The curtain closed on the 3rd South Summit in Kampala, Uganda, as high-level delegates from nearly 100 nations and UN leaders charted a course for inclusive development. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, taking over as the new chair of the Group of 77 (G77), urged unity and collective action for the developing world at the UN.
Under the banner of “Leaving No One Behind,” the two-day summit saw delegates discuss and collaborate on critical issues like trade, investment, climate change, and poverty eradication. Representing 134 member states, the G77, convening its highest decision-making body in Kampala, sought to strengthen South-South cooperation.
China, a long-standing partner of the G77 through the “G77 and China” mechanism, played a vital role in facilitating partnerships and projects. President Museveni, emphasising the need to assert the group’s priorities at the UN, highlighted the importance of collaboration in international processes.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged China’s significant contributions to South-South cooperation and called for reforming international institutions to ensure the Global South has a rightful voice in global governance.
Guterres underscored the crucial role of the South Summit in channelling the collective voice of the Global South and propelling progress towards a more equitable future. This edition, the first held in Africa, underscored the continent’s rising presence in the global discourse on inclusive development. The previous summits were held in Havana in 2000 and Doha in 2005.