Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 134: Programme Budget for the biennium 2014-2015.

2. The Group of 77 and China wishes to thank Mr. Stephen Cuts, Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, for introducing the Secretary-General's reports on progress in the implementation of the organizational resilience management system as well as progress in the implementation of the recommendations from the after-action review of storm Sandy as contained in documents A/68/715 and A/68/732.

3. The Group also wishes to thank Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, for introducing the Advisory Committee's related report contained in document A/68/780.

Mr. Chairman,

4. With regard to the progress in the implementation of the ORMS initiative, the Group of 77 and China welcomes the progress achieved thus far and looks forward to discussing details of a number of issues including the implementation of the next phases of the initiative.

5. Our group will be interested to study in detail the appropriate mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of ORMS in emergency situations and whether it offers the degree of protection expected. We will also be interested in learning more about how lessons learned are incorporated into areas that might require improvement.

6. The Group of 77 and China has taken note with concern the lack of a detailed accounting of the full cost of the initiative as requested by resolution 67/254. We will be interested to learn the details of the full cost of the initiative during informal consultations.

7. The Group will also be keen to learn more about the training and governance aspects, as well as performance indicators for the implementation of the initiative. We will be interested to find out how other stakeholders have been incorporated in the initiative as well as the possible cost sharing arrangements with other actors.

Mr. Chairman,

8. Turning to the progress on the implementation of the storm Sandy after action review recommendations, the Group of 77 and China has taken note of the information provided on the steps taken in preparation for the arrival of the storm, the impact of storm Sandy on the Organization's Headquarters in New York, the actions taken thus far to address the main recommendations of the after action review, the status of physical infrastructure remediation and mitigation activities and risk mitigation through the insurance market.

9. The Group of 77 and China has also taken note of the information related to impact on UN Headquarters' technology centers and communications; status of physical infrastructure remediation and mitigation activities; emergency operations center as well as flood insurance coverage. The group will be interested to learn the details of each of these elements during informal consultations.

Mr. Chairman,

10. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China would like to reaffirm its commitment to engaging constructively in the Committee's discussions on this important agenda item.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.