APA-Pretoria (South Africa) President Cyril Ramaphosa has skipped the Group of 77 summit in the Cuban capital Havana to attend the funeral service for Zulu kingdom traditional prime minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi at the weekend, the president’s office has announced.
In a statement late Thursday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the South African leader would instead be represented at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and China by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor.
“Following the passing of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi and the honour accorded to his funeral a Special Official Funeral-Category 1, President Cyril Ramaphosa has delegated Dr Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to lead South Africa’s delegation to the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and China,” Magwenya said.
The summit, which is taking on Friday and Saturday, is being held under the theme “Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation”.
The summit is expected to be opened on Friday by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, followed by a general debate.
It is expected to end Saturday with the adoption of the Final Havana Declaration and the closing remarks by the Cuban President.
The focus of the G77 + China Summit is to encourage debate and analysis on the main challenges facing the Global South.
According to the Ministry of International Relations, the summit is expected to lay the foundation for the “positions and interests that the group will defend in the context of the multiple negotiation processes taking place such as the Global Digital Compact, the General Review process of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS + 20), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit and the Summit of the Future.”
It said South Africa supported the focus on science and technology since this has been beneficial in supporting the aspirations for socio-economic development in the Global South, particularly in efforts to restore dignity to the lives of those marginalised by poverty and inequality.
In this regard, South Africa has, therefore, called for greater participation and empowerment of women and youth in the sector, especially innovation, the ministry said.
Established in June 1964, the Group of 77 has 134 member states and is the largest intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the United Nations.
It provides a platform for countries of the Global South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system and promote South-South cooperation for development.
Buthelezi died last weekend, aged 95, and would be buried on Saturday.
JN/APA