ABSTRACT
An important aspect of multilateral diplomacy refers to the links between the UN-based missions and their respective ministries. In spite of the heterogeneous nature of membership and the numerous differences that characterize its different constituents, the Group of 77 and China (G77) has managed to play a significant role in bridging the North-South divide and mitigating the asymmetries among the full membership of the United Nations. While the G77 and even more so the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) have very diverse positions within their membership on the many issues being considered in the intergovernmental organs of the United Nations, their presence has had both symbolic and real value in the process of consensus-building. Having the right personalities in place, in the intergovernmental organs or in the secretariat, is one of the many random factors that determine whether a specific initiative taken by any government or the secretariat will ultimately succeed.
