Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei participates in the Ministerial Meeting of Like-Minded Group of Supporters of Middle-Income Countries

23-09-2016

On September 23, 2016 at the UN headquarters in New York the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, participated in the first Ministerial Meeting of Like-Minded Group of Countries of Supporters of Middle-Income Countries.

The meeting was conducted on the initiative and under the chairmanship of the Foreign Ministers of Belarus and Costa Rica.

Background Information: The category of middle-income countries comprises more than a hundred states that are home to most of the world’s population. Middle-income countries account for more than a third of global GDP and a quarter of world’s exports and imports. About 70% of the world’s poor live in these countries. Earlier in 2016 Belarus, Costa Rica and several other countries initiated establishment at the UN headquarters of a separate group of like-minded supporters of the interests of this category of countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica

The meeting was attended by Foreign Ministers and other high representatives of Belarus, Armenia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the President of the UN General Assembly P.Thomson

The President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, and the President of the UN Economic and Social Council, Frederick Shava, joined the meeting as guests and delivered their welcoming statements.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, addressed the participants of the meeting with a video message in which he stressed the crucial role of middle-income countries to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

The participants of the meeting agreed to conduct active joint work in the UN to systematically promote the interests of middle-income countries in the field of sustainable development. The Ministers identified specific areas of such activities within the UN system and ways to raise the general public awareness to the developmental needs and perspectives of middle-income countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus V.Makei meets the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Dominican Republic

By the proposal of Belarus, the meeting adopted the Ministerial Declaration which sets the goals, objectives and working modalities of the Like-Minded Group.

In his statement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, noted the importance and timeliness of joining the efforts of most active supporters of middle-income countries to uphold their collective interests. Belarusian minister called this move a landmark event, which launched a new process in the UN and demonstrated the capability of countries to unite on the basis of common goals and interests.

V.Makei underscored that Belarus would continue to initiate and support proposals contributing to dialogue and mutual understanding in the most relevant areas of the activity of the United Nations.

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