Excellencies, Co-Chairs,

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

2. At the outset, allow me to congratulate both of you, Her Excellency Ms. Carolyn Schwalger, Permanent Representative of New Zealand, and His Excellency Mr. Brian Wallace, Permanent Representative of Jamaica, on your appointment as Co-Chairs of the informal Ad Hoc Working Group on the mandate implementation review under Workstream II of the UN80 Initiative. The Group looks forward to working closely with you, and we welcome that our first meeting is dedicated to setting the tone of the process.

3. The Group views the UN80 Initiative as an important step towards strengthening the role of the United Nations in addressing global challenges. We stress that any proposals under this Initiative and its three workstreams must fully respect the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the intergovernmental nature of the Organisation. The UN80 process should reinforce not dilute multilateralism, ensure equitable participation of all Member States, and address the priorities and concerns of developing countries.

4. The Group reaffirms the importance of learning from past experiences to avoid repeating previous mistakes. The earlier exercise, conducted about two decades ago, required significant effort but yielded limited results. In this regard, the Group requests a detailed briefing by the Secretariat on that process, which extended over several years. It would further assist in ensuring that the informal Ad Hoc Working Group fully benefits from prior lessons learned.

5. It is therefore crucial to build on the outcomes of every review process undertaken so far, in order to prevent duplication of efforts in a process that is itself aimed at avoiding redundancy. We must build upon what has already been agreed to ensure our collective efforts are not wasted.

6. The Group underlines three guiding principles: first, the spirit of consensus; second, Member-State-driven decision-making; and third, maintaining balance among the three pillars of the United Nations, with development as the priority.

7. The Group underscores the importance of ensuring that the establishment and work plan of the Ad Hoc Working Group are conducted in a manner that allows for meaningful and inclusive deliberations. We therefore support adopting a flexible timeline for its meetings, taking into account the concerns of Member States, particularly given that the main segment of the General Assembly is already a period of intense engagement across the Plenary and its six Main Committees. Such flexibility would help create a more conducive environment for constructive discussions and allow all delegations to participate effectively, including smaller ones.

8. Further, the Group underscores the importance of ensuring that negotiations and decision-making processes are conducted in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner, through established intergovernmental arrangements, norms, and procedures. We trust that the future consideration of such important matters will be pursued on the basis of broad consultations, consensus, and shared ownership among all Member States.

9. The Group of 77 and China will also submit written responses to the Co-Chairs' guiding questions, underscoring our readiness to engage substantively in the next stages of the process.

10. To conclude, the Group of 77 and China stresses that this first meeting is an important opportunity to set a constructive tone, and to help shape a positive spirit for this process. The Group reiterates its commitment to engage constructively, and to ensure that this process remains inclusive, transparent, and efficient, with the full participation of all Member States.

I thank you.