The Havana Summit (77 countries + China) is set to be one of the most prominent global conferences this year in a remarkable development that the summit has not witnessed in recent years, in terms of media coverage, nature of attendance, and political weight of this meeting, which revolves around economic challenges.

The Cuban Ambassador to Lebanon Jorge Leon Cruz gave an interview to Al Mayadeen Net, reflecting on a myriad of topics, the highlight of which is the upcoming G77+China Summit. 

Q: What are the most salient political effects that such a global economic meeting is expected to have at the level of the countries of the South?

As is well known, Cuba, in its capacity as chair of the Group of 77 plus China, convened a Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group on 15 and 16 September 2023, in Havana, under the theme "Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation."

The G77 Summit will be of great importance in the common efforts to move toward a united approach of the countries of the South, in relation to the great challenges our nations are facing in the international sphere.

Read more: G77; its history and legacy

This Summit will be of great importance because of the nature of the agenda and the declaration that is intended to be signed as a result, an event at a political level, a state event. 

The Cuban Presidency of the Group of 77 and China hopes that the Summit will contribute to strengthening the Group's voice in the current international situation and in the relevant intergovernmental negotiation processes.

Q: What value does China add to this summit; can its role be described as pivotal; does China benefit from this world conference or do other countries benefit more from China's presence?

As part of the preparations for the G77+China Summit, a draft declaration has been discussed among the G77 members and will be submitted to the heads of delegations for approval.

There is not a single idea in the content of the draft declaration that implies the preponderance of one of the members of the group over the rest of the members of the Group of 77.

The draft declaration is the summary of an extensive negotiation process in which 134 nations, representing 80% of the world's population, have agreed on the essential premises for strengthening North-South and 

South-South cooperation and exchanges in science, technology, and innovation.

Ahead of the summit in #Havana on Friday, here's the history behind the formation of #G77 and the significance this bloc carries in global politics. pic.twitter.com/gXJYYcFnOP

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 12, 2023

Q: What are the most common economic challenges facing the countries of the South today? Are the countries of the "North", i.e. Europe and America, to some extent responsible for these problems and challenges?

The Summit will address the most relevant international political issues of the day. It will not be a specialized thematic event.

The event will be the occasion for major political pronouncements and a projection of actions by the G-77 and China on the whole of the international situation, which is complicated, challenging, and adverse for the countries of the South.

The agenda of the Summit will allow the Heads of State and/or Government to express a vision of the State in relation to current problems.

Cuba considers that development in the international order of the South depends to a large extent on the use of knowledge, science, the development of technology and access to it, and the development of innovation.

From the Cuban Presidency of the G77 and China, we promote a vision based on knowledge, academia, and science, in relation to the most pressing problems for humanity, including the international political problems that determine the present and future of the planet.

It is essential to create conditions for accessing and using technology and innovation, and at the same time, to chart paths for political concertation in relation to South-South cooperation, North-South cooperation, or related formulas.   

Read more: G77, China to discuss use of tech to address development challenges

The G77 and China Summit will be a key forum for consultation in the run-up to the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September this year and the Summit of the Future in 2024.

The G77 Summit will assess the main challenges and issues at the heart of the development of the nations of the South and the indispensable contribution of science, technology, and innovation to sustainable development.

Q: Will this summit contribute to breaking the policy of Western sanctions against Cuba? How?

The Summit should contribute to addressing the main challenges generated by the current international economic order by calling for a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture and a more inclusive and coordinated approach to global financial governance.

The Summit should contribute to the rejection of the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions against developing countries and the urgent need to eliminate them immediately.

International solidarity and cooperation will be decisive issues on which we will be working and acting together, both toward the Havana Summit, during the Summit, and subsequently in the course of the work of the G-77 and China.

It is imperative, as never before, that the G77 and China remain a serious, energetic, solid, and proactive interlocutor in defense of our rights.

The Summit is an opportunity to work together for unity and decisive action by the countries of the South, which is essential to face present and future challenges.

The Summit is an opportunity to renew our visions and to identify points of convergence and initiatives that contribute to complementarity among the countries of the South, in the very difficult conditions of the world.

Q: To what extent can it be said that this Summit at the level of the "77 countries + China" complements the summit of the BRICS group of countries and the international blocs that seek to get rid of the principle of Eurocentrism and American and Western Centralism in international politics?

The Cuban Presidency of the G-77 and China is committed to giving continuity to the historic demands of the Group, particularly in relation to the new international economic order, the reform of the global financial architecture, the rejection of unilateral coercive measures, situations of concentration of wealth or growth of poverty, including extreme poverty, the growing and increasingly burdensome weight of foreign debt and the conditions of the international financial system, particularly for the South.

The G77-China Summit will therefore contribute to the following actions:

- Decision to resume the work of the Consortium on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the South (COSTIS), and we urge the members of the Group to evaluate its strategies to ensure its effective functioning. 

- Regular meetings of Ministers and High Authorities on Science, Technology, and Innovation, as appropriate, to take stock of the role of science, technology, and innovation in the development agendas adopted at the United Nations and to strengthen South-South cooperation in these areas.  

- Request the President of the General Assembly to convene, in the context of the Eightieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly, a High-Level Meeting on Science, Technology, and Innovation for Development, focusing in particular on actions to be taken to address the needs of developing countries in these areas. 

- Declaring September 16 as the Day of Science, Technology, and Innovation in the South.

In conclusion, we can state that we consider that achieving the historic demands of the G77 and China is a matter of survival of the human species and of our nations. 

We believe that achieving the historic claims of the G77 and China is about building a more just and inclusive world that privileges international solidarity and cooperation.