STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MRS. CHULAMANEE CHARTSUWAN, AMBASSADOR AND DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE UNDP SEGMENT OF THE ANNUAL SESSION 2016 OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF UNDP, UNFPA AND UNOPS (New York, 8 June 2016)

Mr. President,

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

2. At the outset, please allow me to express the appreciation on behalf of the Group to you for convening this very important session of the Executive Board. We count on your able leadership and support in ensuring that the views of the developing countries are taken on board in the deliberations during this session in particular with regard to the midterm review of the strategic plans of UNDP and UNFPA.

Mr. President,

3. The Group of 77 and China attach importance to the work of the United Nations Development Programme in supporting national efforts geared towards development and achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this regard, the midterm review of the strategic plans of UNDP and UNFPA during this annual session of the Executive Board comes at a crucial point in time. In going forward, in deliberating on the progresses and achievements made we will have to also clearly identify the challenges and bottlenecks in the implementation of the strategic plans during the next two years bearing in mind the significances of and implications from the commitments we made in 2015 as well as the paradigm shift in the global development landscape including those relating to development financing, disaster risk reduction and climate change. In addition, we must also bear in mind implications to the work and activities of the funds and programmes following the upcoming deliberations and negotiations of the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) during the Seventy-first Session of the General Assembly.

4. In the context of the midterm review, the Group is of the view that among all UN funds, programmes and agencies, UNDP is unique as it enjoys a broader mandate while others remain focused on their respective specific issues. We firmly believe that UNDP should adapt to these new parameters. It is of the utmost importance for the Group to raise these issues as UNDP, like all other entities of the United Nations Development System, has been requested by the General Assembly and ECOSOC, to ensure consistency and alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular in the context of midterm review, and focus their efforts and prioritize the main issues in which each agency has added value and strengthened capacities.

Mr. President,

5. The Group takes note of the report of the UNDP Administrator which includes the midterm review of the UNDP Strategic Plan, 2014-2017. The report took note of the challenges Member States still face such as economic uncertainty, entrenched inequality and deprivation, demographic shifts, rising climate and disaster risks, large-scale displacement and increasingly protracted crises, among other, amidst progress made towards eradicating extreme poverty. It is crucial that the work of UNDP, as well as other funds and programmes within their respective mandates, take into account those cross-cutting challenges to support efforts of Member States in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda while strengthening their own institutional capacities.

6. In addition, we would like to touch upon several issues specified in the report as follows:

6.1 The Group would like to reiterate that eradication of poverty remains the top priority of the Strategic Plan. We appreciate the progress made by UNDP in implementing the Strategic Plan with the vision of eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities and exclusion. At the same time, we take note that some outcomes in particular Outcome 1 involving inclusive growth missed their expected milestones. Further efforts to fill the gaps in these areas are required.

6.2 Addressing climate change remains a crucial challenge for many developing countries. While the outcome involving risk reduction and early recovery met or exceeded the milestones as indicated in the report, further support to developing countries on climate change in a more comprehensive manner in areas such as air quality protection and renewable energy is required.

6.3 The Group remains concerned about the growing imbalance between core and non-core resources. As previously raised by the Group in many preceding occasions, the developed countries continued prioritization of non-core resources which are earmarked for specific projects and programmes and tend to skew the overall mandate of various funds and programmes and agencies, in terms of the implementation of their operational activities for sustainable development. In light of this, the Group would like to call for effective efforts geared towards full cost recovery to reach the 2017 target set in the Strategic Plan as mandated by the current cycle of QCPR. We also urge all development partners to fulfil their ODA commitments in support of efforts of developing countries towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

6.4 We are also concerned about the continued decline in the regular resources of UNDP at an annual rate of 11.3 per cent during 2013-2015. In this regard, we would like to reiterate the need for more flexible and predictable funding including an arrangement to reverse this decline. In addition, UNDP must do more to expand its funding base and engage not only Member States but also other stakeholders.

6.5 The goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda bear cross-cutting objectives which require coordinated efforts among various stakeholders in order to achieve them. In this regard, we encourage further collaboration in the areas of harmonized or common approaches to procurement, human resources and financial management and wish to learn more on progress made as mentioned in the report. It is imperative and important that coordination and collaboration, within UNDP and between UNDP and other funds and programms and agencies, are enhanced to ensure effective response of the UN development system to the development needs of Member States.

6.6 The Group would like to emphasise, as specified in the report, that "strong national ownership" remains a key driver for the Strategic Plan. Successful implementation of the Strategic Plan would require strong engagement of Member States at country level. In addition, we call for continued constructive and active engagement on the ground by UNDP with relevant agencies at the national level in order to align its projects and programmes with national policies and plans.
 
6.7 The Group welcomes reference in the report to advances in South-South Cooperation. As the institutional host of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), we call for the full support of UNDP in the areas under South-South framework through its South-South and Triangular Cooperation Strategy discussed earlier this year and. However, we would like to reiterate that South-South Cooperation is complementary to but not a substitute of the traditional North-South Cooperation.

Mr. President,

7. The Group would like to reiterate our call for a review of the monitoring, aggregation and reporting systems related to the Integrated Results and Resources Framework (IRRF), as reaffirmed by the Executive Board Decision 2015/7, to enhance its credibility and accountability, as reiterated by the Group in previous sessions of the Executive Board.

8. In addition, as stated by the Group during the informal consultation of the UNDP Funding Windows in January earlier this year, the UNDP Funding Windows is a step in the right direction in terms of enhancing flexibility for non-core resources. However, it should be noted that the Funding Windows do not constitute a response to the current situation of imbalance between core and non-core resources. We would like to be clarified on current status of this Funding Windows and how UNDP intends to bring that to the attention of the Executive Board and wider membership of the UN.

Mr. President,

9. This year is crucial not only because of the change in the global development landscape but also for the fact that we all will engage once again in the negotiation of the next QCPR for operational activities of the UN Development System - the result of which will be used for the implementation of the current Strategic Plan as well as a basis for alignment of the next Strategic Plan.

10. Relevancy of the UNDP and the entire UN development system will very much depend on how the agency and the system can use their comparative advantages in response to the new global ambitions. Coordination and collaboration starts from within, but that coordination and collaboration should be brought about effectively at the global, regional and country level within and among agencies as well as with Member Countries and other relevant stakeholders.

Mr. President,

11. The Group of 77 and China look forward to constructive discussion during this session of the Executive Board. It is of critical importance that we work together in an open, transparent and inclusive manner in order to bring about progress towards the achievement of sustainable development, in particular the role of the Executive Board in strengthening the overall work of the UN development system in the upcoming deliberations and negotiations of the next cycle of QCPR later this year.

I thank you.