STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY HE AMBASSADOR MOHAMED EDREES, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF EGYPT TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON THE ORGANIZATION OF WORK OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE, AT THE MAIN PART OF THE SEVENTY-THIRD SESSION OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 9 October 2018)

Your Excellency/ Maria Fernanda Espinosa, President of the General Assembly,
Your Excellency/ Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations and Chair of the Fifth Committee,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the organization of work of the Fifth Committee for the main part of the 73rd session of the General Assembly. I'd like first to welcome Her Excellency the President of General Assembly and thank her for being here with us this morning despite her busy schedule.

Madam Chair,

The Group of 77 and China congratulate you and members of your Bureau on your election. We trust that under your leadership, we will conclude this session in a timely manner and with a positive outcome. The Group assures you of our support and cooperation throughout this session. We would also like to express our appreciation to the outgoing Bureau for their work during the 72nd session.

The Group recognizes Mr Carlos Ruiz-Massieu, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, and we are grateful to the Advisory Committee for their invaluable assistance to our work. We also take this opportunity to reiterate our deep gratitude to Ms Sharon van Buerle and her team in the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee for their hard work to support the work of this Committee.

Madam Chair,

This Committee faced an especially difficult and packed agenda during the 72nd session. Nevertheless, we still found consensus and adopted historic resolutions on management reform and the restructuring of the peace and security pillar. These decisions will change the structures of the Secretariat and enable the Secretary-General to realize his vision for reform. The Group of 77 and China believe that it is important to build on the spirit of compromise and constructive engagement that made these decisions possible. This will enable us to effectively tackle the challenging agenda in the session ahead.

Beyond the spirit of compromise, practical steps must also be taken to improve the functioning of this Committee. In particular, both the Advisory Committee and Secretariat must ensure that Member States receive reports in all official languages in a timely fashion, in line with the rules of procedure. The late issuance of reports continues to hamper the effective work of this Committee, and it is past time to change this trend.

Madam Chair,

In the coming weeks, the Fifth Committee will address issues of crucial importance. The Group attaches great importance to the scale of assessments for the apportionment of the expenses of the United Nations, and the scale of assessments for the apportionment of peacekeeping expenses. Financial resources constitute the foundation and an important support for the United Nations governance. It is self-evident that the Organization cannot discharge its mandates without sufficient resources. The Group calls once again for all Member States to fulfill their legal obligations to bear the expenses of the Organization, in accordance with the UN Charter, by paying their assessed contributions in full, on time, and without conditions.

Another key priority for the Group is Human Resources Management. The Group looks forward to examining the different reports related to this agenda item, and assessing the Secretary-General's proposed Global Human Resources Strategy. In particular, the Group will pay special attention to how to achieve specific targets such as gender parity and equitable geographical representation at all levels, refining performance management, and addressing deficiencies in the staff selection process.

Further, the Group of 77 and China will actively participate in the Committee's deliberations on other agenda items, including the placement of human resources functions, the various performance reports coming before the Committee, programme budget implication and revised estimates, as well as construction and property management.

Madam Chair,

Despite the challenge ahead of us, the Group reaffirms our continued commitment to considering and concluding our work within the allocated timeframe. To this end, we stress that negotiations must be carried out in open, transparent, and inclusive manner. This is a prerequisite for the successful conclusion of the session.

In closing, the Group of 77 and China takes this opportunity to reassure you of our cooperation and constructive engagement with all to ensure the success of this session in a timely fashion.

I thank you, Madam Chair.