Mr. President,

The year 2023 was intense and demanding for the United Nations and world community. Many important meetings focused on addressing the major challenges the international community face today.

For the G77 and China, the outcomes of each of these meetings demonstrated the widening gap in the implementation of key sustainable development goals and commitments. The Group also notes with concern the attempts to reinterpret important international agreements that continue to guide our path.

While taking stock of the progress and challenges in the implementation of key roadmaps such as the 2030 Agenda, we reaffirm the effectiveness of that the effectiveness of the current United Nations consultative mechanisms on sustainable development issues should be maintained.

We must strengthen the implementation of the agreements adopted in major international conferences or at high level events of the General Assembly.

In 2024, we will engage in the preparation and negotiation of a number of relevant processes. In this context, the Group considers the following criteria should be closely followed:

- Respecting the intergovernmental nature of the negotiating processes, as well as the practices and modalities established in each case. Any reinterpretation of the procedures is contrary to multilateralism.

- Respecting the inclusivity in the multilateral process. We should avoid overlaps of high-level meetings and negotiating processes that are very relevant for many delegations, especially those representing developing countries. Leaving no one behind also means being inclusive in every process within the United Nations that defines key aspects for the development of our countries.

The G77 and China recognize the results achieved in the field of sustainable development in 2023. They reaffirm that the achievement of the SDGs in developing countries is closely linked to the provision of means of implementation by developed countries.

In this regard, the Group considers of utmost importance the follow-up to the agreements reached in the Political Declaration of the SDG Summit, as well as deepening the reform of the international financial architecture. We reiterate our support to the Secretary-General's SDG Stimulus Plan and urge for its implementation. The G77 and China looks forward to advancing intergovernmental discussions on all these issues, as agreed at the SDG Summit. We expect the President of the General Assembly will provide space and time to progress on these discussions, including during SDG Week in April 2024.

The Group hopes that the new Pact for the Future will make an urgent call to effectively address current development challenges like the ones mentioned above.

We must continue to uphold the role of the General Assembly in addressing these issues if we are to ensure that its universal character guides actions that require the involvement of all nations in such important matters and in global governance.

The G77 and China have consistently expressed the need for immediate and long-term solutions.

The provision of urgent technical and financial assistance to developing countries by developed countries and multilateral development banks, an increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA), concessional financing, voluntary reallocation of unused Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to developing countries and a new allocation of SDRs, and the immediate and unconditional lifting of UCMs.

Developing countries' efforts to achieve sustainable development must also be supported by concrete measures for technology transfer and capacity building, as well as North-South cooperation to promote industrialization and investment in quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure.

The international trading system should be further strengthened, together with the reform of the international financial architecture, including the governance mechanisms, in particular in the IMF and the World Bank with the view to strengthen the voice of developing countries and achieving the SDGs.

Sustainable supply chains should be built to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs by promoting export-led growth in developing countries. To this end, special and differential treatment for developing countries should be strengthened as a multilateral principle. Unilateralism and protectionism, including one-sided trade protection and restrictions that are inconsistent with WTO rules, should be urgently removed.

This is also the case for those countries that suffer from the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, which constitute a serious violation of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. These measures seriously hamper the efforts of the countries concerned to achieve the SDGs and sustainable development in general.

In 2024, we will hold important meetings such as the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States and the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, as well as the review of the implementation of the General Assembly resolutions on the strengthening of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, which coincides with the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of the operational activities for the development of the United Nations system. In each of these forums, the G77 and China will participate actively and constructively to ensure that the interests of developing countries are adequately reflected.

Thank you.