STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MS. NADA TARBUSH, FIRST SECRETARY, MISSION OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEMS 135: PROPOSED PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR 2020: REVISED ESTIMATES RESULTING FROM RESOLUTIONS AND DECISIONS ADOPTED BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL AT ITS 2019 SESSION, AT THE FIFTH COMMITTEE DURING THE MAIN PART OF THE SEVENTY-FOURTH SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 19 November 2019)

Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and Chinaon Agenda Items 135: Proposed Programme Budget for 2020: Revised estimates resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its 2019 Session.".

2. The Group would like to thank Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Controller, Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts, and Mr. Cihan Terzi, Chair of the Advisory Committee for Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), for introducing their respective reports.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Group continues to attach great importance to ensuring that mandates approved by intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations are adequately funded. It is imperative that the Organization is provided with the requisite level of financial and human resources to enable it to deliver on its mandates as expected by the Member States.

Mr. Chair,

4. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the Economic and Social Council resolution 2019/32 which decided to extend the mandate of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti until the conclusion of the 2020 session, and notes that the resource requirement arising from the adoption of the aforementioned resolution is to the tune of $ 44,900; and it is proposed that this amount would be accommodated within the overall resources that would be made available under section 9, Economic and Social Affairs, of the Proposed Programme Budget for 2020.

5. The Group of 77 and China would like to appreciate the support extended by the Secretary-General to the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, and commends the continued cooperation amongst the mandated offices on Haiti as has been observed by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 2019/32.

6. Furthermore, the Group of 77 and China, wishes to express its support to the provision of the required resources to finance such resolution.

7. The Group of 77 and Chinafurther notes that the additional costs arising from resolution 2019/3 entitled Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020, and specifically on the hosting of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha in 2021 would be defrayed by the host Government of Qatar. The Group of 77 and China welcomes with appreciation the generous offer by the Government of Qatar to host this conference in 2021 and meeting the associated costs for the preparatory process of the conference.

Mr. Chair,

8. In conclusion, the Group assures you of our continued commitment to participate activelyand constructively in the consultations on this important agenda item.

I thank you.