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

2. At the outset, the Group would like to thank the Secretary-General for the reports submitted under this agenda item.

Mr. Chair,

3. Much remains to be done to ensure an enabling international economic environment and an equitable global trading system so that all countries and all people can benefit from the full potential of globalization. Many people around the world remain mired in poverty. The gap between globalization's potential and its unequal gains has elicited fear, anxiety and despair among disadvantaged populations. Such an environment only confirms that the benefits of globalization can be fundamentally unequal and ultimately unsustainable if not checked with sound policies.

4. What we need is new approaches premised on the imperatives of shared responsibility and the promise to ensure the inclusion and participation of those who are furthest behind to achieve a more inclusive, just and sustainable world.

5. Let us reinvigorate our focus on reducing inequalities through trade and development, understanding migration and its effects and harnessing the potential of information and communications technologies for the greater good. Major discrepancies persist among countries with regard to their infrastructure, technology, assets and skills. We must reaffirm our commitment to creating an enabling international environment for development and on facilitating the necessary means of implementation, particularly in the areas of finance, international trade, technology and capacity-building for developing countries, and in this regard calls for a sincere and effective follow-up on the global commitments of all actors, particularly developed countries.

6. There is no alternative to multilateralism. A reinvigorated multilateral system, with the United Nations at its centre, is the cornerstone of a renewed approach to fairer and more inclusive and sustainable globalization. In this regard, we welcome with appreciation the UN Secretary-General's on-going efforts to reposition the United Nations Development System to better support countries in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Mr. Chair,

7. The Group recognizes that science, technology and innovation (STI), including environmentally sound technologies and information and communications technologies, are critical in the pursuit of sustainable development and are one of the key means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda. We welcome the recently launched 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report which has identified STI as a lever for transformation to accelerate progress in achieving the SDGs and that transfer of technology, especially to developing countries, will be critical to scale up and accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

8. The Group would like to stress the need to mobilize and scale up financing for STI, especially in developing countries, in support of the SDGs and the importance of supporting developing countries in STI through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation in the areas of financial and technical assistance, capacity-building and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms.

9. Furthermore, the Group recognizes culture as an enabler and a driver of sustainable development. We stress the importance of respect and understanding for cultural diversity and fostering intercultural understanding and dialogue. Culture represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity, and makes important contributions to the three dimensions of sustainable development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets. We recognize the efforts and initiatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the mandated United Nations agency on culture.

10. The Group welcomes the convening of the High-Level Meeting on Middle Income Countries by the GA in December 2018. We also thank UNCTAD for its work, specifically on external debt sustainability and development.

11. We reiterate that middle-income countries still face diverse and significant challenges towards achieving sustainable development. We also stress the importance of addressing the particular and diverse needs and challenges faced by countries that are close to surpassing or have recently crossed the upper middle-income threshold but still have structural gaps and vulnerabilities.

12. In closing, we invite the United Nations system, in consultation with the international financial institutions, to develop transparent measurements of progress on sustainable development that go beyond per capita income, building on existing initiatives as appropriate. These should recognize the multidimensional nature of poverty and the social, economic and environmental dimensions of domestic output and structural gaps at all levels. In this regard, we underscore the importance of achieving concrete progress in this issue.

I thank you.