The Director-General of Multilateral Affairs and International Law at the Cuban Foreign Ministry (MINREX) Rodolfo Benítez told the press that the Summit opened with the attendance of 114 countries, according to preliminary figures.

Rodolfo Benítez stressed that a hundred delegations have so far registered in the lists of speakers at the Summit, so it shows the high interest in participating and speaking. For such a reason, it was necessary to make some changes to the program including not having a break during lunch time in order to grant the floor to the largest number of speakers.

He stated that the debate in the Plenary Session was substantive, which, in his opinion, was a reflection of the very high level of political awareness of the Group’s member states.

There was a high level of agreement among delegations regarding the diagnosis of the current international situation, as well as great convergence in identifying possible actions required to face the serious problems affecting the sustainable development of the member states.

There is, he said, agreement on the need to undertake an urgent and profound reform of the present archaic international financial architecture so that it is truly representative and addresses the legitimate demands of developing countries.

He reported that a large number of proposals were made during the debate, including the renewal of the consortium of science, technology and innovation for the South, which will make it possible to promote joint research projects and foster productive linkages to reduce dependence on Western markets.

It was also proposed to promote dialogue between scientific organizations in the South and to strengthen codes and guidelines of the scientific and technological community, as well as to create technological platforms in different areas including health, environment, food security, among others.

Another important proposal was to progress in establishing a network of universities and research centers to reinforce the exchange of knowledge among G77 members.

Declaring tomorrow (September 16) as the Day of Science, Technology and Innovation in the South was another of the proposals accepted the most.

On behalf of the Cuban people and government, the diplomat thanked the numerous delegations that expressed their rejection of the criminal economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States.

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