Madam Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the organization of work for the first part of the resumed 71st session of the Fifth Committee.

2. Since my delegation is addressing this Committee as Chair of the Group of 77 for the first time, I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the full support of the Group for you and the other members of the Bureau. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Bureau on the successful conclusion of its work before the Christmas holiday during the main part of the 71st session, given its heavy agenda. We further wish to express our appreciation to the members of the Secretariat for their support throughout our negotiations.

3. The Group recognizes the presence of Mr. Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).

Madam Chair,

4. The Group appreciates the work of the Bureau in managing the programme of work of this Committee. The Group has confidence that under your leadership, the Bureau will work with all stakeholders to guide us to a successful conclusion of this session.

5. The Group is committed to a thorough consideration of all the agenda items allocated to the Committee for this session. In this regard, the Group hopes that all delegations can engage constructively during this session, in the spirit of compromise, and with the goal of reaching a common outcome that is in the best interest of this Organization and its member states. It does not reflect well on this Committee to continue deferring problems that should be solved.

6. However, the Group of 77 and China reiterates that we remain concerned about the status of documentation for the session. Although there has been noticeable improvement, we note that the late issuance of important reports remains a chronic problem affecting the work of the Committee. We stress the need for timely submission and issuance of reports from the Secretariat and the ACABQ in all official languages, according to the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly.

7. The Group calls for all stakeholders to continue working together to ensure that the Committee receives documents in a timely manner, to facilitate our deliberations and accord these important subjects the time and attention they deserve, We acknowledge the progress made in recent years, but this should not inspire complacency - instead, it should push us to try to do even better.

8. In closing, the Group of 77 and China reaffirms its commitment to consider and conclude the items before us, within the timeframe of the programme of work. We also reiterate our full cooperation and constructive engagement with you, the bureau and our partners to arrive at a successful outcome for this session.

Thank you, Madam Chair.