Mr. Vice President,

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

2. The Group of 77 and China would like to thank Your Excellency, Ambassador Alejendro Palma Cerna of Honduras, Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, for your kind briefing on this important topic.

Mr. Vice-President,

3. We would like to reaffirm that the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the United Nations Development System, in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is of unparalleled importance to the Group of 77 and China. We value these continued sessions of the ECOSOC Dialogue as it provides an opportunity for Member States to continue exchanging ideas on this important topic, the outcomes of which will be considered at the upcoming QCPR 2016. Therefore, the Group of 77 and China wishes to assure you of our constructive engagement in this process.

Mr. Vice-President,

4. The Group of 77 and China would like to share our views on this process as follows:

5. First, we have taken note of the updated roadmap for the second phase of the Dialogue. However, we would like to reiterate that it is crucial to have an open and inclusive consultation process that allows all Member States to take part and express their views during the Dialogue with the UN entities and that sufficient opportunities for informal exchange be provided among Member States and observer states at the technical level and with the Independent Advisory Group. In this regard, we request the attendance to retreats to not be limited to PR level, given the very detailed and technical nature of discussions that should result in concrete proposals for the next QCPR.

6. Second, we concur that there is an urgent need for a reinvigorated UN Development System, after the adoption of outcomes of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, which set a new landscape for development agendas.

7. In this regard, we wish to recall that the UN Development System has been explicitly called upon in the QCPR 2012-2016, to give eradication of poverty the "highest priority" and that it should continue to be a core focus area for the United Nations Development System. Therefore, all UN development programmes and projects should attempt to address this greatest global challenge as their overarching objective.

8. We wish to also reiterate the need to address the multi-dimensional aspects of the eradication of poverty. We urge all stakeholders to ensure that in the 2016 QCPR, we have a common understanding of all dimensions of poverty that would be applied across the UN Development System and also the need to develop appropriate methods for the measurement of poverty.

9. Third, as for the scope of the Dialogue, we reiterate that the Dialogue in this phase should be limited to the six areas which are the outcomes of the first phase.

10. Fourth, the Group attaches high importance to enhancing coherence and integrated support in the UN Development System as per paragraph 88 of the 2030 Agenda. This requires new impetus for the capacity of the Council to further promote policy cooperation among Member States, as well as coordination of the work of the UN development system. To ensure such requests can be effectively operationalized, we ask the ECOSOC to undertake a comprehensive mapping exercise to assess the existing functions vis-à-vis the mandates of the various arms and legs of the UN Development System.

11. Fifth, we took note of the appointment of the Independent Advisory Group and that, according to their terms of reference (TOR), they would report to the ECOSOC Bureau and not to the wider membership. We trust that the Bureau will give clear guidance to the Independent Advisory Group in order to work in accordance with the mandate under Resolution 2014/14. We take note with appreciation that the documents to be produced by the Independent Advisory Group be made available to Member States at least two weeks before meetings take place, in order to allow sufficient time for preparations and reactions thereto, which will assist in providing timely and opportune inputs during deliberations of the Dialogues.

Mr. Vice-President,

12. The Group of 77 and China would like to see a strengthened role for the UN operational activities for development and its capacity to assist developing countries in achieving their development goals. This will require continued improvement in effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact, along with a significant increase in resources.

13. We wish to reiterate that the process should never be a one way discourse but a two-way dialogue. It is important that the Dialogue takes into account Member States' needs and concerns. The Group of 77 and China assures you of its commitment to play a constructive role throughout this important process.

I thank you.