THE 50th anniversary congress on the New International Economic Order in Havana closed on Wednesday with a roadmap for a “global South insurgency to remake the world system.”

The congress — co-convened by the Progressive International and the National Association of Economists and Accountants of Cuba (Anec) — brought together leading scholars, diplomats and policy-makers to Havana from 36 countries, including Brazil, South Africa, China, Colombia, Kenya, Indonesia and Spain.

The three days of discussion aimed to prepare a programme of action to secure peace through sovereign development in the 21st century.

Participants included former Colombian president Ernesto Samper; United Nations independent expert on foreign debt Attiya Waris; permanent representative of South Africa to the UN Mathu Joyini; and director of the Columbia Centre for Sustainable Development Jeffrey Sachs.

In her opening presentation to the congress, Ms Joyini said: “The New International Economic Order will address the harms caused to developing countries by the international system, including the raft of financial, trade and tax abuses that have been sucking trillions out of the South.”

The delegates discussed finance, debt and the international monetary system; science, technology and innovation; climate, energy and natural resources; commodities, industry and international trade and finally governance, multilateralism and international law.

Proposals on these topics will be developed into a detailed programme of action ahead of the September 2024 UN general assembly alongside partner governments from around the world. 

In his concluding remarks, former Cuban minister of economy and planning, Jose Luis Rodriguez, said: “The first thing to achieve development is peace. As long as bombs continue to fall, we will not achieve development.”

Co-general co-ordinator of the Progressive International Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla closed the congress, saying: “At this historic congress, hosted in the splendour of the National Capitol here in Havana, scholars, diplomats and policy-makers from Senegal to Sweden, Colombia to China, Australia to Argentina have laid out a concrete and inspiring path out of this age of intolerable plunder and vengeance. 

 “We have before us a roadmap for a global South insurgency to remake the world system through new and alternative institutions of global governance for peace, prosperity and planetary protection.

“In September, at the United Nations general assembly, we will publish this detailed action plan and commit to toil tirelessly to unite, mobilise and organise progressive forces all over the world to win it.”

Progressive International was launched in May 2020 to unite, organise and mobilise the world’s progressive forces.

Anec brings together Cuban professionals linked to the economic sciences and technicians of related specialities.