Table of Contents
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
- In January 2019 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas assumed chair for the Group of 77, the biggest UN bloc of developing countries, a position that raises Palestine’s international standing significantly.
GROUP OF 77
- The Group of 77 (G77) at the United Nations is a coalition of 134 developing nations, designed to promote its members’ collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations.
G77 AND CHINA
- The Group of 77 lists China as one of its members. The Chinese government provides consistent political support to the G77 and has made financial contributions to the Group since 1994, but it does not consider itself to be a member. As a result, official statements of the G77 are delivered in the name of The Group of 77 and China.
HISTORY
- The group was founded on 15 June 1964, by the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries” issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
- There are Chapters of the Group of 77 in Geneva (UN), Rome (FAO), Vienna (UNIDO), Paris (UNESCO), Nairobi (UNEP) and the Group of 24 in Washington, D.C. (International Monetary Fund and World Bank).
GROUP OF 24
- The Group of 24 (G-24) is a chapter of the G-77 that was established in 1971 to coordinate the positions of developing countries on international monetary and development finance issues and to ensure that their interests were adequately represented in negotiations on international monetary matters. Every member of the G-24, except for Mexico, is also a member of the G77. Although membership in the G-24 is strictly limited to 24 countries, any other member of the G-77 can join discussions.
MAJOR BOOST FOR PALESTINE
- After chairing G77 Palestine can officially try to get a seat in the UN Palestine will launch a bid to become a full member of the United Nations, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said The Palestinians presented a request for UN membership in 2011, but that application never came to a vote.
BUT WILL PALESTINE GET UN MEMBERSHIP?
- The bid will go ahead despite the United States having said it will veto Palestine’s membership plans. U.S has close ties with Israel and Israel doesn’t want Palestine to become a member of the U.N
HOW DOES A NEW STATE OR GOVERNMENT OBTAIN RECOGNITION BY THE UNITED NATIONS?
- The State submits an application to the Secretary-General and a letter formally stating that it accepts the obligations under the Charter.
- The Security Council considers the application. Any recommendation for admission must receive the affirmative votes of 9 of the 15 members of the Council, provided that none of its five permanent members — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America — have voted against the application.
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE
- Israel’s stance on Palestine The Israeli government has accepted in general the idea that a Palestinian state is to be established, but has refused to accept the 1967 borders either as compulsory or as a basis for final border negotiations, due to security concerns. Israeli military experts have argued that the 1967 borders are strategically indefensible. It also opposes the Palestinian plan of approaching the UN General Assembly on the matter of statehood, as it claims it does not honor the Oslo Accords agreement in which both sides agreed not to pursue unilateral moves.
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