7.4 The challenges in the G-77 and China

The G-77 has extraordinary challenges. It includes a few very rich countries in a vast majority of poor countries. Many of the member countries are seriously affected by civil war. The governance systems are different and they have limited resources. The secretariat of G-77 and China itself has limited resources. Although G-77 shares key concerns, there are many issues in which member countries have diverging interests. Interviews reveal that the G-77 countries are also affected by a range of ideological dilemmas in relation to environmental negotiations. Key challenges faced by these countries include difficulties in articulating what sustainable development should look like. Many of these countries also face severe poverty and this implies that they face the dilemma of either using their last resources unsustainably, or losing a short-term opportunity to grow. The question for some developing countries is: Can they empower their own private sector to deal with public problems? In relation to the climate change negotiations, another dilemma faced is: How can they ask for equity in the international negotiations, without being held accountable by other countries and local actors for domestic equity related issues (see Table 9)? The G-77 is in search of a common vision for the future.