Mr. President, Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

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

The 2025 High-Level Political Forum convenes at a very critical juncture. With only five years remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, progress remains uneven, and in many cases, far off track. We are confronted with rising poverty, hunger, unemployment, geopolitical tensions, climate change, global economic uncertainty, unilateral coercive measures, alarming financing gap, among other challenges that have compounded existing inequalities and reversed hard-won development gains, particularly for developing countries.

As the UN commemorates its 80th Anniversary, it gives us an opportunity to pause and assess if it is fit-for-purpose and whether we are living up to the principles and purpose enshrined in its Charter.

Mr. President,

The Group highlights the critical importance of this year's review of SDGs 3, 5, 8, 14 and 17, which are pillars of a resilient, equitable, and sustainable future:

- SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The Group stresses the need to strengthen universal health coverage, expand investment in primary healthcare, and support developing countries in building resilient health systems and local pharmaceutical production capacities.

- SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The Group calls for targeted investments to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls and to ensure full and equal participation in decision-making at all levels.

- SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): The global economic slowdown has severely affected job creation and income growth in the Global South. The Group calls for international support to implement recovery strategies that promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and harness the potential of youth and digital economies, while promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all.

- SDG 14 (Life Below Water): The health of our oceans is under unprecedented threat, as articulated during the third UN Ocean Conference held in Nice in June 2025. The Group urges greater action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Urgent action is also needed to reduce marine pollution as well as to scale up financing and the transfer of marine technology to developing countries. We also stress the importance of enhancing the means for the full implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and capacity-building in this regard.

- SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The Group reiterates the importance of honoring official development assistance (ODA) commitments, fostering technology transfer on concessional and preferential terms, and ensuring the full participation of developing countries in global decision-making processes. In this regard, the Group welcomes the convening of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) held in Sevilla in June/July 2025, and therefore looks forward to the implementation of the commitments contained within the Compromiso de sevilla Declaration.

Mr. President,

The Group calls on the international community to seize the remaining years to 2030 to reshape global systems in ways that enable rather than constrain the development of the Global South. This includes recognizing the developmental aspirations of the majority of humanity - not the chosen few, and acting on the longstanding commitments of the international community.

We reaffirm that development is a right, not a privilege. Let us recommit to building a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world-for present and future generations. Our time to act is now!

Thank you.