Sri Lanka leads G-15 in call for heightened South-South cooperation

Prof. G L Peiris and Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinghe

The G-15 foreign ministers, meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly recently, renewed their commitment for enhanced engagement and cooperation among themselves and with the relevant Geneva-based institutions. Their primary focus was on newly emerging areas of cooperation in step with the evolving post-2015 development agenda and they agreed to expand cooperation in four new thematic areas - information communication technology, intellectual property, migration for development and renewable energy.

The Group includes Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Chairing the meeting, Minister of External Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris called for a collective voice in articulation of common interests and convergence across a wide spectrum of fields, including eradication of poverty, balancing economic development with environmental protection, access to technology, reforms in international financial institutions and sustainable growth.

Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and Chair of the Personal Representatives of the Group, Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha said there was a need for enhanced cooperation, engagement and solidarity among nations of the Global South. He said developing countries should engage more closely to frame the post-2015 international development agenda, to forestall it from being 'imposed' by the developed countries as a fait accompli.