Mourad Ahmia, Chairman of the Coordinating Office of The Group of 77, visited Trieste on 8 August. This was his second visit in less than a year. Ahmia was here to discuss the G-77's upcoming South-South High-Level Conference on Science and Technology, which will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 27-30 October 2002. A major focus of the conference will be the growing ties between the G-77 and the Trieste System, based on their shared interest in advancing science and technology in the developing world. With 133 member states, the G-77 is the largest subgroup of the United Nations and the most important voice for developing countries in the United Nations.