The magic of solidarity

Spain advocated for social justice and human solidarity, which demand that the structural, psychological, climatic or other drawbacks from which many developing countries suffer should be remedied.

Uruguay sounded a warning note for developing countries - that the Group of 77 was not an end in itself, but a dynamic instrument designed for the affirmation of a still broader unity, a more universal solidarity, ending the division into blocs which impeded understanding and joint responsibility in the most rational manner.

These are words pronounced in June 1964.

Fifty years later, the magic of solidarity is an open, unfinished chapter in international relations. The promotion of solidarity remains an imperative and most complex task in the sphere of multilateral diplomacy.

Right now in Geneva, the UN Human Rights Council is tabling a draft declaration on the right of peoples and individuals to international solidarity.

It declares that international solidarity is the union of interests, purposes and actions between and among peoples, individuals, states and their international organisations, to preserve the order and the very survival of international society and to achieve common goals that require international cooperation and collective action.

We live, according to some strategists, in an age of choreographed reality. Yet, the choreography holds hope of progress. The 50th anniversary of UNCTAD attests to the gradual but universal recognition that international solidarity is the most fitting response to the need for transformations towards equity, sustainability, security and empowerment that are applicable to all countries during the current irreversible process of globalisation.