Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at this meeting of the Fifth Committee during the first part of the resumed 62nd Session of the General Assembly.  

2. The Group of 77 and China wishes to reiterate its appreciation and support for you Mr. Chairman and other members of the Bureau  for the work you are doing  to ensure a smooth functioning of the Committee.  We wish to assure you of our continued cooperation and support during the session.

3. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the newly elected Chair of the ACABQ.  

4. With regard to specific items on the programme of work, the Group of 77 and China notes the introduction of the report on strengthening the Department of Political Affairs to the Fifth Committee. In this regard, the Group wishes to state that we are working with the Non-Aligned Movement in the framework of the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) in order to avoid that the political aspects of this report delay the consideration of its administrative and budgetary aspects by this Committee. We hope that our concerns will be taken into account by the Secretary-General.  

5.  With respect to the status of documentation, it is with deep concern, once again, that some documents are still issued late, or unavailable.  This problem, which unfortunately is a recurring one, could have adverse effect on the smooth functioning of the Committee. The Group of 77  hopes  that the Bureau will continue to engage with the Secretariat to ensure that the remaining reports for the present session would be issued and be available on time  for the future sessions .   

6. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China would like to reiterate its assurance of its full cooperation and look forward to a close and constructive engagement with our partners during this session  and wish you the very best for a successful  session.

        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.