Message of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the 16th ministerial conference of the Non–Aligned
Movement in Bali, May 25th 2011

Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Former Secretary General of United Nations

“A MOMENTOUS CHALLENGE
« The EnergyPact – UNCTAD Conference provides an exceptional opportunity for us, developing countries, the GLOBAL SOUTH, to consider where we stand today and what are our common aims for the future in the context of sustainable development, a momentous challenge for human civilization. »

Nitin Desai

Former Under-Secretary General of United Nations Board Trustee WWF International
ACCESS TO SAFE AND AFFORDABLE ENERGY
« A transition to a new energy path in the North is necessary for the South to be able to pursue a sustainable energy future. That is why I am looking forward to the EnergyPact – UNCTAD Conference. »

The condition of humankind in the 21st century will be shaped by the way in which the challenges of sustainable development are addressed. This represents a tall agenda with uncertain outcomes. The participation of all peoples and countries, within an overarching framework of common well-being and advanced forms of cooperation is essential.

This is a highly complex issue which has given rise to heated debates, disagreements and often stalemate, within and between nations, most prominently between the North and the South during the last four decades.

Developing countries of the global South today account for 4/5 of the world’s population, and are also the home of billions of people who continue to live in poverty and in marginal conditions. These countries occupy more than 2/3 of the world’s land surface area, including some of the Earth’s most vital and coveted renewable and non-renewable resources and ecosystems. They are the world of the future, mouths to feed but also the overwhelming majority of brains and brawn of modern society. They may play key and determining roles in the evolving planetary scenario, as foreshadowed by advances and pioneering efforts in some emerging economies in the South.

Global sustainable development will then centre on complex interrelationships between energy, environment, and development.

The meeting will examine the way in which the challenges of climate change can be met in a sustainable manner by focusing on developing countries and in particular, on the dynamics of South-South cooperation. In this context, it seems timely to remember the 50th anniversary of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) by holding a conference that links and considers Global South and sustainable themes.

NAM establishment in 1961 was the first step to give policy, institutional and legal substance and identity to the Global South, i.e., the developing countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America who occupied the periphery of the world system dominated by the Western powers. The period since was marked by continuing collective efforts of developing countries, most prominently through NAM and the Group of 77, to organize, to promote common goals and objectives, to shape and democratize the world political and economic order, to have a voice and say in the global arena and to consolidate and defend their political and economic sovereignty.

As noted for example, in a recently published report by UNEP, UNCTAD and UN-OHRLLS, “Why a Green Economy Matters for the Least Developed Countries”, the least developed countries and developing countries “possess the economic conditions, the natural and cultural assets, and the policy setting to embrace, if not lead, a green economy transition, which would in turn accelerate their development”.

This year’s Durban Climate Conference and the Rio+20 Conference will be of paramount importance in the evolving multilateral process. This UNCTAD-EnergyPact event is expected to contribute to this process as well as to an integrated approach to interrelated development and climate change agendas, and a stronger commitment to a green economy, based on a holistic approach.

Leading into the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012, it is clear that if green technologies and means of production are cost-effective and are made available and accessible to all, the majority of our planet’s populations living in developing countries will be able to follow a sustainable and green development path.

50 years ago, the Non-Aligned Movement, through coalition-building and new patterns of international cooperation, laid the foundations for a truly multipolar world, pioneering multilateralism. The relevance of this legacy is more valuable now than ever. But how and for which purpose can the so-called “Global South” remain a valid concept and a geopolitical reality in the contemporary international system? This exceptional meeting will analyse what needs to be changed in South-South and North-South relations so that the United Nations core values of equality, justice, and peace do not only remain aspirations of the South, but, instead, become contributions from the South towards better global governance.

Now that South Africa has joined Brazil, Russia, India, and China to form the new BRICS, legitimate questions arise: Is it only an acronym? Is it a coalition for international negotiations? Is it an emerging organization? Is there a cooperative and cohesive agenda for the BRICS? Do they have a strategy? It seems possible that the BRICS will outweigh the rest of the world in terms of demography, economic dynamism, political weight and scientific or technological power. But besides their weight, can they play a global role? Do they want such a role? Are they pursuing national agendas or do they have ambitions to collectively reshape the international order? If so, in which direction? This unprecedented High-Level Panel will shed light on one of the world’s most famous yet least understood acronyms.

At the launch of a recent report published by UNEP, UNCTAD and UN-OHRLLS “Why a Green Economy Matters for the Least Developed Countries” UNCTAD’s Secretary-General, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi stated, “There are at least four key elements that need to be addressed for LDCs’ successful transition to a green economy. First, indentifying new sources of funding that can be directly applied to transitional efforts; second, creating an enabling environment that is conducive to private investment in green economy markets; third, taking advantage of trade to create global markets for LDCs’ green goods and services exports; and fourth, designing new effective mechanisms to transfer green technologies to LDCs”.

Considering that LDCs and developing countries form most of the membership of the Global South, it is clear that this major political universe can play a decisive role in fostering sustainable development and climate change mitigation. In line with the above-mentioned Report, this session will explore the idea that the countries of the Global South “possess the economic conditions, the natural and cultural assets, and the policy setting to embrace, if not lead, a green economy transition, which would in turn accelerate their development”. Emerging powers can play a decisive role not only as investors and inventors, but also in helping to bridge the interests of developed and developing countries in international negotiations.

Ahead of the climate conferences of Durban and Rio+20, of the UNCTAD XIII Ministerial Conference and on the eve of 2012: United Nations International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, this panel will discuss the transformational role that the South can play in ensuring that the transition to the green economy will maintain human development, fair trade and a holistic approach to sustainability as top priorities.