Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 58(a-b): Operational Activities for Development.  We would like to thank the Secretary-General for his various reports submitted under this important agenda item, which provide a good basis for our deliberations and our work in the Second Committee.

The Group of 77 and China reaffirms the importance of the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review TCPR of operational activities. The General Assembly Resolution 62/208 gives guidance to the UN System on operational activities. In this regard, the General Assembly establishes key system wide policy orientation for the development cooperation and country-level modalities of the UN system, including the UNDP. We would like to note TCPR guidance as follows:

- The operational activities should be carried out for the benefit of recipient countries, at the request of those countries and in accordance with their own policies and priorities for development.
- The fundamental characteristics of the UN operational activities for development must remain, inter alia, the universal, voluntary and grant nature, the neutrality and the multilateralism, as well as the ability to respond to the development needs of program countries in a flexible manner.
- Recognition of national leadership and ownership of development strategies should be a guiding principle of the UN operational activities at the country level. The entire UN system as well as the BWIs and bilateral donors should recognize the ownership of the concerned developing countries, align their cooperation programmes with the national development strategies and also harmonize their individual cooperation programmes to make the optimum contribution to the realization of national development strategies. The UN development system should continue to support development efforts of developing countries principally by assisting in the implementation of nationally determined development plans, strategies and priorities.
- The guiding principle of the UN operational activities should provide more effectiveness and efficiency in delivery. The savings acquired as a result of the streamlining resulting from any system wide coherence exercise should be re-channeled into the development cluster of the UN, and not to be directed into other activities beyond that context.
- There should be no restrictions on the ability and sovereignty of national governments to determine their own development priorities or select their development partners, as well as the type of relation with the UN development entities they wish to establish at the country level.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group recognizes the efforts by the UN system to promote development assistance for developing countries and identify obstacles to achieve the predictability of funding, as well as to promote an appropriate balance between core and non-core contributions. We have concerns that there is no significant improvement regarding the adequacy and predictability of funding for operational activities. This situation is now compounded by a number of new challenges, such as the economic and financial crisis, food crisis and climate change. We urge the Secretary-General to continue to enhance efforts to address the imbalance between core and none- core contributions.

Mr. Chairman,

Most donors are not on track to meet commitments to increase ODA. We note with concern that, since the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in 2005 at which donors pledged to increase aid to $130 billion by 2010, ODA has increased at only half the rate required to meet this target. Without significant increase in the level of ODA for operational activities in support of development goals, the international community will fail at accomplishing fundamental goals and objectives that are common to humanity. The Group insures that, through further implementation of 62/208, there will be significant improvements on funding of operational activities.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China takes this opportunity to again underscore the importance of South-South cooperation for development, within the context of operational activities for development. We greatly value South-South cooperation and look forward to a successful outcome of the Conference to be held from 1 to 3 December 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya, to mark the 30th anniversary of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for promoting and implementing technical cooperation among developing countries. This will provide a major opportunity to comprehensively review and renew efforts to enhance and support South-South Cooperation for development.

We would like to stress on the G-77 conceptual framework and principles of South-South cooperation contained in the "Yamoussoukro Consensus" and reaffirmed by the Thirty-third Annual Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 held at UN Headquarters in New York on 25 September 2009.

Finally, the Group wishes to reiterate its commitment and support in this process and to continue to work towards the successful outcome of the High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation and to engage in a constructive dialogue with all our partners.

Thank you.