1. Mr. President, I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The Group thanks the UNDP and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation for the draft Fourth Cooperation Framework for South-South Cooperation which is before us for consideration today. We also thank the director of the Unit for his comprehensive statement on this agenda item.

2. Mr. President, South-South Cooperation is at the heart of the Group of 77 and China. Recent discussions on international cooperation for development have focused increasingly on the growing importance of South-South Cooperation and on the increase in the volume and depth of interaction among countries of the South. Within this context, the Fourth Global Cooperation Framework for South-South Cooperation becomes highly important for greater development effectiveness and achievement of Internationally Agreed Development Goals, including the MDGs. The Group highlights the fact that South-South Cooperation cuts across much of the work of UNDP and the UN Development System as a whole.

3. Given the growing importance of South-South and triangular cooperation, the Group of 77 and China reaffirms that South-South Cooperation should not be a substitute or replacement for North-South Cooperation. Instead, support for South-South cooperation from the international system should be scaled-up alongside enhanced North-South cooperation, in a complimentary manner, if international development objectives are to be achieved.

4. In this regard, Mr. President, we thank the UNDP and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation for the work done and progress made in advancing technical and other forms of cooperation among countries of the South. When the Board met in the first regular session of this year and we approved the one-year extension of the Third Cooperation Framework, the Group highlighted the findings and recommendations of the report on the Evaluation of UNDP's Contribution to South-South Cooperation. The Group is pleased to see that the Special Unit and UNDP have focused on implementing the recommendations contained in the Evaluation of UNDP's Contribution to South-South Cooperation in the draft framework that is before us for consideration.

5. The Group also welcomes the results-oriented format of the Fourth Global Cooperation Framework, detailing planned outcomes, outputs and indicators, and focusing on UNDP's capacity to support South-South Cooperation, triangular cooperation, as well as the mainstreaming of South-South Development approaches at the country, regional and global levels, in line with comments the Group made on this agenda item at the First Regular Session of the Board in January. The emphasis on both institutional and development results, which is reflected in the Annex of the draft, will facilitate monitoring, evaluating and reporting on implementation of the framework.

6. We also note that the draft of the Fourth Cooperation Framework before us is guided by the 2007 TCPR, the findings and recommendations of the evaluation on UNDP's contribution to South-South Cooperation, and other relevant inter-governmentally agreed decisions and resolutions of the General Assembly during the Sixty-Second Session. We welcome this, and we would also encourage further guidance by the revised UNDP Strategic Plan 2008-2011 and its development results and institutional results framework.

7. Mr. President we would also like to take this opportunity to commend the efforts of the Unit in consolidating its three multilateral SSC support platform during the third cooperation framework, which laid a solid foundation on which to build for the Fourth Framework. We welcome the strategic elements of the draft, as well as the focus areas of policy development and advocacy; knowledge mobilization and mutual learning; and innovation.

8. Mr. President looking ahead to the implementation of this framework throughout the three-year period beginning 2009, we hope that UNDP will be able to develop a robust and proactive approach to South-South Cooperation, and leverage the strength of the UN System, given its collective strengths and capacities, to enhance the overall contribution of South-South Cooperation to achieving the IADGs.

9. Further, throughout implementation of the Framework, the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation UN-wide focal point role should be preserved and its capacity meaningfully strengthened to enable it to perform such a broad function.

10. Mr. President, given the growing importance of South-South Cooperation to development, the Group of 77 and China urges donor countries and all countries in a position to do so to provide financial support to the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and to enhance the capacity of UNDP in carrying out its mandate on South-South Cooperation. Such support will be needed for an effective implementation of the Fourth Cooperation Framework and to allow for the organization to effectively respond to changing dynamics and challenges of international development cooperation.

11. In conclusion Mr. President, we take this opportunity to reiterate the importance we attach to South-South Cooperation in advancing development and to enhancing the capacity of UNDP and the Special Unit to achieve progress on implementing their mandates on South-South Cooperation at all levels, including through the Fourth Cooperation Framework.

Thank you Mr. President.