STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY THE DELEGATION OF EGYPT ON AGENDA ITEM 68: NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT: PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT 2001-2010: DECADE TO ROLL BACK MALARIA IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY IN AFRICA, AT THE PLENARY OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS (New York, 19 October 2018)

Madame President,

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

2- At the outset, I wish to express our appreciation for the valuable analysis, information and policy recommendations contained in the Secretary General's reports, which contribute to the debate on critical issues for Africa's inclusive growth and sustainable development.

3- The African Union's Agenda 2063 and its first ten-year implementation plan demonstrate Africa's shared visions and actions towards peace and development. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 has further underscored the shared commitment of the international community to working tirelessly to eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions and, to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions in a balanced and integrated manner.

4- The Group recognizes the complementarities between Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this regard, it is crucial that we continue to mobilize international support for the implementation of those Agendas, in order to achieve greater synergies between the regional and international development frameworks.

5- Three years into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063, it is evident that realizing the shared promise of the two agendas of leaving no one behind is contingent on our collective capacity to mobilize sufficient means of implementation, including financial resources, technology transfer and capacity building, which must be as ambitious as the goals themselves.

6- In the same vein, scaling international support is crucial for building resilience and promote sustainability. In this context, the Group welcomes the Monitoring Mechanism report's in-depth review of the implementation of commitments by African countries and development partners in different development areas. As such, the recommendations of the report should contribute to better-informed policy responses to development challenges and enhance the global partnership for development in these critical development areas.

7- The Group reemphasizes the critical role of Official Development Assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI) which remain major sources of financing for development in Africa. The Group are deeply concerned about the fact that both ODA and FDI to Africa have declined over the past years. The Group, therefore, would like to reiterate that the fulfilment of all ODA commitments remains crucial, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries. We urge those who have not fulfilled their commitments to step up efforts towards the ODA targets.

Madame President,

8- The Group recalls that African countries have taken numerous steps to address peace and security challenges at national and regional levels, including, in the case of terrorism and instability. The G77 and China is of the view that to complement and strengthen African efforts to address challenges to the continent's peace and security, it is critical that partners enhance their support for African peace and security activities and help build the continent's own capacity to prevent and resolve conflict through increased assistance. We therefore maintain the need for the UN system to support African regional and sub- regional organizations in supporting the efforts of African countries to achieve the goal of a conflict-free Africa and to end all wars in Africa by 2020.

9- The signing of the Joint UN-AU Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security in April 2017 and, of the AU-UN Framework for the Implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in January 2018 demonstrate the commitment of the two organizations to align their cooperation to Africa's needs and priorities. It's imperative to promote an effective and efficient implementation, follow up and review of both frameworks to maximize impact and results on the ground.

Thank you.