Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

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

2. I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to you Mr. Chairman and other members of the Bureau on your election. The Group of 77 and China wishes to assure you of its full cooperation and support during the deliberations at this session.

3. The Group would also like to thank the Secretary-General for the reports submitted under agenda item 26, which will continue to stimulate our discussions.

Mr. Chairman,

4. Despite significant progress in various areas over the past years, much more needs to be done to achieve our mutual goals in the field of social development. The analysis contained in the report of the Secretary-General provides us with an overview of the discussions held by the Commission for Social Development during its fifty-second session on the priority theme of, 'promoting the empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all', as they remain a persistent global challenge.

5. The Group of 77 calls for synergy between empowerment policies on the one hand and the ongoing work on the social pillar of the Rio+20 Outcomes and developing the post - 2015 on the other.

6. The Group of 77 and China considers that an empowering approach calls for comprehensive strategies that go beyond group-specific approaches. It is important that we all develop comprehensive policy frameworks that adopt universal approaches, in order to empower and meet the needs and aspirations of all members of society.

7. Also, supportive national institutional structures and participatory mechanisms are required for empowering people. There is too much work to be done in order to improve or develop participatory mechanisms that promotes the engagement and active participation of all members of society in public life, and the United Nations System should be prepared to assist member States in this regard.

8. Nineteen years after the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, from March 1995, poverty is still a major challenge for all Governments and the United Nations system. Poverty eradication is one of the three core themes of the Copenhagen Declaration, and the group of 77 and China remains fully committed to the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the Summit, as well as to the further initiatives for social development adopted by the General Assembly, including the Millennium Development Goals.

9. In this context, the Group would like to underline that in 2015, will be the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit; and encourage that all Member States, relevant organization of the UN Development system and specialized agencies, Regional Commissions and other international organizations, as well as civil society and private sector organizations, promote and undertake activities during next year to support the appropriate celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit.

10. Despite the progress made since the World Summit for Social Development, much more needs to be done to achieve our mutual goals in the field of social development. In the view of the Group of 77 and China, poverty is a complex problem involving a set of economic as well as social development issues that cannot be solved automatically through economic growth only. We must place people at the centre of development, as recognized by the principles and goals of the Copenhagen Declaration and promote actions aimed at fostering inclusive growth and social protection.

11. In this context, the Group of 77 and China is deeply concerned about the constraints on our fight against poverty arisen from current global crises, in particular the world financial and economic crisis, the world food crisis and continuing food insecurity, the energy crisis and the challenge posed by climate change.

Mr. Chairman

12. We must be committed to fulfill our obligations in conformity with international law through taking further collective and concrete actions to remove all obstacles that are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person to the full realization of the rights of peoples to self determination, in particular those living under colonial and foreign occupation, which continue to adversely affect their economic and social development.
 
13. With all these challenges, the G77 and China underscores the crucial role of international cooperation, including south-south and triangular cooperation, in realizing the internationally agreed development goals and promoting the goals of social development. On this note, the Group stresses that the international community and development partners have an important role to play in collaborating with and supporting the developing countries in implementing their social development agenda.

Mr. Chairman

14. The fulfillment of the commitments by developed countries, both individual and collective is crucial and imperative. In this regard the Group calls for a more strengthened, coherent and integrated development approach, including the fulfillment of commitments on internationally agreed official development assistance, and the timely implementation of all commitments under the global partnership for development.

15. The G77 and China urges member states to ensure that the international trade agenda is harmonized to support measures targeted towards equalizing opportunities for access and participation in global markets and with other multilateral agreements in social development. We support the Enhanced Integrated Framework of the WTO to address the supply and trade related infrastructure and productive capacity constraints and the specific needs and priorities of developing countries.

Mr. Chairman

16. The Group of G77 and China welcomes the continued focus on youth and calls upon member states, the UN system and relevant stakeholders to fully implement the recommendations contained in the outcome document of the UN High-level Meeting on Youth held in 2011, which outlined 17 areas of action on youth issues, including specific measures for advancing inclusive job creation, skills development and vocational training designed for specific labour-market needs. Further, we acknowledge the celebration of the "BYND 2015 Global Youth Summit", in September 2013, as a contribution to the discussions on the post-2015 development agenda.

17. We are pleased to note that since the proclamation of the International Year of the Family in 1994, the international community has undertaken a range of activities and commitments in support of its objectives. The preparation for and observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2014 provides a useful opportunity to strengthen national family-centred policies and programmes and to share good practices, in the areas like family poverty eradication, work-family balance, intergenerational solidarity, social exclusion and domestic violence.

18. As population ageing continues, with its positive effects and its challenges, we must prepare to better respond to this new reality, including it in the context of our efforts to eradicate poverty. The implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action is key; we should look for the most appropriate ways and means of achieving the development, well-being and full enjoyment of all human rights of older persons taking into account the second review and appraisal of the implementation.

Mr. Chairman,

19. Following the practice of previous sessions, the G77 and China will submit under this agenda item the following four draft resolutions: 1) Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, 2) Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, 3) Preparations for and observance of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family and 4) Declaration of a "World Youth Day Skills". The Group looks forward to the valuable contributions and support of all member states.

20. In closing, the G77 and China looks forward to engaging in the discussions with partners with the aim of contributing to the achievement of our mutual goals in the field of social development.

Thank you.