DUSHANBE, October 1, 2010, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan has been admitted to the Group of 77 and China, according to Tajikistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
A decision on admitting Tajikistan to the coalition was made at an annual session of foreign ministers from member nations of G-77 and China that took place in New York on September 28.
The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of developing nations, designed to promote its members” collective economic interests and create an enhanced joint negotiating capacity in the United Nations. There were 77 founding members of the organization, but the organization has since expanded to 131 member countries. Practically speaking (as of 2010), the group can be described as comprising all of UN members (along with the Palestinian Authority), none of which is: 1. an EC (European Council) member (with the exception of Bosnia Herzegovina); nor: 2. an OECD (The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) member (with the exception of Chile); nor: 3. a CIS (full) member (with the exception of Tajikistan); nor: 4. a “mini” country (whose population size is under 50,000); nor: 5. Kiribati (whose population size is under 100,000).
The group was founded on June 15, 1964 by the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Countries” issued at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Although not a member of G-77, China has all along supported its just positions and rational demands and maintained good relations with it.
