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, ON AGENDA ITEM 59: PERMANENT SOVEREIGNTY OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY, INCLUDING EAST JERUSALEM, AND OF THE ARAB POPULATION IN THE OCCUPIED SYRIAN GOLAN OVER THEIR NATURAL RESOURCES AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE SEVENTY-FIRST SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 25 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 Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) for the presentation and convey our appreciation of the "Note by the Secretary-General on the Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli military occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan" (A/71/86-E/2016/13).

3. We welcome the ESCWA report which, though distressing, is useful in highlighting the persistent Israeli practices and policies that not only violate the rights of the people living under its military occupation, but also affect their social and economic conditions.

Mr. Chairman,

4. The Group stress our unwavering and unequivocal support for economic development efforts and aspirations of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian territory including East Jerusalem and the Syrian people in the occupied Syrian Golan. We are of a firm belief that this agenda item is indivisible and relevant to the work of this Committee.

5. Our leaders and high representatives adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals and pledged that no one would be left behind. The ESCWA report, however, has revealed that the Palestinian and Syrian people would indeed be left behind and would not enjoy the fruits of sustainable development as long as they do not have sovereignty over their natural resources.

6. The ESCWA report further underlined that the effects of the occupation of the Palestinian territory and the Syrian Golan include the following:

- high rates of unemployment, rampant poverty levels, widespread displacement and homelessness, numerous health-related problems, severe food insecurity, insufficient number of schools and high dropout rates of students and rising aid-dependency for the most basic of needs;

- destruction of homes and properties and exploitation, endangerment and depletion of Palestinian natural resources;
     
- obstacles to the implementation of critical environmental projects, including for a desalination facility and sewage treatment plant in Gaza, necessary for addressing sanitation and health issues and the well-being of the population, including access to safe drinking water and human consumption;

- damage to the electricity gridlines and fuels and electricity shortages which result in a chronic electricity and fuel deficit

Mr. Chairman,

7. The Palestinian economy and the occupied Syrian Golan cannot be put on a development path that is sustainable under the current situation. The Group would like to echo the call by the international community for an immediate end of those systematic closures and restrictive measures to allow the Palestinian economy and the occupied Syrian Golan to grow.

8. The 2030 Agenda and other major outcome documents of the sustainable development framework offer hope for the betterment of peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation. The Group of 77 and China reiterate and reaffirm our strong position that in the implementation and the follow-up and review of 2030 Agenda and all major outcome documents, we must not forget the severe difficulties faced by peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation and strive to remove the obstacles to their full realization of the right of self-determination, which adversely affect their economic and social development and their ability to achieve and implement the sustainable development goals and to ensure that they will not be left behind.

I thank you.