Madam Chair,

1. I have the highest honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the organization of work of the Fifth Committee at the main part of the Eightieth Session of the General Assembly.

2. As we open our 80th session, I would like to begin by congratulating you, Madam Chair, and the members of the Bureau on your election. We are confident that, under your able leadership, the Fifth Committee will achieve its work in a spirit of cooperation, in a timely and successful outcome.

3. In the same vein, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Ambassador Egriselda Aracely González López, her team, and the outgoing Bureau that steered this Committee during the 79th session. We are grateful for the commitment they showed during their Chairmanship. We also extend our deepest gratitude to the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee, led by Mr. Lionel Berridge, for their great work in facilitating the work of this Committee.

4. The Group also wishes to thank the Chair and members of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for its invaluable contributions and support to our work.

5. We note that several reports have been made available and urge the Secretariat to finalize the remaining reports as early as possible. The delay in their timely provision significantly hinders the effective work of the Committee. The Group wishes to reiterate that adequate time should be given to each agenda item and that practical steps must be taken to ensure that reports from the Secretariat and the (ACABQ) are issued in all official languages in a timely fashion, in line with the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly and relevant resolutions to this effect.

6. This session comes at a particularly critical juncture. The agenda before us is both substantial and complex. In this regard, the Group reaffirms the role of the Fifth Committee as the sole Main Committee of the General Assembly entrusted with administrative, financial and budgetary matters.

7. The United Nations remains an intergovernmental Organization, and the Fifth Committee carries the responsibility of ensuring that it continuously reflects this foundational principle. The Secretariat operates in service of Member States, rather than as an independent entity. In this Context, the G77 and China in the Fifth Committee attaches great importance to fostering transparency, accountability, and fairness in the administrative proceedings at the UN. To this end, it is also of cardinal importance for the Group to achieve equitable geographical representation in the composition of the UN staff, which is not only in line with the UN Charter but also indispensable to attain a truly democratic Organization, with a multicultural and balanced Secretariat.

8. The Group will continue to attach great importance to the reports of Board of Auditors, the Joint Inspection Unit, and the Office of Internal Oversight Services. We believe that transparency, accountability and oversight are essential to strengthen trust in the Organization.

9. The Group remains firmly committed to strengthening true multilateralism and to ensuring that the United Nations is equipped with necessary resources to fully and effectively implement all its mandates while pursuing utmost efficiencies.

Madam Chair,

10. The Group underlines the extraordinary challenges of this session in considering the proposed programme budget for 2026. The revised estimates relating to the UN80 Initiative, covering almost the entire regular budget, will pose a challenge for the Fifth Committee. The Group stresses that any proposals under this Initiative must fully respect the purpose and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, as well as the intergovernmental nature of the organization and emphasizes that UN80 process must strengthen, not dilute multilateralism, ensure equitable participation of all Member states, and address the priorities and concerns of developing countries. We underline the need to examine the revised proposals with utmost care to ensure that no mandated activities be left un-or underfunded as a result of budgetary reductions.

Madam Chair,

11. The Group will continue to follow closely the management of the Support Account as well as the operations of the UN Logistics Base in Brindisi and Regional Services Center in Entebbe.

12. The Group reaffirms the critical role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination(CPC), which should only be strengthened. We would like to call your attention to the mandates enshrined in resolution 77/254, on agenda item Programme Planning. This resolution, in its paragraph 12, decided that the incoming Presidents of the General Assembly and the Chairs of the Fifth Committee shall reach out to and support the Chairs of the Main Committees to ensure these bodies consider the programmes without recommendations from the CPC, as appropriate, and that conclusions and recommendations on these programmes are issued on time.

Madam Chair,

13. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China reaffirms its commitment to engage constructively in the negotiations, in the spirit of consensus and compromise, and we hope that all delegations will do likewise.

14. We underscore that negotiations must be conducted in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner, and that consensus remains essential for the successful discharge of the Committee's responsibilities and for ensuring that the United Nations is provided with the resources required to carry out its mandates.

I thank you, Madam Chair.