STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MS. HELENA YANEZ LOZA, MINISTER AND DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF ECUADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, AT THE BRIEFING CONVENED BY THE CO-FACILITATORS OF THE CONSULTATIONS AIMED AT ENHANCING SYNERGIES AND COHERENCE AND REDUCING OVERLAP IN THE AGENDAS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL AND THEIR SUBSIDIARY BODIES, AS WELL AS THE HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM AND OTHER RELATED FORUMS IN LIGHT OF THE ADOPTION OF THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (New York, 8 February 2017)

Mr. President,
Distinguished Co-Facilitators,
Excellencies,

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

2. Allow me to convey our appreciation for the appointment of Her Excellency Ms. Gillian Bird, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia and His Excellency Mr. Martin Garcia Moritán, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Argentina, as Co-Facilitators to lead this consultation process. The group also expresses its appreciation for your approach to openly and comprehensively discuss and better understand the process.

3. We would like to acknowledge the work done by Colombia as facilitator of the process of strategically align of future sessions of the General Assembly with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, initiated by the President of the General Assembly during its 70th session.

4. The Group believes that the principles of universality and inclusiveness must not be forgotten while delivering the 2030 Agenda in its entirety. In this context is imperative that our work in the General Assembly as well as the Main Committees and ECOSOC and its functional commissions as well as the funds and programmes and specialized agencies are coherently aligned with the SDGs and, conversely, in identifying options to appropriately include the 2030 Agenda in the work of the UN Charter Bodies.

5. In this connection, the Group of 77 and China would like to reiterate three significant points regarding this process.

6. First, the Group is of the view that the alignment of all the sustainable development goals and targets should cut across, where they are relevant, the work of the General Assembly, the Main Committees and ECOSOC and its functional commissions, if not also the funds and programmes and the specialized agencies. Member States must not be afraid to create new agenda items where deem appropriate and necessary to give those goals and targets a placement to be followed-up and reviewed. While recognizing that UN Charter Bodies have their specific mandates, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is one of the most relevant issues for developing countries. Therefore, collaboration between UN entities, to come up with action oriented efforts, is at the core of this discussion.

7. Second, on the consideration of overlaps, the Group is of the view that this exercise should be very careful not to eliminate important substance from the existing agenda items nor call for joint reports. Building on the 2030 Agenda, emerging and relevant issues could give rise to new agenda items for the work of the General Assembly if not ECOSOC and other relevant bodies. Instead, this exercise should be carried out to considere where synergies can be made and enhanced to ensure coherence, in a substantive and result-oriented manner, in the United Nations system, while preserving and strengthening the specific mandate of the General Assembly, its Main Committees, the ECOSOC and other relevant bodies. We should not overlook that although the 2030 Agenda put forward an impressive programme of work, the activities of UN Charter Bodies encompass programmes that will go further than 2030.

8. Third, the Group believes that this exercise should not be done in haste but careful consideration and elaboration by the universal membership of the United Nations should be taken on board, in full respect of the Rules of Procedure and relevant General Assembly Resolutions, safeguarding the rights of all Member States

9. Also, at this stage the Group wishes to present to distinguished Co-facilitators certain questions to clarify to our membership the way forward of the process:

- One, what would be the basis for discussion proposed by distinguished Co-facilitators in consideration of the approach?
- Two, and given the integrality of 2030 Agenda, how Co-facilitators have envisioned the need to involve all Committees in this discussion?
- Three, and since overlapping does not always means duplication; we would like to know what part of the 2030 Agenda is considered to be or it is being implemented by the UN System?
- Four, is there any intention to involve other stakeholders on the way forward?
- Finally, how do you envision the link between this process and the review of General Assembly Resolution 68/1 on the strengthening of ECOSOC?

10. Distinguished Co-facilitators, you can count with our support in this endeavor.

I thank you,