REMARKS ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY H.E. MR. VIRACHAI PLASAI, AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND TO THE UNITED NATIONS, CHAIR OF THE GROUP OF 77, AT THE INFORMAL MEETING FOR AN EXCHANGE OF VIEWS ON THE ADVANCED UNEDITED VERSION OF THE REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE FOLLOW-UP AND REVIEW OF THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (New York, 5 February 2016)

Mr. Chairman,

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

I would like to express the Group's appreciation for this informal meeting to exchange views on the advanced unedited version of the Report of the Secretary-General on Critical Milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level. Today's meeting reaffirms the presidency's priority and commitment in promoting early action and timely implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Group of 77 and China commends the Secretary-General for the Report. In our view, the Report fulfills the mandate tasked by paragraph 90 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this regard, we are of the view that the Report is a good basis for discussion on the architecture of the follow-up and review framework at the global level.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China firmly believes that it is through 'follow-up and review' that the United Nations will be in a position to assess progress in the implementation of the ambitious global agenda, ensuring that its overall objectives of poverty eradication and achieving sustainable development are duly attained.

We wish to respond to your invitation to exchange views on the Report and how best to move forward as follows:

First, the Report contains valid elements which could shape a voluntary follow-up and review framework at the global level.

We are pleased that the Report addresses critical points, including the high-level political forum (HLPF) on sustainable development as the central follow-up and review platform the national level as the lynchpin of follow-up and review of implementing the SDGs, the integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs, the emphasis on all 17 SDGs and 169 targets in a balanced and integrated manner as well as a special emphasis on Goal 17 and Means of Implementation (MoI)-specific targets, the preclusion of any single institution or forum from claiming exclusive ownership of or responsibility for the review of a specific goal, and the review of how the UN system performs on supporting Member States in implementing the 2030 Agenda. These points are valid and constitute a good basis for discussion and exchange of views.

Second, there are, however, elements in the Report which require further development.

We wish to emphasize that issues such as the proposed peer reviews, summary of the President of the ECOSOC, and the nature of participation by stakeholders require further explanation. There is also inadequate emphasis on the challenges faced by developing countries in achieving sustainable development, the priority that should accordingly be given to developing countries, and the interlinkages of the 17 goals including the MoIs. In addition, on the issue of clustering the goals for the thematic review of the HLPF, we have not discussed this issue among member states. The Group considers it essential to protect the indivisible nature of the SDGs, thus, the proposed thematic review of the HLPF should not lower the ambition of the Agenda.

The two aforementioned points lead to our third and final point. As a Way Forward, we believe it is crucial to address the issue of coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level in a more structured and inclusive discussion. We are of the view that the outcome of the discussion can take the form of a United Nations General Assembly resolution.

In this regard, the Group of 77 and China proposes to establish a proper intergovernmental process for Member States to discuss the operationalization of the follow-up and review framework at the earliest opportunity. The objective of the Group's proposal is to further structure the follow-up and review process in its various layers in order to ensure that the United Nations Development System is supporting Member States in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In this process, we will be building upon what was defined in the 2030 Agenda and Resolutions 67/290 and 68/11. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China stands ready to participate in the process in a constructive manner.

Mr. Chairman,

In conclusion, we reiterate that follow-up and review of progress should be central in the implementation of all the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and environmental fields, as well as their respective Means of Implementation. This commitment will help deepen cooperation and coordination within the United Nations system on sustainable development programmes and policies, and promote the sharing of lessons learnt among nations in the pursuit of poverty eradication and sustainable development.

I thank you.