STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY H.E. DR. MOHAMMAD SHTAYYEH, PRIME MINISTER OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE, AT THE HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT (New York, 26 September 2019)

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

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

2. The Group stresses that Financing for development is key to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We highlight the importance of assessing progress, identifying obstacles and challenges to the implementation of the financing for development outcomes, addressing new and emerging topics of relevance to the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as the need arises, and providing policy recommendations for action by the international community, in particular regarding the support of developed countries for developing countries.

3. The Group reiterates that Financing for Development should focus on resource mobilization by channeling resources to poverty eradication in order to tackle one of the world's greatest challenges. Any resources to finance development must be aligned with national priorities and development strategies of the countries taking into consideration different realities and contexts, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

4. Moreover, the Group recognizes the importance of developing integrated national financing frameworks, in support of our nationally owned sustainable development strategies, in order to further implement the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, aiming at effectively mobilizing and aligning a wide range of financing sources and instruments with the 2030 Agenda, and to make use of the full potential of all means of implementation.

5. While we seek to achieve 2030 agenda, we should pay attention to any measures that could hinder accomplishment of the agreed goals. In this regard, we reaffirm that the imposition of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries, does not contribute to economic and social development.

6. Moreover, the Group emphasizes that it is counterproductive to highlight the importance of domestic resource mobilization in developing countries without addressing the international loopholes that impede their ability to retain a large chunk of their resources.

7. In this connection, the Group underlines that while developing countries seeks to maximize their domestic public resources in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda, there is a need to continue addressing the international dimension of taxation and to strengthen international cooperation on tax matters. We stress that the most relevant issues are the challenges posed by the lack of international tax cooperation, the existing illicit financial flows and tax evasion. We recognize with concern that there is still no single global inclusive forum for international tax cooperation at the intergovernmental level, and in that regard, we reiterate the need to fully upgrade the Committee of Experts in Tax Matters to an intergovernmental body with experts representing their respective governments.

I thank you.