The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but by November 2013 the organization had since expanded to 133 member countries. Bolivia holds the Chairmanship for 2014. (Wikipedia)
The 2014 meeting took place in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, with the presence of many Latin American heads of state and Ban Ki Moon.
Given the huge amount of Media space given to the neoliberal rolling programme it is remarkable that so little is given to a much bigger collection of countries. Or not so remarkable, given the attempts they are making to end poverty. Which was not the central theme of the rich countries’ meetings, in spite of mentioning “inequality” many times as a cause for concern, but without attempting to modify the system that creates it. The dates of the meetings are also interesting:
Inclusive Capitalism Conference 27 May 2014: global business leaders, “Building Value, Renewing Trust.”
Bilderberg, last week of May. The Economic para-state and it field of influence, er.. well, everything (and it always meets just before the G7. Coincidence?)
Brussels G7 Summit 2014 – 4-5 June. The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.
As many Latin American countries continue their experiments in more progressive ways to organise society, not just from an economic point of view but also in environmental terms and regarding the emerging philosophy of “Living Well” (referred to during the Conference by Bolivian President Evo Morales), it is sad to see this missed opportunity to study new alternatives for a more human world. The message speaks loud and clear, if you are not rich you do not exist.
