2. The Group of 77 and China wishes to thank all briefers for introducing their respective reports and congratulate Mr. Sudhir Rajkumar for his appointment as the Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund effective 1 January 2018. The Group assures Mr. Rajkumar that it will work in collaboration with all relevant parties to ensure fair and competent management of the Fund for the benefit of its members.

Madame Chair,

3. The Group of 77 and China recalls that the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund was established by the General Assembly in 1949 to provide retirement, death, disability and related benefits for staff members of the United Nations and other organisations, as may be admitted to membership. The Group reaffirms the prerogative of the General Assembly, upon proper consultations, on matters pertaining to the Fund in line with its mandate.

Madame Chair,

4. The Group notes with serious concern the continued delay in the receipt of payment by some retirees and beneficiaries of the Fund, even though this issue was flagged out in previous years. The Group notes that there were 5,537 actionable cases not processed, or more than one-third, out of a total of 15,125. The Group also notes that there are many cases, actionable and non-actionable, that have been outstanding for many years. While acknowledging that some progress has been made, the Group once again urges the Fund to exert all efforts to reduce the backlog of cases, and in cooperation with the participating entities of the Pension Fund, to address the causes of delay in the payment of benefits, which put retirees and other rightful beneficiaries in stressful and vulnerable situations. The Group looks forward to further discussing these issues in the informal sessions of the Fifth Committee.

5. The efficiency of processing cases can be enhanced with a well-functioning Integrated Pension Administration System (IPAS). In this regard, the Group urges the Fund to make progress in implementing the recommendations of the Board of Auditors to enhance IPAS. For more accurate and timely submission of information, the Group also welcomes the recommendation of the Board of Auditors, with the concurrence of the ACABQ, to implement an electronic signature verification system.

Madame Chair,

6. The sustainability of the fund is important to both the beneficiaries and Member States because of potential financial implications. The Group notes with strong interest that the latest actuarial valuation of the Fund, as at 31 December 2017 revealed a deficit of $184.3 million. A first in recent years. The Group therefore reaffirms the importance of being vigilant on the fund's ability to generate a return adequate to cover its liabilities, notably to achieve its investment target of 3.5%. The expenses incurred by the Board and Fund in managing the investments and liabilities, as well as disbursement of benefits, are also an important component of sustainability, and this should be watched carefully and benchmarked to credible international comparators.

7. Turning to the Fund's investing activities, the Group notes the that the Fund had an annualised real return of 9.4 percent during the biennium 2016-2017, which met and exceeded the annual real rate of return target of 3.5 percent. Nonetheless, cognizant of the volatile market conditions of the global capital markets, the Group urges the Secretary-General, through his Representative and officers responsible for the investments of the fund's assets, to constantly exercise their fiduciary responsibility over these assets. Specifically, the Group intends to find out in the forthcoming informal consultations more information on the fund's investment holdings in line with its four main criteria of safety, profitability, liquidity, and convertibility. The Group looks forward to further discussions on the investment performance of the fund compared to benchmarks and after adjusting for risks taken.

8. The Group also recalled in the General Assembly's resolution 72/262 that the Secretary-General requested the Fund to continue diversifying its investments between developed, and developing and emerging markets, where it serves the interests of the participants and beneficiaries.

9. The Group stresses once again the importance for the Fund and the member organisations to implement all recommendations made by the Board of Auditors in a timely manner, and to continue to provide detailed annual updates to explain any delay.

Madame Chair,

10. The Group would like to express its appreciation for the audit performed by OIOS on the governance structure and related processes of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board, as contained in document A/73/341. The timing of the OIOS audit, which was conducted at the request of the General Assembly, has produced some useful and far reaching recommendations that the Board had also agreed with. These are appropriate for the Assembly to consider, as they would substantially strengthen the Pension Board's governance. The Group of 77 and China look forward to discussing ways to address these issues in the ensuing informal consultations.

Madame Chair,

11. In conclusion, the Group wishes to assure you of its readiness to engage constructively on this important agenda item to improve the outcomes of the Fund, which ultimately benefit all UN staff.

I thank you.

2. At the outset, the Group would like to thank Mr. Christian Saunders, Assistant Secretary - General, Office of Central Support Services, for introducing the Sixteenth annual progress report of the Secretary-General on the Capital Master Plan contained in document (A/73/317). I would also like to thank Ms. Parama Sen, Director of External Audit (India) and Chair of the Audit Operations Committee, Board of Auditors and Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing their respective related reports.

Madame Chair,

3. The Group of 77 and China continues to support efforts to modernize and improve the operating efficiency of all facilities across the United Nations system. Keeping in mind the ongoing and the planned construction projects with respect to UN facilities, The Group believes it is crucial to draw lessons from construction projects that have been implemented particularly the Capital Master Plan which is indeed the largest and most comprehensive construction and renovation project undertaken by the United Nations and therefor a case in point in this regard. It is important to ensure that lessons learned and best practices of the CMP provide guidance to the implementation plans of other capital projects and to make best use of the resources available the Organization.

4. The Group attaches great importance to the issue of accessibility and takes note of the the survey conducted in this regard. We commend the progress achieved in addressing gaps with respect thereto, and the improvements made especially in the GA Hall. We look forward in this regard to examining the accessibility review of the Headquarters premises.

5. With respect to efficiencies, we note that despite energy savings remain in the set target of 50%, there is a measurable decrease thereof between 2016 and 2017. We appreciate the operationalization of the Energy Dashboard and Reporting Tool (EDART) that can be used to monitor energy consumption at the individual floor or building level. We look forward for the full utilization of these new tools to further reduce energy consumption wherever possible.

Madame Chair,

7. We believe that with a project with such a tremendous cost, putting efficient and effective maintenance mechanism in place is imperative. We take note in this regard of the implementation of Umoja preventive maintenance module and the challenges in data collection the secretariat met in this regard and will seek clarification with respect to the impact thereof on the administration's ability to take informed preventive measures.

8. The Group further notes the progress made with respect to the administrative closeout of the project, and will be interested in the ensuing informal consultations to better understand the background of the arbitration notices filed by the main contractor against the United Nations seeking indemnification and the financial implications thereof in case the claims against the United Nations are upheld on the final project cost.

9. The Group takes note with appreciation of the report of the Board of Auditors. We commend the secretariat for its commitment to fully implement them. We will be interested during our ensuing informal consultations to get a comprehensive update on the status of implementation of different recommendations.

10. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China wishes to assure you - Madame Chair- of constructive engagement on this important agenda item during informal consultations, with a view to conclude it in a timely manner.

I thank you.

2. At the outset, the Group would like to thank Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Acting Controller, Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, for introducing the report of the Secretary-General as contained in document A/73/400, as well as Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing the related report of the Advisory Committee as contained in document A/73/478.

Madame Chair,

3. The Group continues to attach great importance to ensuring adequately resourcing mandates approved by intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations. It is essential to provide the Organization with the necessary level of financial and human resources to enable it to deliver on its mandates as expected by Member States.

4. The Group of 77 and China notes that the budgetary impact related to the Economic and Social Council resolution 2018/19, entitled "Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti", and United Nations Forum on Forests resolution 13/1 on the outcome of the thirteenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests is being accommodated within the approved budget level for 2018-2019 whereas the budgetary impact for the budget years 2020 and 2021, would be accommodated within the overall resources that would be made available in the context of these budgets.

5. The Group welcomes with respect to the Council's resolution 2018/23 the new Strategic direction for the ECA, which will contribute to advancing the position of the commission as a premier knowledge institution on the continent, and will enable it to better develop macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation. It will also better equip the Commission to contribute solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, and to design and implement innovative financing models for infrastructure, human, physical and social assets for transforming Africa.

6. The Group notes that the budgetary impact of those changes is within the overall approved budget level for 2018-2019 and emphasizes the importance of supporting the efforts of repositioning the Commission to effectively support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as well as Agenda 2063 of the African Union.

Madame Chair,

7. In conclusion, the Group assures you of our continued commitment to participate actively and constructively in the consultations on this important agenda item.

I thank you.