The G- 77+China summit which was to take place next month in Uganda has been postponed after fear of the deadly Coronavirus.
The summit was due to take place from April 16-19, 2020 at Speke Resort Hotel Munyonyo, attracting 136 member states.
According to data from the World Health Organisation, over 96,000 people have been tested positive for the coronavirus, and almost 3,300 confirmed deaths in China.
The Group of 77 is the largest intergovernmental organization of developing countries in the United Nations, which provides the means for the countries of the south to articulate and promote their collective economic interests.
It was established on 15 June 1964 by seventy-seven developing countries signatories of the “Joint Declaration of the Seventy-Seven Developing Countries” issued at the end of the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.
Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations said on Twitter that “due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in different countries and in consultation with the G77 member states, the summit has been postponed to a later date.”
According to Ayebare, a new date will be communicated later in the year. He, however, says the pre-summit preparations would continue.
“Pre-summit preparations will continue,” Ayebare said.
However, UTB said that travelers from the affected countries will be required to undergo a 14-day isolation process for daily monitoring by the Health Ministry, a guideline set by the government.
It also warned that travel from the Coronavirus hit countries should be reconsidered at this time due to” Uganda’s efforts to curb the virus that is fast spreading since December 2019.
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