Mr. Facilitator,

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

Mr. Facilitator,

The Group views the contribution of the Global Sustainable Development Report as crucial to the work of the HLPF. The Report aims to strengthen the science-policy interface, supporting the deliberations of the HLPF, which provides political leadership and facilitates sustainable development implementation at the global level.

We wish to share our preliminary views on the scope and methodology of the GSDR as follows: First, the Report must focus not merely on "hard sciences" or the environmental aspect, but also put emphasis on "social sciences" addressing all three aspects of sustainable development.

It is important to acknowledge that while there are social science issues that should be included in the scope of the Report such as poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth, there are specific issues that are new in the 2030 Agenda which require adequate attention, for instance, sustainable consumption and production, infrastructure, inequality within and between countries, etc. The Report should be based on sound scientific evidence, yet should also be a practical report that identifies policy solutions and supports the work of the HLPF. The Report should focus on identifying opportunities and challenges/ obstacles to progress, as well as new and emerging issues in sustainable development, while taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities. In our view, the Report should provide policy-relevant advice.

There is a need for political independence and objectivity of the Report; the Report should be transparent and independent as much as possible. The Group is therefore of the view that the United Nations system has an important role in the preparation of the Report and we see the continuing role of DESA, especially since the United Nations has the academic resources, connections, and experiences which should be utilized. DESA could hold meetings with stakeholders and the Group would like to have a clearer picture of who the stakeholders are.

Legitimacy of the Report at the global level would require that the scientific organizations or the scientific advisory mechanisms involved are representative of the scientific community worldwide. Participation in science-policy processes that is open, inclusive and geographically balanced is indispensable for the legitimacy of the report as well as knowledge sharing/ transfer among scientists from developed and developing countries.

The selection of experts should ensure equitable geographical representation by taking into account not only their nationalities, but also their associations with academic and scientific institutions from different regions. In turn this approach would promote further engagement of such institutions in the follow-up and review not only at the GSDR/ HLPF level but also at the regional and national levels.

Fourth, the GSDR and the Secretary-General's annual SDG Progress Report contribute to the HLPF from different perspectives, complementing one another. The SDG Progress Report will have its findings on the implementation of the sustainable development goals based on the global indicators and other inputs from the UN Development System, as appropriate, and will be the basis to inform the work of the HLPF, whereas the GSDR will be more scientific and analytical, focused on the science-policy interface.

Mr. Facilitator,

These are our preliminary views. Please rest assured that the Group of 77 and China will engage in the consultation process for the GSDR in a constructive manner.

I thank you.