Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,

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

2. At the outset, I thank the Secretary-General for his efforts in preparing the Report on "Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations".

3. The Group of 77 and China welcome this year's theme on "Restoring humanity and leaving no one behind: working together to reduce people's humanitarian need, risk and vulnerability". After the milestone adoption of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, this theme underscores further the imperative of "leaving no one behind". And this is particularly relevant in humanitarian action, especially in the current context of emerging humanitarian crises, as well as persistent and protracted and complex humanitarian crises.

4. General Assembly Resolution 46/182 and the guiding principles in its annex remain the global framework for humanitarian assistance and coordination. At the same time, the Group of 77 and China are mindful of the need to further strengthen the coordination of relief efforts in order to support affected states in their humanitarian response to deliver effectively to communities in need. And through the resolution to be adopted at the end of this session, we are confident that the coordination and actualisation of emergency humanitarian assistance by the United Nations as a whole will be greatly strengthened.

Mr. President,

5. Humanitarian emergencies arising out of natural disasters and other causes and outbreak of epidemics or other global health threats, deserve to be given the same level of attention as those arising out of man-made conflicts. The devastating effects of climate change are real and sudden. Extreme natural disasters can affect the environment, the economy and society and reverse hard-earned developmental gains overnight. The massive humanitarian consequences that follow are even more catastrophic. Millions of lives are lost while many are forcibly displaced and separated from their families. In a similar vein, the devastating humanitarian crisis resulting from other forced displacement equally deserves our attention and the international community should spare no effort investing in durable solutions.

6. The Group of 77 and China will also continue to insist on attention paid to protracted crises. And in this regard, the Group of 77 and China reaffirm in no uncertain terms that States must comply fully with their obligations under international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, in order to protect and assist civilians in occupied territories. The Group of 77 and China further reiterate its call on the United Nations System and the International Community to strengthen their efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those civilians. Further action should be taken in this regard.

Mr. President,

7. In the past decades, we have all agreed that the right way forward is to address root causes in order to curb humanitarian needs. In this context, we must build resilience, self-sufficiency and preparedness. We must reduce risks and vulnerability and focus our efforts on prevention, responding through multiple community-based approaches. We must also work towards more effective delivery of assistance and relief.

8. In addition, the Group of 77 and China wish to take this opportunity to call for increased and predictable humanitarian financing through innovative and diversified means from other Member States, humanitarian and development organisations and the private sector to assist developing countries to enhance their capacities and mobilise their own resources.

9. International cooperation, technical and financial support from other Member States, including the United Nations remain indispensable. At the same time, it must be channeled in a way that does not undermine or replace the local or national mechanisms already put in place but instead strengthen them so as to afford local and national governments the ability to respond promptly and more effectively. Only by doing so can these two strands of efforts become mutually reinforcing and make significant and positive change for affected communities.

10. The Group of 77 and China would like to emphatically state that all of our actions must be in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. The Group of 77 and China also wish to underscore that respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty must remain the guiding principles in all efforts for coordination of humanitarian assistance. The primary responsibility of the State to initiate, organize, coordinate and implement humanitarian assistance within its territory should be borne in mind and respected.

Mr. President,

11. The Group of 77 and China wish to express its concern about the recent trend to lessen the importance of the sequence and transition of distinct phases of efforts from relief to development, which we think is misleading and harmful. We reaffirm that relief, recovery, rehabilitation, reconstruction and longer-term development are different means to the one ultimate end and their complementarity should be underscored to ensure effective and seamless coordination of humanitarian assistance.

12. We do not deny that there is a strong need to narrow the humanitarian-development divide and bring down the silos that keep the two actors apart, but in doing so we must not blur the line that separates their mandates and priorities. We are adamant in the conviction that there is a new way of working that brings them closer together while allowing them to do their respective functions in accordance with their comparative advantages in an integrated and coordinated manner.

Mr. President,

13. We are pleased to see that the draft resolution on "Strengthening the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations" contains many new elements, incorporating the progress made and the higher ambitions expressed, which remain consistent with the enduring humanitarian principles for humanitarian action, taking also into account the recently adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

14. Furthermore, I wish to express, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, our appreciation to the co-facilitators (Bangladesh and Switzerland) who have in the past three years devoted themselves to ensuring the successful outcome of this process. Allow me also to express our gratitude to the able coordinator of the Group of 77 and China, Mr. Masni Eriza from the Indonesian delegation, for his tireless efforts in coordinating the Group's position throughout the negotiation process.

15. In conclusion, Mr. President, this resolution is intrinsically linked with the core interests of the Group of 77 and China that represent the majority of developing countries. Bearing that in mind, our Group have engaged actively and constructively during the negotiations of this resolution. But we appreciate that without the support and contributions from all delegations both within and outside of the Group, the agreement on this final text would not have been possible. We do hope that, as in the previous years, this draft resolution will be adopted by consensus once again.

16. Delivering humanitarian assistance is not a solo act. Effective and enhanced coordination of our efforts is key. Protecting our shared humanity is a common and must be a coordinated action. Let us remember that we are all in this together and we must come together in order to act for those in need. The time is now.

I thank you, Mr. President.