Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the agenda item 141 entitled "Pattern of conferences".

2. The Group thanks Mr. Ricardo Alves, Chair of the Committee on Conferences, and Ms. Cherith Ann Norman, Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management for introducing their respective reports. We appreciate the Committee's work during its September session and consider its proposed draft resolution a useful basis for our deliberations.

3. We express our deep appreciation to the Department's staff for sustaining high-quality multilingual conference services despite continued liquidity constraints. Their professionalism and adaptability remain indispensable to the functioning of intergovernmental bodies. Multilingualism is a core value of the United Nations, and the equal treatment of all six official languages must be fully upheld.

Mr. Chair,

4. The Group stresses that efficiency measures, including those pursued under the UN80 Initiative, must safeguard the sovereign equality and full, effective and unhindered participation of all Member States. Changes to conference management policies require approval by the relevant intergovernmental bodies. Member States must be consulted on initiatives affecting conference services and facilities, with particular attention to the needs of smaller delegations.

5. We remain concerned about the impact of liquidity constraints on meeting arrangements, recruitment, training and outreach. The continued delivery of services should not obscure the pressures on staff or the accumulation of documentation backlogs. Adequate resources must be provided to fulfil approved mandates, including the issuance of verbatim and summary records, as the only official records of the meetings of United Nations bodies.

6. The Group notes the proposed trial of triennial consideration of the pattern of conferences, while retaining annual sessions for the calendar and other necessary matters. Any adjustment must preserve effective intergovernmental oversight and the Committee's ability to address urgent concerns promptly. We attach importance to transparent reporting and the review envisaged at the eighty-fourth session.

7. We welcome continued compliance with the simultaneous issuance of reports in all mandated official languages. However, recurring delays in documentation for the Fifth Committee remain a concern. Author departments must meet submission deadlines, and urgent budgetary and administrative documents must receive priority. Timely access to complete documentation in all official languages is essential for delegations to prepare their positions and engage meaningfully in negotiations.

8. The Group acknowledges the efficiencies achieved through workload-sharing, integrated global management and technological innovation. Artificial intelligence must remain subject to adequate human oversight and rigorous quality controls. The expertise of language professionals is irreplaceable. New tools must respect linguistic specificities and parity among official languages, and productivity gains must not compromise accuracy or the quality of services.

Mr. Chair,

9. We remain concerned about recruitment and retention challenges in language services, particularly in New York and Nairobi. We encourage timely competitive examinations, strategic workforce planning and stronger partnerships with training institutions. Outreach must expand opportunities for qualified candidates from developing regions, especially Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, to strengthen geographical diversity and sustain the pool of language professionals.

10. The Group underlines the importance of conference services for regional and other major groupings of Member States. These meetings are essential to coordination and effective participation in intergovernmental processes. We encourage advance planning, timely notification of service availability and the reassignment of unused resources wherever possible. Priority in the use of conference rooms must continue to be accorded to meetings of Member States.

11. We welcome the measures taken to improve accessibility, including accessible seating, Braille printing and sign language services. Further efforts must ensure that persons with disabilities can participate fully across all duty stations. We also welcome progress on the Nairobi conference facilities project and emphasize the need to address their deteriorating condition and limited capacity while ensuring continuity of services during implementation.

12. The Group recalls the importance of adhering to the administrative guidelines governing the use of United Nations premises. All meetings, conferences, special events and exhibits hosted on those premises must be consistent with the purposes and principles of the Organization. All persons attending or involved in any capacity in a UN system event are expected to behave with integrity and respect towards all participants.

13. The Group of 77 and China remains committed to engaging constructively to ensure that conference services are adequately resourced, accessible and responsive to Member States' needs, while preserving multilingualism and supporting the effective work of the United Nations.

Thank you.