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

Madam Chair,

Item 20 (a): Follow-up to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries

The Group of 77 and China reaffirms that the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) remain central to achieving the 2030 Agenda. LDCs face deep structural constraints, fragile productive capacities, weak infrastructure, and severe vulnerability to external shocks, climate change, pandemics, and volatile global conditions. Their sustainable development depends on a predictable and supportive international environment with adequate resources.

The Group reiterates its full support for the Doha Programme of Action (2022-2031) as a blueprint for structural transformation, productive capacity-building, equitable trade, resilience, and social inclusion. National leadership must be complemented by scaled-up and sustained international cooperation.

We urge partners to fulfill ODA commitments, allocating 0.15-0.20% of GNI to LDCs, and to expand concessional finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building. The Group also stresses the need for urgent reforms of the global financial architecture to enhance fairness, representation, and access for developing countries.

The Group supports the 2027 Midterm Review of the DPoA, which should renew political commitment, address gaps, and operationalize innovative tools, such as the Sustainable Graduation Support Facility, and strengthen OHRLLS to better serve LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS.

Item 21 (b): Follow-up to the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries

LLDCs continue to face unique structural challenges stemming from their lack of direct access to the sea, high transport and transit costs, and limited connectivity to global markets. These factors severely constrain trade, economic diversification, and industrialization.

The Group reiterates its full support for the Awaza Programme of Action for the Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024-2034, adopted by the General Assembly, and emphasizes the urgent need for strengthened international and regional partnerships to address these persistent obstacles. Priorities must include developing efficient transit corridors, expanding physical and digital infrastructure, promoting value addition and export diversification, and harnessing science, technology, and innovation as drivers of transformation.

We urge development partners to ensure the full implementation of all previous and new commitments to LLDCs through predictable financing, debt relief, technology transfer, and capacity-building support.

The Group reaffirms that South-South cooperation remains an indispensable complement to North-South cooperation and expresses its solidarity with LLDCs in implementing the Awaza Programme of Action.

Item 18: Implementation of the outcomes of the UN-Habitat

The Group firmly believes that cities and human settlements can be key drivers of sustainable development and further underlines the undeniable linkages between urban development, public health, social cohesion, and equitable access to opportunities and basic services.

In this regard, adequate, affordable and sustainable housing for all should be at the center of all efforts, together with universal and equitable access to basic services, including safe drinking water, sanitation, food security and nutrition, and social protection systems, as appropriate. These efforts should also contribute to the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, and to ending hunger, particularly in underserved and rapidly growing urban and peri-urban areas.

We are deeply concerned about the complex urban challenges we face and call for the urgent implementation of our commitments on sustainable urban development. To this end, strengthened international cooperation must remain a central pillar of our collective efforts.

Therefore, the Group reiterates the call for adequate, predictable, sustainable and accessible means of implementation for developing countries, including official development assistance, transfer of technology, technical assistance, and capacity building through strengthening national and local planning and implementation capacities. We commend the work of UN-Habitat and encourage developed countries and country donors to provide the resources to effectively support the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, particularly in developing countries.

The Group further emphasizes the adverse impact of unilateral economic, financial and trade measures that are not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, as they undermine the capacity of developing countries to achieve sustainable development.

The G77 and China further express its concern about the impacts of climate change and emphasize the need for sustainable and resilient urban development through stronger commitments to resilient and risk-informed urban development, including disaster risk reduction, climate finance for adaptation, resilience-building and integrated planning, while reaffirming the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, which remains essential to preserving the balance of the New Urban Agenda and to advancing sustainable development in a fair and effective manner.

Finally, the Group welcomes the convening of the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku from 17 to 22 May 2026, including the Ministerial Meeting on the New Urban Agenda and the inaugural Leaders' Summit, and their outcomes as relevant contributions to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and its midterm review process.

Madam Chair,

The Group of 77 and China reiterates that achieving sustainable urban development will require renewed political commitment, strengthened international cooperation and genuine partnerships among all stakeholders. Only through solidarity, cooperation and collective action will we be able to ensure that cities and human settlements become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable for present and future generations.