REMARKS BY H.E. MR. APICHART CHINWANNO, PERMANENT SECRETARY AND SPECIAL ENVOY OF THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND, ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA IN NEW YORK, AT THE MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE GROUP OF 77 ON THE OCCASION OF UNCTAD XIV (Nairobi, Kenya, 17 July 2016)

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the G77 and China in New York.

1. The G77 and China in New York would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation and gratitude to the Government of Kenya and its people for the excellent organization of the Ministerial Meeting of the G77 and China on the occasion of UNCTAD XIV and the warm hospitality which has been bestowed upon us in the city of Nairobi.

2. We are pleased to see that the Ministerial Meeting of the G77 and China today shares a common vision with UNCTAD XIV by focusing on the implementation and follow-up of outcomes of major Global Conferences, especially their impacts on trade and development. This vision is also in line with the chosen theme of our chairmanship, namely "From Vision to Action: Inclusive Partnership for Sustainable Development" which aims to build a strong basis for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and other internationally agreed development goals. The consistency and integrated vision we share reflect the solidarity among the various Chapters of the G77 and China.

Mr. Chairman,

3. It is worth reiterating that the role of G77 and China has always been strong and constructive in focusing on protecting and promoting the interests of developing countries, which has led us to the successes of the 2030 Agenda and the AAAA. In transforming the above-said visions into concrete actions, our continued efforts are as follows:

4. First, we played significant roles in implementing new initiatives under the AAAA including the Global Infrastructure Forum in April 2016 and the Technology Facilitation Mechanism in June 2016. We have always emphasized that infrastructure is a cross-cutting issue that is essential for global trade and supply chain, while technology enhances the economic development and competitiveness of countries. Both infrastructure and technology are complementary and allow developing countries to achieve sustained and inclusive economic growth. In this regard, it is imperative to address the infrastructure gap and digital divide.

5. Second, we engaged constructively and actively with all stakeholders during the Inaugural ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development follow-up (FfD Forum), which is the main mechanism to follow-up on the financing for development outcomes, including the AAAA. We highlighted the challenges facing developing countries including unfulfilled ODA commitments. Despite the increase in ODA in the last decade, it was on average at 0.29% of the aggregate donor GNI in 2014, well below the commitment of 0.7%.

6. Third, we have been actively engaged in the preparation of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) which began last week and will continue concurrently with UNCTAD XIV. The first HLPF after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda aims to assess where we are at in the first year of implementation as well as provide political guidance for implementation over the next 14 years.

7. In this regard, we take note that UNCTAD is the focal point within the United Nations system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and interrelated issues in the areas of finance, technology, investment and sustainable development. UNCTAD also has four specific action lines in fulfilling the SDGs, namely (1) building productive capacity to transform economies; (2) achieving more effective States and more efficient markets; (3) tackling vulnerabilities, building resilience; and (4) strengthening multilateralism, finding common solutions. UNCTAD therefore should provide assistance to various developing countries, especially LDCs, including through analytical work, technical cooperation, training and capacity-building programmes, to complement countries' efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda in accordance with its mandate.

Mr. Chairman,

8. We wish to share with you additional contributions which were initiatives of the G77 and China in New York in support of the 2030 Agenda and AAAA, and also complementing the work of UNCTAD. On the technology front, we initiated a G77 Meeting of Experts on ICT and Sustainable Development for South-South Cooperation in March 2016 to exchange views and promote the use of ICT in achieving sustainable development in developing countries. It is part of the means to reinforce South-South Cooperation, which is a complement, not a substitute, to North-South cooperation. In addition, we also encouraged the exchange of local knowledge and home-grown approaches in implementing the SDGs among our members at the G77 Bangkok Roundtable on Sufficiency Economy: An Approach to Implementing the SDGs and G77 Forum on the Implementation of the SDGs - Sufficiency Economic Philosophy in Business in February and June 2016 respectively.

9. Realizing that investment is a cross-cutting issue for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the need to overcome financing gaps by mobilizing and channeling private investment into the realization of the SDGs, we co-organized with UNCTAD the G77 Meeting on Investment for Sustainable Development in May 2016. Taking into account the continued trend of declining investment flows in developing countries, particularly in productive sectors, the Meeting discussed possible enabling policy frameworks and explored ways to improve investment regimes to enhance effective and sustainable investment. As a way forward, the Meeting recommended a possible UNGA resolution to address the holistic aspects of investment for sustainable development in order to mobilize maximal efforts of the UN system and relevant international financial institutions to support such endeavours and strengthen developing countries' capacities in this regard.

Mr. Chairman,

10. As the meeting today will adopt the Ministerial Declaration of the G77 and China, we wish to congratulate our colleagues in Geneva who have been working tirelessly to conclude this document. The Ministerial Declaration addresses the key issues that are of major concern to developing countries and reflects the principles that our group holds dear. These include the need to tackle subsidies and various forms of market access restrictions, tax evasion and tax avoidance, illicit capital flows, sovereign debt crisis as well as the need to uphold principles of equity, inclusiveness, common but differentiated responsibilities, special and differential treatment, and the right to development, just to name a few.

11. In this regard, we wish to specifically highlight the need to reform global economic governance since it is the prerequisite for all other changes in the international financial architecture. International financial institutions, which are one of the main sources of financing for development of developing countries, need to be universal, rule-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable. Reforms therefore should be internationally coordinated and should lead to equitable representation of developing countries in international economic decision-making and norm-setting. Reaching agreement on these issues requires political will and the strong support of the entire membership to translate reform commitments into reality. In this regard, we remain committed to constructively engage in relevant processes, including through enhancing cooperation within and beyond the UN system, including UNCTAD, the international financial institutions, and the WTO.

12. Besides, the G77 and China recognize the important role of women to economic growth and development. Nonetheless, it is unfortunate that the potential of women to engage in, contribute to and benefit from sustainable development as leaders, participants and agents of change has not been fully realized. We therefore support prioritizing measures to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in all spheres of our societies. In addition, we would like to also underline the contributions of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to unlocking economic potential, especially of women and girls as drivers of sustainable development, since MSMEs is the key sector fostering sustained and inclusive economic growth in most developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

13. While the G77 and China are proud of our 52 years of achievement, the struggle for development continues. We have to reinforce and assert our solidarity and our commitment to strengthen our unity in the face of new challenges. In this regard, the G77 and China in New York stands ready to support and to strengthen collaboration among all Chapters of the Group and also with UNCTAD, with a view towards full and effective implementation of the outcomes of important Global Conferences and the Ministerial Declarations of the G77 and China.

14. Last but not least, I look forward to a successful outcome of UNCTAD XIV that represents true benefits for developing countries. As the saying goes, "well begun is half done". UNCTAD XIV is among the first major ministerial conferences after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda and hence should be considered an opportunity for developing countries to lay solid groundwork in the pursuit of sustainable development.

I thank you.