Paris Connsensus, Adopted by the Thirty-Ninth Meeting of the Chairpersons/Coordinators of the Group of 77, Paris, 27-28 February 2006

1. We, the Chairmen/Coordinators of the Chapters of the Group of 77, meeting in Paris from 27 to 28 February 2006, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations and Chairman of the Group of 77 in New York, state our collective commitment as follows :
   
   
2. We are meeting at a time of great challenges and expectations. The continuing poverty affecting most of our countries remains a major threat to our future stability and growth, as well as to international cooperation peace and stability.
   
   
3. We emphasized the need to continue strengthening the unity and solidarity among countries of the south, to increase our voice in the governance of development which is conducive to a more just and equitable international order and for preserving and one that nurtures the policy space necessary for developing countries to pursue their own development objectives.
   
   
4. The increasing disparity between the rich and the poor, economic regression and unprecedented natural disasters have compounded genuine efforts to overcome the scourge of poverty. We remain however committed to the achievement of the Millennium Development goals and will make every effort in the centers of our chapters to ensure progress is made as matter of priority for the concerned organizations and their work programmes.
   
   
5. The political changes, the information revolution and technological advances of the last decade have provided a stronger basis for economic growth. We stress the need to increase the capacity of developing countries in science and technology, including in information and communications technology and in new and emerging technologies.
   
   
6. While the results of the last World Trade Organization Ministerial meeting could not be translated into concrete and positive actions in favor of developing countries, we remain committed to rule based multilateral trading system that is equitable, fair and takes into account developing countries policy space.
   
   
7. We reiterate our appreciation to the Government of the State of Qatar for hosting the Second South Summit in Doha from 12 to 16 June 2005 and reaffirm our commitment to work towards the full implementation of the Doha Declaration and the Doha Plan of Action, in particular the strengthening of South-South Cooperation.
   
   
8. We welcome the imminent submission to the G77 of the proposed term of reference for the "The South Fund for Development and Humanitarian Assistance" established by the Second South Summit in order to strengthen South-South cooperation including the institutional capacity of the Group of 77 to assist the countries of the South in their development efforts and to address the problems of hunger, poverty and natural disasters; and request the Special Unit to assist in this process and provide management services to operationalize the fund.
   
   
9. Further more the Second South Summit reaffirmed the role of South-South Cooperation in the overall context of multilateralism as a continuing process, vital to confront the challenges faced by our countries, and as a valuable contribution to development. We know that today, South-South Cooperation and triangular cooperation are one of the most important dimensions of international cooperation for development. From the Charter of Algiers adopted by the First Ministerial Meeting of the Group of 77 in 1967 to the Declaration and Plan of Action of the Second South Summit in Doha much has been achieved. Today the level of awareness concerning the potential of South-South Cooperation at both the government and the international community level is very significant.
   
   
10. We welcome the establishment by the Paris Chapter in UNESCO of the South-South Cooperation Fund for Education, the South-South Cooperation Fund for Science and Technology and swap of external debt for investment in education and call for voluntary seed contribution to these funds. We also believe that these funds are eligible for receiving future contribution from proposed South Fund for development and humanitarian assistance established at the Second South Summit.
    
    
11. We welcome the adoption by the General Conference of UNESCO to convene a South Forum on Culture, and we call on the chairmen of the G77 and China to take the necessary steps with the Director General of UNESCO in order to ensure the success of this Forum.
    
    
12. We strongly support the ongoing process of the implementation of the Second South Summit outcome carried out by various G-77 Chapters. Having identified priority areas of concern and competence of the different Chapters, we will make every effort and take necessary action to mainstream those areas in the work of various United Nations organizations. We shall seek those organizations' support and assistance in implementing the relevant recommendations of the Doha Summit.
    
    
13. We recognize the invaluable work of the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation in support of national efforts to strengthen South-South policy implementation. We believe that the United Nations development system is now better positioned to ensure that South-South Cooperation becomes more central in the operational activities of many programmes and agencies.
    
    
14. We call for the establishment of the Trust fund with contributions especially from the private sector, so that UNCTAD could undertake studies and programmes on issues of interest to the developing countries. This trust fund could, for instance, commission development impact assessment studies of existing international economic and trade agreements and norms and develop options for maximizing policy space for developing countries.
    
    
15. South-South Cooperation is assuming increasing importance both as a strategy in support of development and as a means of ensuring the effective integration of developing countries in an emerging global economic order. We believe that there is a need to consolidate ongoing efforts, to further increase and raise resources, particularly since we have identified priority areas for South-South cooperation. These priority areas will enhance developing countries capacity in global trade, science and technology and environmental and human settlement issues. We are committed to work for the institutional revival of UNCTAD, to promote its work on operationalizing important concepts such as policy space and corporate social responsibility and to invigorate its intergovernmental machinery with a view to encouraging consensus building and making soft law to facilitate rule making in WTO and other organizations.
    
    
16. We stress the importance of elaboration of a development platform for the South as mandate by the Doha Summit and look forward to continued collaboration with the South Center and the completion of this project. We call further for enhancing the capacity of the South Center.
    
    
17. In this context we welcome the ongoing efforts of the chairman of the G77 to convene sectorial meetings in accordance with the decision of the Summit and the establishment of a follow-up mechanisms for implementing specific south-south projects decided at the Summit.
    
    
18. We welcome the endorsement of the outcome of the Jakarta meeting on South-South cooperation by the G77 Nairobi Chapter that took place in November 2005. The meeting focused on south-south cooperation within the overall implementation process of the Bali strategic plan on technology support and capacity bu8ilding. We also support the over-aching action plan for south-south cooperation of UNEP that provides the necessary grounding for mutually supportive cooperation initiation in the context of the Bali strategic plan.
    
    
19. We reaffirm that technical assistance should work in tandem with research and consensus building; it should not become the flagship project of UNCTAD. We express concern that the norms and the technical assistance programme of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) over-emphasize the promotion of intellectual property rights standards at the expense of development dimensions. We shall continue to push for a development Agenda to make WIPO more development-oriented.
    
    
20. We emphasize the relevant role of agriculture in developing countries economies. Thus we call on UNESCO and FAO to cooperate closely to promote rural education in order to foster more rapid development.
    
    
21. We call on FAO and other competent organizations to promote capacity building in developing countries to meet the challenges of the spread of Avian flu.
    
    
22. We strongly believe that achieving the MDGs on eradication of hunger and poverty and environmental sustainability will require intensified efforts by the UN system to promote greater capacity building for rural development aimed at enhancing irrigation capacity, improved rain harvesting promoting sustainable fisheries and livestock methods.
    
    
23. We intend to be vigilant in monitoring the implementation of the decisions of the World Summit on the information society (WSIS). In this context we shall collectively influence the establishment of the proposed Internet Governance Forum. We shall ensure that the Forum addresses the development dimension of Internet governance and gives representation to developing countries as well as multi-stakeholders from the developing countries.
    
    
24. We strongly support the efforts of the Geneva Chapter to have the necessary support staff and space for the conduct of the activities of the Chapter in Geneva and call on UNCTAD to assist them in this regard in accordance with the decision of the Ministerial meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the G77 paragraph 12(a).
    
    
25. The work being done by the United Nations institutions in centers of the Group of 77 Chapters such as UNESCO, UNDP, UNEP, UNCTAD, FAO, IFAD, UNIDO and UNHABITAT, is tremendous and commendable and we reaffirm the roles and mandates of these institutions and agencies. We reiterate the importance of UNCTADA as the principal organization within the UN system for an integrated treatment of trade and development, and we commit ourselves to ensure that the UN reform process shall not dilute its mandate, supplant or subsume it.
    
    
26. We are determined to improve the Group of 77 interface with the multi-media and to ensure that its message receives the widest public attention through the establishment of a global south new agency. We call for networking the media of the South to increase its effective capacity.
    
    
27. There are new and encouraging developments in the countries of the south that augur well for South-South Cooperation. The emerging new dynamic economies of the South provide new and potential opportunities for taking south-South cooperation to a higher level of collective self-reliance through trade investment and technological cooperation. In this context, we support the ongoing efforts by the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation organizing important initiatives to boost South-south cooperation including the Global South Development Forum, the Second High-level Forum on Trade and Investment; South-South Mayors Forum to Promote City to City Cooperation for Development; the Global South-South Assets and Technology Exchange system; the global Southern Development solutions Systems; and the Global South Creative Economy Expo; as well as other public-private partnerships initiatives in new and dynamic sectors.
    
    
28. We also welcome the ongoing efforts by the Chairman of the G77 in order to operationalize the G77 research programme decided by the first South Summit and we call on member states and relevant UN institutions to support the programme particularly the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation to support pilot phase of the programme.
    
    
29. We welcome the efforts made so far in the creation of a consortium by the Trieste system. We welcome also the efforts made towards the creation of the joint scientific committee and we call on the Chairman of the G77 to take necessary steps in order to speed up the process and we call for networking of research institutions of the South.
    
    
30. We support the on-going efforts for establishing bridges of cooperation among the cities of the south through "Twinning of the cities/sisters cities" as well as the establishment of parliamentarian forum of the south and a global South Academy for Development in order to strengthen further the Group's positions in international fora.
    
    
31. We shall deepen and expand our strategic partnerships with all actors of civil society, particularly those in developing countries.
    
    
32. We are committed to work very closely with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) within the context of the Joint Coordinating committee (JCC) and to coordinate and harmonize our joint action at various UN Centers especially in connection with the on-going process of the United Nations Reforms.
    
    
33. We recognize the respect for religious and cultural diversity in accordance with General Assembly resolution 60/150 an increasingly globalizing world contributes to international cooperation, promotes enhanced dialogue among religious cultures and civilizations, and helps to create an environment conducive to exchange of human experience. We are convinced that dialogue among cultures and civilizations should be continuous process and that, in the current international environment, it is not an option but an imperative as sound as productive took to promote development to create a better life for all. This concept needs to be mainstreamed in the human rights machinery and UNESCO. In this respect we call upon UNESCO to support the convening of a high level forum of eminent personalities in order to discuss effective ways of bridging the gaps and achieving responsible governance.
    
    
34. We affirm that human rights should not be denuded of their economic and social content. Trade agreements should not be allowed to impede the ability of people to obtain affordable textbooks and medicines or make basic services such as water and sanitation unaffordable for large segments of the population. In this context, the discussions of the right to Development need to be further invigorated in the proposed Human Rights Council.
    
    
35. We continue to stress the importance of a G-77/G8 dialogue on strengthening international economic cooperation for development through partnership as an essential mechanism for the discussion of emerging and urgent issues relevant to the strengthening of a global partnership for development to further strengthen the efforts of the international community in addressing development issues of international concern. In this context, we call on the forthcoming annual Summit of the G-8, to be held in St Petersburg, Russian Federation, to take into account the interests and concerns of developing countries and request the Chairman of the Group of 77 and China on UN Reform, under the able leadership of the Republic of South Africa as chair country of the Group of 77, in defending the interests of developing countries and ensuring the successful outcome of the reform process as well as safeguarding the integrity and Charter role of the General Assembly in this important process in accordance with decisions and guidance by the heads of State or Government of the Group of 77 at the Second South Summit held in Doha, Qatar, from 12 to 16 June 2005.
    
    
36. We agree to convene a meeting of the chapters of the G77 at Ministerial level during September 2006 prior to the General Assembly. Meanwhile we welcome the offer of the Vienna Chapter to meet next June (40th meeting) and in February 2007 (41st meeting) in Rome.
    
    
37. We wish to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to the excellent preparation and manner on how the Paris Chapter hosted the 39th meeting of the Chairpersons/coordinators of the G77.