14th Summit in Tehran from tomorrow:

G-15 - Voice of the Global South

By Pramod DE SILVA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Regional blocs have become powerful entities in a globalised world. Although the voices of individual countries, especially those of developing countries, tend to get lost on the world stage, a collective union of such nations has a greater chance of catching the world’s ear. This is one motive of forming blocs such as the Non-Aligned Movement, SAARC and G-15.

Sri Lanka happens to be a member of all three organisations - and an active one. In fact, Sri Lanka will take over the chairmanship of the Group of 15 (G-15) from Iran at the two-day G-15 summit in Tehran beginning May 17. This is the G-15’s 14th Summit.

A high-level delegation led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa will attend the summit.

What is the G-15? It was established in 1989 at the Ninth Non-Aligned Movement Summit Meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia to focus on cooperation among developing countries in the areas of investment, trade, and technology.

It is a community of the most successful Third World countries to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups. Creating a change, especially in the global trade system, was the philosophy behind the establishment of the group.

Although the G-15 originally had 15 members as the name suggests, it actually has 18 countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Sometimes this gathering is called the Global South. The bloc comprises Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Nigeria, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

Developing countries like Iran, India, Malaysia and Brazil have emerged as important players in terms of economic and political clout and found a greater voice on the international stage.

It is significant that the gathering (at least eight Presidents have confirmed their attendance while other countries will send Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers) is being held in Tehran, Iran, which certain countries are trying to portray as an international outcast.

This shows that Iran has the unequivocal support of the developing world despite the threats made by certain Western countries. These countries are trying to gain the support of UN Security Council members including Russia and China, for a new round of sanctions against Iran.

Though the G-15 members have different views and interests, they have one thing in common - they want to create a change in the global system, which currently favours the great powers.

Though the G-15 mainly focuses on economic issues, the members stress that all areas of the current global system must be changed in order to realize the goals of developing countries.

The G-15 countries account for a large proportion of the world population and each has great potential, which provides an opportunity for cooperation within the group and with other developing countries outside the group.

The G-15 summit in Tehran will also strengthen South-South cooperation and help efforts to establish a Global South power bloc to counterbalance the great powers.

Elaborating on the opportunities to be raised during the conference for the participating countries, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “The conference will be a proper opportunity for conferring and finding new grounds for cooperation and utilizing the abundant capacities of the member countries.”

He also stressed that the summit which includes participants from important countries of the world enjoys abundant potentials for the expansion of economic, political and international cooperation.

Iran took over the chairmanship of the Group 15 in the 13th summit held in Havana, Cuba in September 2006. It is noteworthy that Sri Lanka will be receiving the Chairmanship from Iran, which has become one of Sri Lanka’s closest allies in recent years. This will be President Rajapaksa’s third visit to Iran. He is scheduled to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the meeting to discuss strengthening of ties between the two countries.

Sri Lanka has received an interest-free credit facility from Iran to purchase Iranian crude oil. Iran provided seven months of credit, out of which four months were interest-free. The rest were given at a concessionary interest rate of 0.5%.

The credit facility helped Sri Lanka to save foreign exchange when the government was battling the LTTE.

Iran has also agreed to partly fund the improvement and expansion project for the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation-owned oil refinery at Sapugaskanda. The project plans to double the oil output capacity from 50,000 to 100,000 barrels per day to meet the country’s requirements.

This is just one example of a G-15 Nation helping another. It exemplifies the potential for cooperation among the G-15 Nations. Indeed, South-South cooperation is the way forward in the globalised economy.

They must increase trade, technological and agricultural cooperation for the betterment of their peoples.

The G-15 must also focus on eradicating poverty, a common problem in nearly all the countries.

They should ensure food security and set up a mechanism for cooperation in this regard. Terrorism is another issue that most countries in the Group have faced. Sri Lanka, the only country which has defeated a ruthless terror group, can offer its insights in this context.

It is also essential to facilitate people-to-people contact within the group through the relaxation of visa procedures and direct air links among the various capitals. There should be more cultural and educational exchanges too.

Climate Change is another serious issue that the Group must dwell on as all countries are affected by this problem. It is not too late for the G-15 to issue an action plan on climate change.

Sri Lanka has the opportunity of taking the G-15 towards new heights under its chairmanship. Sri Lanka can use the lessons learned from piloting SAARC for the last one year to steer G-15 in a new direction.

The G-15 must adapt to changing circumstances and new challenges in the world order. It must become more people-oriented and its voice should be heard in world fora on the major issues facing our planet. A more dynamic G-15 has the potential to be a guiding light for a better world.