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| 1977 |
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| SOUTHERN AFRICA continued to be a focus of global attention. The Roman Catholic Church defied apartheid in South Africa by admitting blacks into previously all-white schools (Jan.), and South African bishops denounced government policies (Feb.). A UN-sponsored conference in Mozambique (May) urged self-determination for Zimbabwe and Namibia and an end to regimes of racial separation. The death of Steven Biko, a South African black leader, while in police custody (Sept.) led to major demonstrations and international protests, and 13 official representatives of Western states attended his funeral. | 1 |
| ENERGY CRISIS. The global energy crisis was dealt with in many different ways. U.S. president Jimmy Carter announced a national energy program that aimed at, among other things, reducing U.S. reliance on imported oil. Nuclear power was an important subject discussed at the Group of Seven meeting in London. | 2 |
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| May |
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| Meeting of the Group of Seven in London was attended by the heads of the member governments and confirmed the plan to hold such meetings regularly. | 3 |
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| June |
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| The sixth assembly of the LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION was held in Tanzania. Bishop Josiah M. Kibira of Tanzania became the first African elected president of the federation. The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) dissolved itself; members agreed that it had outlived its usefulness as a cold war weapon. | 4 |
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| Sept |
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| Panama Canal Accords signed by the United States and Panama, arranging for Panama's eventual control of the canal and the Canal Zone. | 5 |
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| Nov |
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| The United States formally cancelled its membership in the International Labor Organization (ILO) because of the ILO's political positions. (The United States returned to the ILO in 1980.) A major Arab-Israeli peace initiative began when Egyptian president ANWAR SADAT traveled to Israel and addressed the Knesset. Active Egyptian-Israeli negotiations began following the address. Other Arab states opposed the Sadat initiative. | 6 |
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