Mr. Chairman,

I have the honor to make this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on Item 24 a) Operational Activities for Development of the United Nations system and b) South-South cooperation for development.

The Group of 77 and China attaches high importance to operational activities for development, as these represent the efforts of the United Nations in implementing the policy mandates on development that the General Assembly give to the UN system.

The Group reiterates the need to see a strengthened role of the UN operational activities for development and its capacity to assist developing countries in achieving their development goals, which requires continued improvement in effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact, along with a significant increase in resources.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group believes that 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 their ability to respond to the development needs of programme countries in a flexible manner.

It is important that operational activities for development, in addressing the long-term development challenges, take into account the need to promote national capacity building in developing countries. For developing countries to address national priorities and achieve internationally agreed development goals, a continuous process of capacity building is required for the UN system to make a significant contribution.

Two years ago in December 2012, all of us collectively through the QCPR Resolution gave a unanimous mandate to the UN Development System giving the highest priority to eradication of poverty in all their programming activities. The Resolution specifically asked UN Funds and Programmes to undertake concrete steps in areas such as capacity-building, employment generation, education, vocational training, rural development and the mobilization of resources, which aim at achieving poverty eradication and promoting the active participation of those living in poverty in the design and implementation of such programmes and policies.

Two years later as we approach the end of 2014 and step into the 70th anniversary summit of the United Nations, is it not appropriate that the UN Development System informs us of the steps undertaken in this regard in the last two years?

The Group of 77 and all its 134 Member States need to know what concrete measures have been taken by the UN Development System since such an explicit mandate was given in the area of highest priority for the UN development system's operational activities.

With regards to Evaluation procedures, the Group is of the firm belief that they are a useful tool of course correction for UN entities, provided its findings and recommendations are taken seriously and steps implemented in compliance with their recommendations. It has been more than two years since UNDP' Evaluation of its contribution to poverty reduction gave its recommendations, but unfortunately nothing has been done so far to ensure compliance with the same.

In this regard, the Group is of the view that it is required to, at least, ensure compliances with the recommendations and results of evaluation reports made on the execution of the different programmes, otherwise the process of evaluation would amount to a redundant stock taking exercise.

Mr. Chairman,

We reaffirm the Nairobi outcome document of the High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, therefore recognize the importance and different history and particularities of South-South cooperation, and reaffirm our view of South-South cooperation is a manifestation of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South that contributes to their national well-being, their national and collective self-reliance and the attainment of internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

South-South cooperation and its agenda have to be set by countries of the South and should continue to be guided by the principles of respect for national sovereignty, national ownership and independence, equality, non-conditionality, non-interference in domestic affairs and mutual benefit.

We reaffirm the importance of strengthening South-South cooperation, especially in the current international economic environment, and reiterate our support for South-South cooperation as a strategy to sustain the development efforts of developing countries and as a means of enhancing their participation in the global economy.

Mr. Chairman,

We reiterate the position of the Group that South-South cooperation is a complement to, rather than a substitute for, North-South cooperation and reaffirm that South-South cooperation is a collective endeavor of developing countries based on the principle of solidarity and premises, conditions and objectives that are specific to the historic and political context of developing countries and to their needs and expectations, and that as such, South-South cooperation deserves its own separate and independent promotion, as reaffirmed in the Nairobi outcome document.

We stress that the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation of the General Assembly is the central multilateral policymaking body in the United Nations system to review and assess global and system-wide progress and support for South-South development cooperation, including triangular cooperation, and to provide overall guidance on future directions.

We support the integration of South-South and triangular cooperation in the policies and strategic framework of funds and programmes of the United Nations system, as well as its strengthening through the system-wide provision of additional resources, including through financial and human resources to the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation,

In this regard, we request the establishment of a more formalized and strengthened inter-agency mechanism for the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, with a view to encouraging joint support for South-South and triangular initiatives, as well as sharing information on development activities and results achieved by various funds, agencies and organizations in support of South-South and triangular cooperation.

I thank you.