Mr. Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the closing of the main part of the 76th session of the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly.

We are about to see off another very difficult year for the world as a whole and for those that have been called to serve our countries and the international community at large. We commend the Organization and each one of its staff that have made possible that the United Nations continue to deliver its important work. At this stage we can only hope for a better year to come.

Despite the fact that the use of virtual plataforms for the second year in a row was the reason we were able to continue to fulfil our responsibilities to the Organization, virtual engagement cannot replace the in-person negotiations and coordination among groups of countries. We continue to believe that the lack of in-person connections and relationships have affected the proper, effective and efficient functioning of our Committee.

Difficulties notwithstanding, we also believe that the results from this session are to be celebrated. We´ve had some very high moments. This Committee has been able to finish negotiations on agenda items of high complexity such as scales of assessment, programme planning and the budget itself earlier in the session than in the past two years. The G-77/China held true to its commitment to engage constructively and ensure that all items reached successful and timely conclusions. We would like to thank all other groups and delegations that did the same. It is when we work together that we work best.

As it has been our tradition, the Group has placed a particular focus on protecting the development pillar of the United Nations in all its aspects, so that the Organization can perform its role as an enabler of the development agenda.

Mr. Chair,

The Group has consistently stated in this Committee that the scale of assessment for the regular budget should continue to be based on the principle of capacity to pay. While there remains a fundamental distortion to this principle, we trust that maintaining the elements of the current methodology for the preparation of the scales of assessments and its core elements was the best decision at this point in time for the Organization and its membership.

Mr. Chair,

The Group wishes to once again underscore the importance it places on reforms as we all would like to see an effective and fit-for-purpose United Nations that is well structured to fully deliver on its intergovernmentally-agreed mandates. This budget cycle is the last one of the annual budget trial period and next year we will have to make a decision on the long lasting budgeting cycle for the Organization. We trust that this discussion will be based on facts and lessons learned and that the Committee will decide on what is best for the Organization, maintaining the practices and abiding by the rules and regulations that govern programme planning and budgeting and respecting the prerogatives of the General Assembly.

This year, once again, the CPC was unable to provide the General Assembly with recommendations on the totality of the Programme Plan. And once again there was loss of valuable time deciding who and how these programmes should be addressed. We trust that the resolution we have approved this year will be enough guidance to put open programmes, if any, under the consideration of the corresponding Main Committees of the General Assembly, that shall have slots in their programmes of work from the start of the session, if necessary. We also expect that the CPC will benefit from the additional week of work and will be able to reach consensus on more, if not all, programmes under its purview.

Further, the Group is pleased that we have successfully concluded deliberations on other important agenda items, including revised estimates and programme budget implications for resolutions, Pattern of Conferences, the United Nations common system, OIOS, Administration of Justice, and the Administrative expenses of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund.

Mr. Chair,

We are more than pleased to see that the Secretary-General's request for UNRWA was fully granted and we hope that this will represent a relief for the Palestinian refugees that depend on this Organization. We look forward to next year's assessment on the evolution of the matter and we will continue our endeavors to grant UNRWA all the required resources in the future.

Mr. Chair,

The Committee would not have been able to conclude this session without the strong guidance of you and your bureau; the tireless and impeccable work of the Fifth Committee Secretariat and all others who supported and facilitated our work. We thank our negotiating partners and all the facilitators for their constructive efforts to achieve a successful outcome this session. All facilitators were essential for our negotiations, but we would like to recognize the essential roles of Mr Ali Aldabag and Mr. Borgar Tormodsgard, who have wisely guided us despite enduring difficult personal circumstances this year.

We look forward to continuing working alongside you all in order to advance our United Nations. Happy New Year to all!

I thank you, Mr. Chair.