Madame Administrator, Excellencies, Distinguished colleagues,

1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. At the outset please allow me to express my congratulations on behalf of the Group to you and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on this occasion of the 50th anniversary of the agency.

2. Today we have heard how UNDP had evolved since its inception in 1966. Fifty years had been a long way from being a provider of technical assistance to becoming a "trusted and strategic partner" for development, focusing on strengthening of national capacities not only for developing countries but also for development partners alike. This demonstrates the significant role UNDP has played and will continue to play in the post-2015 sustainable development era.

3. During the parallel break-out sessions, the Meeting also shared views on how we foresee and expect UNDP's role to be in the fields of poverty eradication, environment protection, building peaceful societies and building resilience. The growth in the expanse of UNDP's mandate and its work in the development activities of the UN development system, in particular in poverty eradication, reducing inequalities and sustaining development, have contributed greatly to social and economic development and environmental sustainability in developing countries and beyond. This is a testimony to all of us of the level of appreciation we have for the agency.

4. As we embark on our common journey towards 2030, the Group would like to reiterate that we must bear in mind the transformative, inclusive and integrated nature of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, as well as the overarching objective of eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty. In this regard, UNDP's core mandate to assist and support countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and exclusion must be aligned with the 2030 Agenda, so as to ensure its effective implementation and sustainable progress, taking into account national priorities and realities of developing countries.

Madame Administrator,

5. It goes without saying that this is both an opportune and a critical juncture in time, as we have to keep the commitments we made during the course of 2015, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Decision of the Twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Group is of the view that UNDP's work in sustainable development, humanitarian assistance and resilience building based on promises made must continue to be focused, result-oriented, efficient, effective and innovative and must cater to the diverse needs of and challenges faced by countries in special situations, in particular African countries, least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and countries under foreign occupation, as well as the specific challenges facing middle-income countries (MICs).

6. The Group of 77 and China looks forward to continuing engagement with UNDP in a constructive manner and wish you and the agency every success in future endeavours for the years ahead and beyond.

I thank you.