STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MR. ABDULLAH ABUSHAWESH, COUNSELLOR, MISSION OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE TO THE UNITED NATIONS AT THE CONSIDERATION OF ITEM 22: ERADICATION OF POVERTY AND OTHER DEVELOPMENT ISSUES, AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 16 October 2019)

Mr. Chair,

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

2. The Group would also like to thank the Secretary-General for the reports submitted under agenda item 22.

3. The Group reaffirms that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, for all people everywhere, is the overarching goal of the 2030 Agenda, and remains the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.

4. The Group commends the proclamation of the Third UN Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2018-2027) by the GA and its theme, "Accelerating global actions for a world without poverty". In this vein, the Group reiterates that the Decade should be a 10-year rolling campaign by the UN system to demonstrate that, despite the daunting scale of the challenge of ending poverty, an inclusive, fair and sustainable future is possible through determined collective action by all States, with the support of the UN development system.

5. The Group notes with concern that despite some progress, the world as a whole, is not on track to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030, as called for under Goal 1 of the 2030 Agenda. We acknowledge that in recent years, poverty reduction has started to stagnate in the world, owing to the global economic slowdown, conflicts and vulnerability to climate change and disasters. With heightened international policy uncertainty with regard to trade and weaker global growth, per capita gross domestic product growth in many regions is significantly below the rates needed to eradicate poverty. Those left behind are becoming increasingly harder to reach, especially those living in rural areas and those who are members of disadvantaged and marginalized social groups.

6. In this regard, we call upon the international community, and the United Nations development system, including the funds, programmes, and the specialized agencies, to continue to accord the highest priority to poverty eradication within the UN development agenda and to urgently take measures to address the root causes and challenges of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, hunger, and all forms of malnutrition, in the light of their negative impacts on sustainable development, through integrated, coordinated and coherent strategies at all levels, in accordance with the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields.

7. The Group also calls upon the developed countries to commit to fully implementing their official development assistance commitments, and to support the effective national efforts of the developing countries through predictable financial resources and technical assistance.

8. The Group stresses the importance of using multidimensional indicators and developing transparent measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product in order to effectively reflect the reality of the populations of all developing countries, eradicate poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, and reduce inequality everywhere, in accordance with the 2030 Agenda.

9. On the issue of Women in Development, the Group recognizes the necessity of prioritizing women's economic empowerment and inclusion as an important pillar to the eradication of poverty. We note with deep concern that gender inequality continues to exacerbate the impact of poverty on the lives of women and girls and are committed to fostering stronger international cooperation to ensure that every woman and girl is empowered to achieve their full potential. In this year's resolution on Women in Development, the Group wishes to place greater focus and investment in women's education, social protection, financial inclusion, access to productive assets and resources and technology transfer as priority areas that could transform the lives of women and close the gender gap in our efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals with no one left behind. We are aware that poverty will remain a stumbling block to achieving gender equality and can only be addressed by empowering women and girls with the same opportunities as their male counterparts to ensure economic growth and prosperity for all.

10. The Group stresses that human resources development lies at the heart of economic, social and environmental development and that health and education are at the core of human resources development. Human resources development is vital to the efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and to expand opportunities for people, in particular for the most vulnerable groups of the population, as well as critical in view of the current global challenges.

11. It is equally important to harness the opportunities of ongoing technological change in human resource development, and to address the associated risks, including the loss of jobs due to labor-displacing technologies. We also emphasize the need to bridge the technological divide, which is an important precondition to bridge the economic divide among and within the countries.

I thank you.