With the participation of the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, the work of the Group of 77 and China Summit was launched today, Friday, in the Cuban capital, Havana, under the slogan “Current Development Challenges: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation.”

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and a number of leaders and heads of state of the group are participating in the summit.

Cuba assumed the rotating presidency of the group last January.

The Group of 77 and China is the largest intergovernmental organization for developing countries in the United Nations. It was established on June 15, 1964 by 77 countries, and it has maintained its name even though it has expanded and currently includes 134 countries.

The group aims to defend the collective economic interests of those countries and enhance their negotiating capacity on major international economic issues within the United Nations.

It is noteworthy that the State of Palestine assumed the presidency of the Group of 77 + China for the year 2019.