United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday hailed India and China for their leadership role and strong commitment in fighting climate change. Appreciating both the nation, Guterres said, “of the largest economies of the world, the two largest economies of the G77 are strongly committed to the leadership in climate action – and I refer to China and India.”
Guterres pointed out that African nations have been largely impacted by globally changing weather patterns. Speaking at a ceremony in which Egypt took over the chairmanship of the ‘Group of 77 (or G77) and China’ from Ecuador, the secretary said, “We cannot be defeated by climate change and we are not yet winning this battle. And it is clear to me that the biggest victims of climate change are members of the G77, namely African countries affected by drought or small island countries affected by the kind of hurricanes that we have seen or the rising levels of waters. ”
The secretary added, “In a moment when others are failing, I see the largest economies of the Group of 77 and China to be assuming the leadership in climate action to make sure that we don’t suffer the dramatic and devastating impacts of climate change, as unfortunately we are already witnessing and things will get much worse if we are not able to defeat this threat.”
The G77, was established on June 15, 1964, which now comprises of 134 members including India. It is the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the UN. The bloc offers countries of the South with opportunities to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the UN system. It also promotes South-South cooperation for development.