STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MS. THANAVON PAMARANON, FIRST SECRETARY, PERMANENT MISSION OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 19: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (New York, 10 October 2016)

Mr. Chairman,

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

2. We would like to first thank the Secretariat for the reports presented before us under this agenda item which we find useful in informing on progress and the tasks ahead. Agenda item 19 on Sustainable Development is at the heart of our work and comprises the largest number of draft proposals tabled by the Group.

3. The Group reiterate our unwavering commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in a balanced and integrated manner through a people-centered approach to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions, and building on the achievements of the MDGs and seeking to address their unfinished business.

4. We reaffirm all the principles of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and further reaffirm that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda should be guided by the principles in accordance with paragraph 74 of the 2030 Agenda.

Mr. Chairman,

5. Last year the international community celebrated the triumph of multilateralism, with four major conference outcomes which are all, directly or indirectly, related to the work of the Second Committee. At the back of our minds, however, we realized that the real work of translating the ambitious visions into concrete actions was merely about to begin, and that the transitional period from MDGs to SDGs would not be paved with gold.
6. As we are now in the final stretch of the first year of the implementation towards a sustainable future, the Group of 77 and China would like to highlight the following points:

7. First, in order to truly leave no one behind, poverty eradication in all its forms and dimensions remains an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.

8. Second, the universality of the 2030 Agenda should not make us lose sight of the challenges and needs faced by developing countries, especially countries in special situations, in particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States as well as specific challenges that many middle-income countries face, conflict and post-conflict countries and countries and peoples living under foreign occupation.

9. Third, implementing the 2030 Agenda at all levels requires a revitalized global partnership, with North-South Cooperation as the main channel for development cooperation, and the full implementation of the SDGs, including Goal 17. Enhancing support to developing countries is therefore fundamental, including through the provision of development financing, transfer of technology on favorable terms including on concessional and preferential terms, enhanced international support and targeted capacity-building and technical assistance and promoting a rules-based and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system.

10. Fourth, technology is a key means of implementation and an important lever of change for achieving sustainable development. It is crucial that relevant stakeholders provide enhanced and coordinated support to developing countries to address the digital divide through effective and sustainable technical assistance and capacity-building.

Mr. Chairman,

11. The number of processes and consultations which the Second Committee has undertaken this year amounts to more than ten, such as the Global Sustainable Development Report, the resolution on the Follow-up and Review of the 2030 Agenda at the global level, the ECOSOC dialogue on the longer term positioning of the UN development system, the 2016 HLPF, the QCPR, and not to mention the Revitalization of the Work of the Second Committee.

12. Most of these processes share common objectives with the aim to corresponding to the internationally agreed development goal, including the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, or to align the work with the new sustainable development framework. The Group welcome the good faith negotiations which resulted in reaching consensus and deem it necessary to not only retain the significant progress and momentum of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda made this year, but also accelerate it to another level.

13. This takes me to my last point on how the Group wish to engage on this agenda item in this session. We strive for forward-looking and action-oriented draft resolutions which seek to align the concerned issue with the 2030 Agenda in order to ensure that it will be followed up and reviewed appropriately and effectively. Allow me to highlight some of the Group's views as follows:

14. The implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and "the future we want" are vital to the full realization of sustainable development. We must work to ensure that the mandates of these key programmes are carried out and fulfilled, through the full implementation of all the commitments and thematic areas therein. Though the 2030 Agenda should be our primary focus, we should ensure that ongoing efforts to implement existing and ongoing sustainable development commitments are adequately supported and recognized, in the context of their contribution to the overall achievement of sustainable development.
 
15. The Group reiterate the importance of the SAMOA Pathway as the action plan which outlines the needs and priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The international community and the UN system should continue to give due consideration to the particularities and vulnerabilities of SIDS and support their efforts to achieve sustainable development through genuine and durable partnership and other means of implementation, including through building effective linkages between the 2030 Agenda and the SAMOA Pathway. For SIDS, realization of the 2030 Agenda cannot happen without the realization of the SAMOA Pathway.

16. On the issue of disasters, it remains a major challenge for developing countries to achieve sustainable development as they can reverse hard-earned development gains overnight and lead to massive loss of life. The recent global health crises and unpredictable large-scale disasters call upon us to take early action in order to reduce risk and vulnerability as well as to build resilience in accordance with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

17. The Group are also of the view that climate change, the El-Nino phenomenon, desertification, land degradation, dust and sand storms, and loss of biodiversity are interrelated, multiply the effects to one another, and have the potential to pose a serious challenge to sustainable development for all countries. It is important that the international community cooperates to address these challenges together through the existing mechanisms, including the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention of Biological Diversity, the United Nations Environment Assembly, and the Paris Agreement which will enter into force in the upcoming weeks.

18. Last but not least, the Group strives to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and stresses the need to promote clean and renewable energy and institutional arrangements for following up on SDG7 implementation.

19. On this note, there are areas and SDGs that are not covered by the General Assembly or ECOSOC or partly covered elsewhere in the UN system. In the future, building on the new sustainable development framework, emerging and relevant issues could arise as new items for the agenda of the Second Committee. These could include overarching issues in the SDGs such as infrastructure, water, energy industrialization, and sustainable consumption and production, among others.

Mr. Chairman,

20. These are some issues to which the Group of 77 and China attach high importance under this agenda item. We would like to reiterate that the relevance and impact of the work of the Second Committee has expanded and is becoming more inclusive and cross-cutting than ever. The Second Committee as a universal and norm-setting body of the United Nations, which gives political guidance to the United Nations system and the international community as a whole, has a central role to play.

21. We look forward to working closely and constructively with our development partners during the deliberations and negotiations of the resolutions under this agenda item to ensure the attainment of sustainable development.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.