The G77+China's role in trade multilateralism : advocating for south agency

The Group of Seventy-Seven (G77) plus China is positioned in global multilateralism as a platform for advancing the collective interests and issues of the global South in the United Nations (UN) system. For this reason, the organization has a special role to play in the multilateral trade negotiation system where groups, coalitions and alliances are crucial negotiation levers for individual countries. On this basis, the G77 seeks a fair, just and equitable international trade environment, an ideal linked directly to the pursuit of global reform towards a post-Western-led world. This article analyses critically the role of the G77 in exercising global South agency on international trade within the World Trade Organization (WTO) system and the efficacy of its role in promoting South-South trade co-operation. As the group is not without its challenges and its diverse membership has varied interests within the multilateral trade system, it is difficult to ascertain the group’s authority in advocating for reforms in the system. The G77’s advocacy for South agency, however, remains important.