Madam President,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The Group would like to congratulate the distinguished delegations on the adoption of this resolution on the United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non communicable Diseases.

2. Developing nations value the work and activities of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, notably, through coordinating the activities of the relevant UN funds, programmes and specialized agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, as well as in providing support to member states in their resolve to devise responses to NCDs.

Madam President,

3. In 2015, the international community has committed to "reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being".

4. In the same vein, we all committed in the 2030 agenda to "support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all"

5. Yet, our global response to NCDs remains an area of particular challenge since the current level of progress is insufficient to meet our the 2030 relevant goals and commitments made under the High Level Meetings on NCDs in 2011 and 2014. Lack of capacity and near zero increase in ODA to address the issue as well as industry interference were previously highlighted by the Secretary General as key challenges.

Madam President,

6. Non Communicable diseases pose an enormous burden on all countries, however these costs are particularly challenging for developing nations, especially as they have to face exorbitant costs of health technologies.

7. Furthermore, it is alarming to note that "Demands for technical cooperation from the poorest developing countries to support national efforts to implement the "best buys" and other recommended interventions are largely unmet, owing mainly to the lack of international financing to strengthen the capacity of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases to expand the delivery of technical assistance" as highlighted in a previous UNSG Report.

8. Therefore, the Group of 77 and China would like to underscore the importance of providing sustainable and predictable financing for the Inter-Agency Task Force. This issue is of crucial importance, especially as we are preparing for the third High Level Meeting on NCDs this September, the first one occurring in the era of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
 
Madam President,

9. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the adoption of the current resolution and looks forward to work with all parties to further strengthen the mandate of the Inter Agency Task Force and its resources in supporting countries to devise responses to NCDs and provide access to affordable health technologies.

10. Finally, the Group of 77 and China stays committed to address the multifaceted challenge posed by the Non-Communicable Diseases, as a mean to achieve our common sustainable development commitments.

Thank you