Mr. President,

1.I have the honor to deliver this intervention on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2.The Group appreciates the update provided by the Secretary-General, António Guterres, on the UN80 initiative, and takes note with appreciation of the latest progress report.

3.The Group wishes to reiterate its request that the relevant reports and presentations be provided to Member States in advance of these briefings in order to facilitate more substantive exchanges.

Mr. Secretary-General

4. At the outset, let me reaffirm the Group of 77 and China's strong support for you and for the UN80 initiative, as well as its overarching objective of achieving "a paradigm shift" in how the UN system organizes its work in order to deliver greater impact on the ground for the people we serve.

5. The Group recognizes that multilateralism and international cooperation face unprecedented challenges, and it remains firmly committed to the United Nations and its purposes and principles, as set out in the UN Charter.

6. The Group of 77 and China agrees with your report that the purpose of reform "is not change for the sake of change", and that, at this stage, the overall direction and scale of UN80 lie in the hands of Member States to determine. The Group remains firmly committed to engaging in all relevant deliberations actively and constructively, with the aim of ensuring that all processes are transparent and inclusive, thereby enabling a more effective, efficient, equitable, and truly representative United Nations system.

7. The Group also wishes to emphasize that any reform proposal should not lead to the dilution of development mandates, nor jeopardize long-standing country-level work carried out by UN development entities. Reform efforts should strengthen impact and delivery on the ground, be guided by a data-driven and evidence-based approach, and be supported by cost-benefit analyses, comprehensive risk assessments, and appropriate risk mitigation measures. Any structural adjustments should respond to clearly identified challenges and respect the operational realities of field presences. In this regard, the Group appreciates your report's recognition that a one-size-fits-all formula is inadequate given the diversity of national contexts.

8. Finally, the Group of 77 and China remains committed to continuing to engage constructively in the negotiations led by the Ad Hoc Working Group on mandate implementation review, in a manner that respects the diversity of mandates, governance structures, membership, as well as financial and administrative arrangements across the United Nations system.

I thank you.