Madam Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 155: Administrative and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United Nations peacekeeping operations, on the Support Account.

2. At the outset, the Group thanks Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Assistant Secretary-General, Controller, as well as Ms. Juliana Gaspar Ruas, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), for introducing their respective reports.

Madam Chair,

3. The Group of 77 and China strongly supports peacekeeping operations, by contributing financially to the budgets for peacekeeping missions and being the largest troop and police contributors to their operations, most of the currently active operations are hosted by members of this Group. As such, we continue to emphasize the importance of providing sufficient backstopping to all missions during all phases, to enable them to effectively and efficiently execute their mandates.

4. We note that the proposed support account budget for the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 amounts to $427.1 million, covering $ 1,534 posts across 17 entities.

5. In this regard, the Group emphasizes the importance of continued provision of adequate resources to ensure the effective and efficient functioning of the support structures that underpin field missions.

6. The Group notes that the proposed budget of $ 427.1 million reflects an increase of approximately $43 million compared to the previous period. We take note that this increase is primarily driven by standard cost adjustments, evolving operational requirements, and the need to reinforce support capacities in critical areas, including environmental management, ERP systems, and mission transitions. We emphasize that the provision of backstopping capacity must be predictable, needs-based, and aligned with the mandates approved by the Security Council and the General Assembly.

7. The Group acknowledges ACABQ's recommendation to conduct a comprehensive functional analysis and staffing review and supports the call for a more structured, evidence-based methodology for workload distribution across support entities. However, we stress that such efforts must not result in a staffing reduction or compromise the quality and timeliness of support to peacekeeping operations.

8. The Group underscores the need for the support account to remain responsive and scalable to reflect the evolving size, complexity, and geographical spread of peacekeeping mandates. In this regard, we welcome efforts to improve transparency in resource allocation and encourage greater clarity in linking budget proposals to actual operational requirements in the field.

9. The Group also takes note of the ongoing implementation of management reforms and recalls the importance of maintaining clear accountability and oversight mechanisms. We reiterate that reforms must be implemented in a manner that strengthens, rather than undermines, the enabling role of the Secretariat in support of field operations.

10. Moreover, the support provided by Headquarters to peacekeeping missions must be well-appointed in the most integrated manner to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and avoidance of duplication. The Group remains convinced that all efforts in this regard should be aimed at qualitative improvements in service delivery to all in the field.

11. The Group maintains its position on underscoring the importance of the broad representation of troop- and police-contributing countries, particularly at senior levels, within the peacekeeping support structure, both in the field and at Headquarters, to enable greater coherence in fulfilling mandates.

12. The Group reiterates that there is a persistent need for significant improvement in this regard and recalls that the General Assembly has consistently given the Secretary-General the mandate to make concrete efforts to improve this situation. We will therefore seek updates on the measures taken by the Secretariat on this matter.

Madam Chair,

13. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China reiterates its commitment to constructive engagement during the deliberations on this agenda item, with a view to ensuring that the support account continues to provide effective backing to peacekeeping operations and contributes to the broader goal of maintaining international peace and security.

Thank you!