1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the G77 and China.

2. Allow me first to congratulate you and the members of the Bureau on your election to guide the work of this important Committee during the 67th session of the General Assembly. The Group of 77 and China is confident that through your wise leadership, our deliberations and negotiations will be fruitful. You have our full support.

Mr. Chairman,

3. It is always important to remind that several common problems continue to affect the sincere efforts of the majority of developing countries in the path of development. The problems of extreme poverty, food insecurity and the global food crisis, high levels of unemployment, external debt burden, insufficient financial aid, the high negative consequences of the world financial and economic crisis and many other factors are such barriers that threaten not only the capacity of our countries to effectively complete economic and social growth but also the attainment of the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

4. The ongoing world financial crisis has numerous adverse impacts on our countries and affects our economies deeply. In this context, we strongly stress on the urgent need for an effective response to the current economic crisis that is not over and the recovery is uneven and uncertain. This requires timely implementation of existing aid commitments by developed countries. We, also, emphasize that such a crisis should not be used under any circumstances as an excuse to slow down or not fulfill the obligations and commitments of the developed partners towards the developing countries including commitments related to international development assistance.

5. The G77 and China regrets that in spite of the ongoing world financial and economic crisis, the UNGA has been unable even to address the question of the follow up of the issues contained in the Outcome Document of the 2009 Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development, including the decision on the possible establishment of an ad hoc panel of experts on the above mentioned crisis.

6. The G-77 expresses its deep concern over the lack of fulfillment of ODA commitments from many development partners. The group would like to reaffirm that Official Development Assistance (ODA) remains essential as a catalyst for development, facilitating the achievement of national development objectives, including the MDGs

Mr. Chairman,

7. The G77 and China, has a firm belief that the United Nations is the only global body with universal membership and unquestioned legitimacy and is therefore well positioned to address global economic governance with the objective of reaching sustainable and socially balanced economic development. We must commit to the UN processes, to multilateralism and its underlying values. The achievement of balanced global growth will require close coordination of macroeconomic policy decisions with other areas of global governance, including those related to the multilateral trading system, aid architecture, external debt, poverty eradication and sustainable development, including climate changes.
  
8. The Group of 77 and China, takes note of the recent developments in the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs), and calls to engage in a much more ambitious reform process of the governance structure of those Institutions. We call for further reforms on voice, participation and enhanced voting power of developing countries based on an approach that truly reflects its development mandate and with the involvement of all shareholders in an equitable, transparent, consultative and inclusive process. In this regard, the Ministers called on the UNGA to launch a process to reform the international financial and monetary system.

Mr. Chairman,

9. Our Group takes note of the outcome of UNCTAD XIII held in Doha, Qatar, from 21 to 26 April 2012, which reaffirmed the core mandate of UNCTAD defined in the Accra Accord, and confirmed the organization role as the focal point for an integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development, while enhancing synergies and complementarities with other UN and international organizations.

10. The Group holds the view that discussions on any post-2015 development framework should start with an analysis of the present MDG agenda and its underlying approach, as well as assessment of what has worked and not worked. This process should focus on the major reasons hindering the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals including the MDG's. Any development framework for post-2015 must be intergovernmental, and takes into account how the context for development has changed since the MDG's were agreed. It will need to consider patterns of inequalities between countries as well as trends relating to technology transfer, demography, capacity building urbanization, and migration, among others.
 
Mr. Chairman,

11. With regard to the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review of the United Nations Operational Activities, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to engage in a constructively manner in the coming process in order to assure an ambitious and successful outcome that recognizes the needs and priorities of developing countries.

12. The fundamental characteristics of the UN operational activities for development must remain, among others, the universal nature, the neutrality and the multilateralism, as well as their ability to respond to the development needs of developing countries in accordance with their own national policies and national priorities for development.

13. We reaffirm that the quantity, quality and predictability of development assistance from the UN System constitute a central priority for developing countries. The growing imbalance between core and non-core resources for operational activities; the unpredictability; the fragmentation; the increase transaction costs and the subsidization; the modalities of implementation in the field, the improvement of the Resident Coordinator System; the streamlining of the programming instruments at country level and the enhancing of the functioning of the United Nations Development System must be addressed, through this Quadrennial Policy Review, in a timely and effective manner.

14. We reiterate our position that South-South cooperation is a complement to, rather than substitute for, North-South cooperation. We emphasize that South-South cooperation deserves its own separate and independent promotion as reaffirmed in the Nairobi Outcome Document of the United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2009.

15. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the decision 17/1 of the High Level Committee on South-South Cooperation, particularly the renaming the former Special Unit by the current denomination of United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, and in that regard, the Group calls for strengthening this Office by providing human, financial and technical resources.

Mr. Chairman,

16. The G77 and China calls for an integrated and more systemic approach towards sustainable development and looks forward to place this call high on the agenda of Second Committee. In this context, the Group welcomes the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development UNCSD, "The future we want", which reaffirmed that poverty eradication is the greatest global challenge today and renewed essential commitments and fundamental principles in particular the principle of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities as set out in the Rio 1992 Declaration, and provided new direction for sustainable development.

17. The Group calls upon the General Assembly to successfully and expeditiously launch the follow-up processes agreed on in the UNCSD, by ensuring a balanced representation of developing countries, effective and full implementation of the outcomes of the conference, including effective institutional frameworks for sustainable development at all levels, as well as the provision of adequate means of implementation to developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

18. The Group recalls once again that climate change is one of the most serious global challenges we are facing. We underline the fact that developing countries continue to suffer the most from the adverse impacts of climate change, and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Climate change threatens not only the development prospects and the achievement of sustainable development, but also the very existence and survival of countries and societies.

19. In this regard, the G77 and China looks forward for a successful and comprehensive outcome at the COP 18/ CMP 8, and stresses the importance of the full implementation of the delicate package endorsed in COP17/CMP 7 in Durban in all its aspects, including the achievement of a quality legal second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, the successful conclusion of the work of the AWGLCA, in line with the Bali Action Plan and the substantive progress made in the Cancun and Durban decisions, including the issues of adaptation, mitigation, finance, technology and capacity building. The Group considers that progress in the Durban Platform is critical for taking the Convention forward. However, work must ensure a strong linkage between mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation, in a balanced manner, as is reflected in the Convention.

Mr. Chairman,

20. Desertification, land degradation, drought, dust and sand storm also represent a serious concern for developing countries. International action is urgently required to address these challenges. The Group attaches great importance to the UNCCD because desertification, land degradation, and drought corrode the three pillars of sustainable development.

21. The G77 expresses the need to renew the commitment made at the UNCSD to strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development, and urges member states to take urgent action to reverse desertification, land-degradation and drought, as appropriate, with the assistance of the United Nations system, relevant regional and international organizations, multilateral agencies, major groups, and other stake holders, taking into account national priorities, circumstances and development strategies.

22. The G77 reaffirms the intrinsic value of biological diversity, as well as the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic values of biological diversity and its critical role in sustainable development and human well-being. The Group looks forward to a successful outcome of the COP 11 of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in Hyderabad, India in October 2012.

Mr. Chairman,

23. The G77 calls for enhanced efforts to assist Small Islands Developing States in implementing the Barbados Programme of Action and the MSI. The Group also calls for the UN System to support SIDS in keeping with the ongoing emerging challenges faced by SIDS in achieving sustainable development, and for the convening of the Third International Conference for Sustainable Development of SIDS in 2014.

24. The G77 and China stresses on the special vulnerabilities, structural handicaps and needs of the least developed countries, particularly in the face of new and emerging challenges. The least developed countries are lagging behind in their development endeavors, including meeting many of the MDG targets. We call for full, timely and effective integration and implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020 with the aim of enabling at least half of the least developed countries to meet graduation criteria by 2020 through a renewed and strengthened partnership for development.

25. The G77 emphasizes the special needs of and challenges faced by the landlocked developing countries and the concern that their economies remain very vulnerable to external shocks. The Group stresses the need for the international community to enhance development assistance to LLDCs to help them overcome their vulnerabilities, build resilience and set themselves on a path of sustainable development. We calls upon the UN system and the international community to provide necessary support and actively contribute to the preparatory process and to a comprehensive ten-year review conference of the Almaty Programme of Action in 2014 as called for in the GA Resolution.

26. The G77 reiterates that middle-income countries, are facing challenges and unachieved development agenda, including the MDGs, we therefore, call for enhanced international support for the development efforts of middle-income developing countries, including through technical assistance, the promotion of new partnerships and cooperation arrangements, including bilateral arrangements, the provision of resources, the transfer technology and the creation of capacity-building, while taking into account their national priorities and development policies.

Mr. Chairman,

27. The G77 and China will continue to call for the need to remove obstacles impeding peoples living under foreign occupation from achieving self-determination and their aspirations to sustainable development, as such circumstances continue to adversely affect their economic and social development and are incompatible with the dignity of the human person. Illegal actions committed under foreign occupation continue to cause socio-economic and humanitarian hardship, including destruction of properties, infrastructure and agricultural lands, which deliberately undermine development. Those actions must be brought to a complete halt in accordance with relevant provisions of the international humanitarian law.

28. Finally, Mr. Chairman, the Group of 77 and China is committed to work closely and constructively with you and with our partners in this 67th Session of the General Assembly.

Thank you.