Havana: Capital of the Global South
Havana: Capital of the Global South
Technological development of, by, and for the South
A Summit of the Group of 77 plus China was held in Havana on September 15 and 16, 2023, with the slogan “Current Development Challenges: The role of science, technology and innovation.” There were more than 1,300 participants in the Summit, representing 116 countries and twelve UN organizations and agencies, including thirty-three countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, forty-six from Africa, and thirty-four from Asia and Europe.
At the Summit, as is typical of international meetings involving representatives of governments of the Global South, there existed the political freedom to express opposition to the reigning unjust international order and to propose alternative concepts and concrete measures integral to the construction of an alternative world order, in which the countries of the South are freed from current structural constraints. As Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro declared, “This is our house; it is the space where we are equal, where no one intends to dominate, exploit, or exclude anyone. This is the great family of Africa, Asia, Latin America. . . The family of the South.”
The Havana Declaration, September 16, 2023
On September 16, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relation released the Declaration of Havana, which had been in development for various weeks, and which was approved by the Summit by proclamation. The Declaration begins by affirming the support of the delegates for the objectives of the Group of 77, and it commits to strengthening the roll of the Group in international affairs.
The Declaration of Havana expresses concern with the serious problems that countries in development confront today, generated by an unfair international economic order.
“We note with deep concern that the major challenges generated by the current unfair international economic order for countries in development have reached their most acute expression in current times due . . . [to] . . . geopolitical tensions, unilateral coercive measures, and the current multiple crises, including economic and financial crises; a fragile global economic outlook; increased pressure on food and energy; displacement of persons; market volatility; inflation; monetary tightening; the growing burden of external debt; the increase in extreme poverty; the rising inequalities within and among countries; the adverse effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification, sand and dust storms and environmental degradation, as well as the digital gap; and with no clear roadmap so far to address these global problems.”
The Declaration calls for a reform of the architecture of the international financial system, creating a system based on win-win cooperation.
“We stress the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture and a more inclusive and coordinated approach to global financial governance, with greater emphasis on cooperation among countries, including increasing representation of countries in development in global decision and policy-making bodies, which would enhance the capacities of countries in development to access and develop science, technology and innovation.
“We reiterate our firm belief that all states and stakeholders should devote themselves collectively to the pursuit of global development and ‘win-win’ cooperation for scientific and technological development.”
The Declaration protests the concentration of the Information and Communication Technologies industry and the unfair competition that it generates.
“We reject technological monopolies and other unfair practices that hinder the technological development of countries in development. States that have monopoly and dominance in the Information and Communication Technologies environment, including Internet, should not use Information and Communication Technologies advances as tools for containment and suppression of the legitimate economic and technological development of other States.”
The Declaration affirms “the important role of science, technology and innovation as pillars, enablers and catalysts to support sustained, inclusive and sustainable growth.” And it recognizes the importance of diversity in economic production, including the development of industries with high wages and margins of profit: “We acknowledge the contribution of science, technology and innovation to industrial development in countries in development, and as a critical source of economic growth, economic diversification and value-added production.”.
Government must play a central role: “We note the central role of Governments, with the active contribution from stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, academia and research institutions, in creating and supporting an enabling environment at all levels, including enabling regulatory and governance frameworks, in accordance with national priorities, to nurture science, innovation, entrepreneurship and the dissemination of knowledge and technologies.” It follows that governments, scientists, and private enterprises must work together: “we will endeavor to further promote close linkages and partnerships between policy makers, academia, research centers and the private sector.” All should seek win-win cooperation: “We reiterate our firm belief that all states and stakeholders should devote themselves collectively to the pursuit of global development and ‘win-win’ cooperation for scientific and technological development.”
The structures of the world economy have generated a fundamental inequality between developed countries and countries in development with respect to conditions, possibilities, and capacities to produce new scientific and technical knowledge. As a result, the leaders of the global South have long stressed the responsibility of the developed countries to transfer technology and provide resources for technological development to the countries in development. This long-term tendency is reaffirmed in the Declaration of Havana.
“We call upon the international community, the United Nations System and the International Financial Institutions to support the efforts of the countries of the South to develop and strengthen their national science, technology and innovation systems. We urge developed countries to urgently mobilize means of implementation such as technology transfer, technical assistance, capacity building and financing through new, additional, and predictable resources in relation to the needs of developing countries, in accordance with their national needs, policies and priorities.”
At the same time, as the more advanced economies of the Global South acquire—primarily through their own research and innovative scientific development—a certain level of technological advancement, the Global South is increasingly oriented to technological and scientific advancement through South-South cooperation and through technology transfers within the South. The Declaration of Havana affirms:
“We agree to continue working on the development of science and technology in developing countries by strengthening South-South cooperation, which is necessary to optimize our potential and complement our resources and expertise, while offering viable pathways to address common challenges among developing countries. We encourage discussions on the possibilities of establishing new platforms for South-South cooperation and exchanges on science, technology and innovation.”
Scientific and technological development through South-South cooperation
For two full days, the representatives of the countries of the South took to the podium, one by one, to express their views on the theme. They repeatedly reiterated their support for the development of a multipolar world order based on cooperation, mutually beneficial trade, and international solidarity. They clearly were not asking the North for financial aid to address social problems; rather, they stressed the need to develop the productivity of their economies, so that their peoples would have a higher standard of living and their governments would have the resources to protect the socioeconomic rights of their citizens.
Following Cuba’s lead in putting forth the notion of the role of innovative science and technology in confronting development challenges, the representatives to the Summit repeatedly reaffirmed the importance of science and technology in the development of their economies. In addition, with an emphasis somewhat different from the past, they departed from stressing the need for technology transfer from the North toward an orientation that proclaims, “WE must do it for ourselves.”
Various representatives gave expression to this new emphasis on, first, the importance of science and technology, and secondly, South-South cooperation as the necessary road to scientific and technological development. They recognize that the countries of the South are excluded from access to the advanced science and technology of the North, because of the policy of the North to not share its technology, due to its imperialist political interest in maintaining control of the political economy of the world-system. At the same time, they also appreciate that some of the more advanced economies of the South are attaining a certain level of technological advancement through a degree of independent economic development that they have managed to attain in a neocolonial context. Thus, there is emerging a new direction for the Global South, including the stronger emerging economies of the South, toward a policy of attaining diverse economic development in all areas of economic activity, but especially with respect to science and technology; and doing so on the basis of the sharing of knowledge and cooperation among all, recognizing that a collectivity of nations is stronger than any one of them alone. This lays the foundation for an alternative world order based on mutually beneficial trade among nations, resulting in peace, sustainable economic growth, and prosperity for all. The stronger emerging economies of the South have an interest in such an alternative world order, because it provides stronger markets for their products, the end of accommodation to the demands of the world powers, and a significant decline in global conflicts. The stronger and larger nations of the South thus find it in their short- and long-term interests to align with the poorer and weaker nations in the construction of an alternative world order.
But it is the leaders of the weaker nations, which have the most dire conditions with respect to access to technology, that expressed the new direction with greatest clarity. Some examples taken from the September 15-16 debates follow.
Nana Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana, observed that the breakthroughs in development and human civilization have been tied to innovation, inspired by science and sustained by technology. Thus, new inventions are the base of human development. However, the countries of the South often do not have the capacity to create new knowledge. At the same time, the countries of the North do not tend to share their innovations in scientific knowledge in a voluntary manner, thus suffocating the development of the countries of the South. This situation even pertains to the threats associated with climate change—such as rising sea levels, drought, and forest fires—for which the production and consumption patterns of the North are primarily responsible. Therefore, “experience shows us that we must find our own means of developing our own technologies.”
Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka, declared that Cuba has been a paradigm in many senses. He noted that Sri Lanka, not having the capacity for sufficient specialists in the fields of technology, has established an alliance with India, seeking to overcome limitations in access to technology. In addition, he noted, some countries—including China, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore—have had important gains in digital technology. He called upon the Group of 77 to establish an effective mechanism of cooperation oriented to maximizing the potential of science and technology to function in a creative manner in support of sustainable development, developing know-how that would be most pertinent to the transformations necessary for the countries of the South. Such mechanisms ought to include collective technological platforms that would permit the countries of the South to stimulate industrialization, the production of medicines, and artificial intelligence.
Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana, called for South-South cooperation in the application of innovative science and technology, as the foundation to sustainable development and prosperity. He maintained that collaboration ought to extend to intellectual property, in order to attain liberation from the barriers that divide the nations of the South.
Azali Assoumani, President of the small island nation of Comoros, off the African eastern coast, and President pro tempore of African Union, called for win-win cooperation in order to dynamize the digital economy,
Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of Burundi, maintained that science and technology play a fundamental role in facilitating the sustainable growth of the countries of the South; and they are necessary for consolidating the historic turn to multilateralism. He supports South-South cooperation for overcoming the North-South technical gap, necessary for the construction of a new international economic order.
Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Prime Minister of Djibouti, stated that the world today confronts a multidimensional crisis of significant proportions with devastating consequences, caused by the structural deficiencies of an unjust international economic order, and by the incapacity of the international financial system to respond effectively to the problems that the countries of G-77 confront. To transform this situation, access to science and technology is central, capacitating the necessary diversification of the economies of the South. Accordingly, emphasis on South-South cooperation is the necessary road.
Geraldo Joao Martins, Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, maintained that South-South cooperation is the key to the acquisition of science and technology, which ought to be developed within the framework of the principle of the self-determination of nations. South-South cooperation is vital for the transition to a New International Economic Order, which would include reform of the international financial architecture. He maintained that the nations of the South must develop the political will to implement what is necessary.
Tran Hong Ha, Vice Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, pointed out the need to confront the challenges of the countries of the South through cooperation in science and technology. He also affirmed the need for the formation of human resources in these fields of science and technology, thus placing youth in the center of development.
Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico, provided an example of South-South cooperation promoting technological development with respect to health in Latin America and the Caribbean. She noted that Cuba, Columbia, Argentina, Mexico and Chile have the capacity to manufacture medicines and vaccines. On this foundation, Mexico, in its capacity as President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), worked to attain health self-sufficiency for the region, through regulatory mechanisms that expanded the capacity for production and created a Latin American and Caribbean network for production and distribution of medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment, overcoming the barriers imposed by intellectual property rights. On the basis of this experience, she called for application of a new vision for financing development in the region.
Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana, declared that sustainable development and prosperity requires the application of science and technology, which can only be attained through South-South cooperation, including collaboration with respect to intellectual property and technology transfer, eliminating barriers that divide the countries of the South. It is crucial for the South to develop innovative solutions through a transforming agenda that stimulates international cooperation.
As can be seen from these commentaries and many others too numerous to report, the representatives of the Global South are making demands not on others, but on themselves. They continue to call for North-South cooperation of mutual benefit to both, but they are placing the destiny of their peoples in their own hands, calling upon the states of the Global South to facilitate innovations in science and technology and to share the benefits of scientific and technological advances among all the states of G-77, in the framework of win-win South-South cooperation.
In this shift toward emphasis on South-South cooperation, as against calling upon the North to assume it responsibility before the clamor of humanity, I am reminded of the oft-repeated belief in Cuba that imperialism will always be imperialism. The truth of this maxim has been reconfirmed repeatedly since 1980, by neoliberal economic policies, by continuous wars of aggression, by unconventional war against various targeted nations, and by the eastward expansion of NATO. This last process, culminating in the war in Ukraine, has made evident the subordination of the major European powers to the USA. These continually unfolding dynamics have made clear the persistence of imperialism in its imperialist road in defense of neocolonialism, even though that road is destroying the neocolonial world-system itself.
Thus, the necessary and possible road is scientific and technological development through South-South cooperation, with the states and peoples of the South attaining it by and for themselves, no longer hoping for or expecting North-South cooperation. This dynamic unfolds as the world powers, through their persistent and misguided imperialism, condemn themselves to moral and intellectual decadence and economic decline.
The insights of the leaders of the poorer nations with respect to the new direction does not imply that it is not embraced by the leaders of the stronger emerging economies of the South. The leaders of the stronger emerging economies are among the principal leaders that have convoked this historic process of change and have brought it to an advanced stage. They are now being pushed to a clearer and in a certain sense a more radical self-help formulation by the leaders of the poorest nations.
A new twist: Triangular cooperation
A new concept emerged in the Declaration of Havana and in the debates of the G-77 Summit, namely, triangular cooperation. In my view, triangular cooperation reconfirms the emerging orientation toward technological and economic development through South-South cooperation. The long-standing demand for cooperation from the North was not embraced by the North in the historic moment (from 1946 to 1980), when it would have been most beneficial for humanity, and when it could have been implemented with minimal conflict and disruption. Confirming in practice its rejection of North-South cooperation, the Western powers since 1980 have taken the road of aggressive imperialism, thus making evident their decadence. For the Global South today, it would be a politically idealist error to continue to convoke this proposal as anything beyond a long-standing offer that has never been taken off the table, even though it has been rejected by the North.
But South-South cooperation does not mean that the North is excluded. In the experience of the South in the context of a neocolonial world-system in decline and decadence, some private corporations in the North have been disposed to enter into mutually beneficial agreements in the South, including with countries sanctioned by the USA and/or other Western governments. Taking this reality into account, the concept of triangular cooperation emerges, in which two or more governments of the South cooperate in the development of projects that could include the participation of corporations of the North in providing key components, such as the necessary technology. In triangular cooperation, projects and concepts are formulated from the South.
The historic context of the present moment
The present historic moment is defined by the struggle of the once-colonized nations and peoples to create a more just, pluriopolar world, an alternative to the U.S.-directed world order, now in decadence. The present historic moment is indicated not only by the G-77 plus China Summit in Havana, but also by the recent expansion of BRICS, which I addressed in a recent commentary. (“BRICS expands to eleven members: The quest for an alternative, more just world order advances,” August 25, 2023).
South-South cooperation is a historic concept and proposal of the South, dating to the Bandung conference of 1955, where the leaders of the newly independent nations of Asia and Africa met to propose unity of action in defense of their genuine independence. South-South cooperation has been repeatedly proclaimed by: the UN Declaration for a New International Order in 1974; the powerful denunciations by Fidel of the turn to neoliberalism, during Cuba’s first presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement; the retaking of the historic principles of the Non-Aligned Movement in its 2006 Summit in Havana; the emergence and evolution of BRICS; and the emergence of a new political reality in Latin America, as Latin American nations unified in defense of their sovereignty. See “The Construction of a Pluripolar World: The neocolonized peoples seek cooperation and mutually beneficial trade,” December 9, 2022; “Cuba assumes presidency of G77: The struggle for a more just world economic order,” January 17, 2023; and “A more just world under construction: Circumventing imperialism in decadence,” April 28, 2023.
The emphasis on science in economic development has been central to the Cuban revolution since its triumph. On January 15, 1960, Fidel declared, “The future of our country has to be necessarily a future of men and women of science.” During the following six decades, Cuba developed more than 200 scientific research institutions, with connections to educational institutions, and with ties to production in the fields as health, agricultural production, and animal husbandry. Cuba has persistently seen economic development as rooted in science, and thus Cuba is in a position to orient the G-77 in this direction in the current historic moment. See “Cuba: A nation of science and thought: State-directed scientific research, applied to socioeconomic development,” January 18, 2022.
The fate of the imperialist powers in decadence is not predetermined. Any one of them would be able to change the direction of their nations, on the basis of the taking of political power by an anti-imperialist people’s movement, seeking restoration of the dignity and purpose of the nation through alliance with the forces in the world constructing an alternative world-order. Thus far, the kind of enlightened critical theory that would provide a philosophical foundation to an anti-imperialist people’s movement is not visibly expressing itself.
A free subscription option is available, with capacity to read, send, and share all posts. A paid subscription ($5 per month or $40 per year) enables you to make comments and to support the costs of the column; paid subscribers also receive a free PDF copy of my book on Cuba and the world-system. Ten percent of income generated through subscriptions to the column is donated to the Cuban Society for Philosophical Investigation.
Follow me on Twitter: Charles McKelvey@CharlesMcKelv14