to be a member, all official statements are issued in the name of The Group of 77 and China. Egypt holds the Chairmanship for 2018. Palestine, an observer state of the United Nations, is to chair the group as of January 2019. The State of Palestine was formally handed on Thursday the presidency of the Group of 77, the largest bloc of developing nations at the UN. In July, Palestine was chosen to head the organisation as of January 1, 2019. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised that his government would bear its responsibility and perform its duties in all honesty and integrity and in a manner that deserved the trust of the members of G-77. He said Palestine was committed to work with all members and secretariat of the group. President Sisi congratulated President Abbas and asked the forum if it supported handing the gavel to Abbas, which was met by a loud round of applause from delegates. "I assure you that Egypt, along with all members of the group, will fully support the chairmanship of Palestine. We're convinced that Palestine will advance the interests of all member states," he said at the meeting, held at the conference hall of the UN Economic and Social Council. Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, who presides over the current session of the General Assembly, said that the Group of 77 comprises nearly three-quarters of UN members states, and about 80 per cent of the world's population. The bloc has an "extremely important role of maintaining multilateralism, which never before since its establishment has it faced such challenges, such threats." UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the G-77 as a "champion of multilateralism" and addressed at some length the challenges of the developing world. The G-77 was originally founded in 1964 with 77 countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Thailand, and India. Over the years it has grown to include countries such as South Africa, Qatar, Cuba, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Singapore, and Angola.
