UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the Group of 77 at a ceremony during which Pakistan handed over its role as G77 chair to Antigua and Barbuda.

In his statement, Ban said the UN attaches great importance to the roles played by the G-77 and China, and is willing to make joint efforts to achieve common development of humankind.

Development should not be a privilege of the few, but a right for all. The G-77 and China play an indispensable role in achieving our shared goals. That is why I will do everything in my power to consolidate our good collaborative relationship as we work together to create a better world for all.

The G-77 was established in 1964 with the signing of the Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries. The declaration was issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva.

The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing states in the United Nations. It provides the means for southern countries to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacities on all major international economic issues within the United Nations system.