Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Canel convenes G-77 plus China Summit in Havana  |16 June 2023

Cuba President Miguel Díaz-Canel

The President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in his capacity as President Pro Tempore of the G-77 + China Group, has issued a call for the Summit of Heads of State and Government under the theme ‘Current Development Challenges: Role of Science, Technology and Innovation’, on September 15 and 16, 2023, in Havana.

According to a message posted Wednesday morning on his Twitter account, the head of state said "the occasion should serve to strengthen our unity and decide on collective and practical actions in the effective confrontation of contemporary challenges”.

With the warm welcome they deserve and we are enthusiastic to give them, he noted, we will be receiving in Havana all the leaders of the Group of 77 and China.

"Every minute counts in the search for solutions to the pressing problems of our peoples," he said.

In line with the topics to be discussed at the Summit, President Díaz-Canel considered that "scientific and technical progress, which is key to achieving sustainable development, is, however, inaccessible to a large part of humanity".

The causes, he stressed, lie in the unjust international economic order, which has exacerbated the socio-economic and scientific-technical marginalisation of many countries and within them, with serious consequences for the nations of the South.

The Cuban leader, in his call to the meeting, considered it a paradox that "science, technology and innovation were at the forefront of the response to the HIV/Aids pandemic, while its benefits were unattainable for the most needy".

Changing this scenario, he emphasised, requires the construction of a fairer relationship and a truly democratic and inclusive order that privileges international solidarity and cooperation.

"The members of the Group of 77 and China, who together represent 80% of the world's population and more than two thirds of the membership of the United Nations, are urged to do just that," he added.

Cuba assumed the Pro Tempore presidency of the Group in January of this year, which was the first time that the Caribbean Island leads this negotiating bloc of developing countries. The G77 + China, which came into being in June 1964, is the largest and most diverse group in the multilateral sphere, with 134 member states.

During this year, Cuba has hosted important events related to the G-77 + China, including the meetings of the Group's Ministers of Education, Culture and Tourism.

Radio Havana Cuba