Mr. President,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. At the outset, since this is going to be the last meeting of the Economic and Social Council that you will be chairing, allow us to praise for your work as President of this Council, for your dedication and your wisdom in conducting the negotiations, along with your team, on several issues that were not always easy to solve, namely the 2013 Ministerial Declaration. We thank you for your efforts.

3. Mr. President, regarding the issue of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and its theme, I have received the mandate to express the following: We, as G77 + China, acknowledge that this is a transitional time, from the Annuam Ministerial Review (AMR) to the HLPF, and that this is the context in which we have to see the issue we are debating today. We, as all the member states of the UN, want to have a seamless transition, from now on to 2016.

4. We recall that the mandate of the AMR and of the HLPF are different. They can be complementary, but different. We stress the capital importance of the HLPF and its role in sustainable development. It is our earnest desire to strengthen the ECOSOC and ensure that it plays a central role in the implementation of sustainable development agenda. In this context, we as G77 + China wish for a strong outcome of the HLPF, agreed in accordance with what is already established in resolutions 61/16, 67/290 and 68/1.

5. We want to repeat that the G77 + China doesn't want the theme to prejudge the discussions, nor the modalities and, of course, the outcome. In this regard, we want to ask you to give more time to discuss both the theme and the outcome of these two processes. We are ready to look at these issues in a creative manner and with open mindedness.

6. The Group of 77 plus China attaches great importance to all the issues related to development, the very reason of the creation of this Group. That's why we insist in having more time to discuss, among the Group and with the partners, both the theme and the outcome.

7. Finally, Mr. President, let me stress that the G77 + China will engage as actively and creatively as possible to ensure that the outcome of the HLPF and its preparatory process reflects the needs and wishes of the developing states.

I thank you, Mr. President.