The role of the Group 77 in promoting the development of Foreign International Cooperation
by his Excellency Ambassador Virachai Plasai. Mr. Plasai is also the Ambassador and permanent representative of Thailand to the United Nations and chair of the Group 77 and China. The activity is directed at professors, students, and representatives of the civil society and seeks to enhance their knowledge on legal challenges in public and civil law. In this case the focus is set less on a concrete legal challenge but rather on the role of the international organization Group 77.
The lecture was focused on presenting the Group 77, its objectives as well as its relevance today. The group was founded in 1964 and encompasses today 134 members mostly from the global south, among them Palestine as a fully recognized member. The group aims to strengthen south-southern cooperation and to promote the economic position of developing countries on the world market.
During the open discussion following the lecture, the political role of the group was discussed in depth in relation to the Palestinian case. The Ambassador made clear that the group is not foremost a political cooperation but a platform to support and address the needs of developing countries. However, he explained the group’s commitment to the concept that sustainable development goes together with sustainable peace and points out that the group pursues peace building through economic development on a long-term basis.
The intended outcome of the activity to firstly, increase the knowledge among the target group (students, professors, representatives of the civil society) on the role of the Group 77 in international cooperation, and, secondly, to create a platform in which the activity’s target group can exchange their views on the topic discussed. This outcome was achieved with the activity. However, the topic of the legal encounter focused on the Group 77`s role within international cooperation, which is not a current legal challenge.
