As the largest end-to-end UN development organization, UNDP is a crucial partner in enhancing and accelerating assistance to developing countries in implementing their respective sustainable development priorities and supporting their efforts to achieve them through collaboration with the Resident Coordinators.

The Group of 77 and China reiterates its grave concern about the decline by 23.1% in official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, the largest fall on record, and by 24 % in the case of UNDP's core funding over the same period. The Group extends its appreciation to all Member States that continue to provide its financial support to UNDP, and reiterates its longstanding call for a significant increase in core contributions, urging all development partners to reverse the current trajectory by providing adequate, predictable, and flexible funding, which is indispensable to achieving the Strategic Plan's objectives.

As you yourself have put it, Mr. Administrator, development is the smartest long-term investment we can make. To make the returns on that investment more visible, the Group sees value in the continuous enhancement of the assessment of results and impact at country level, while promoting transparency and accountability, within existing means and without additional cost to programme countries.

With less than 9 per cent of system funding flowing through pooled mechanisms last year, well short of the 30 per cent Funding Compact target, the Group acknowledges the need to continue to work to rebuild donor confidence and mobilize adequate, predictable and sustainable financing to meet the priorities of developing countries.

As we approach the final years for implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Group of the 77 and China stresses that the United Nations development system must intensify its support to programme countries to accelerate progress in line with their national priorities. This requires strengthened multilateral cooperation, fulfillment of official development assistance commitments, enhanced access to concessional financing, debt sustainability measures, technology transfer and capacity-building support.

Mr. Administrator,

The Group of 77 and China reiterates its general support to the UN80 initiative and 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. The Group is of the view that any reform must be Member State-led, transparent and inclusive, and should place the views, needs, and priorities of programme countries at its centre and should not jeopardize the long-standing country-level work carried out by UN development entities, including UNDP, with which developing countries have built long-standing relationships of trust since its establishment in 1965. With regard to the proposal to merge UNDP and UNOPS, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to receiving the information requested during the UN80 dialogue held last Monday 8 June to continue to analyze the merit of the different options presented in the UNDP and UNOPS joint assessment.

In addition, the Group considers any reform should remain fully aligned with the QCPR and the UNDS repositioning resolutions, which emphasize agile coordination, comparative advantage, and country-tailored models. Country Programme Documents should remain the core programmatic and oversight framework, together with National Cooperation Frameworks, and any institutional adjustments should not weaken the Board's ability to guide, monitor, and hold the system accountable for country-level results. These efforts should go hand in hand with a Resident Coordinator system, responsive to national priorities and circumstances, and fully aligned with the principles established by Member States in the QCPR.

Mr. Administrator,

Amid the multiple global crises we are currently facing, we wish to reiterate our Group's firm support for your efforts to restore trust in international cooperation and strengthen confidence in the development system through greater cost-efficiencies and stronger results and deliverables for Member States.

I thank you.

Co-facilitators,

2. The Group of 77 and China has remained committed to its foundational opposition to all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. As the core group that present he annual resolution on the follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action we have a demonstrated history of commitment and support for this seminal and fundamental process. The upcoming High-level meeting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action offers an important opportunity to reaffirm the milestone achievement of the DDPA, assess gaps in implementation and accelerate our collective efforts at combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.
  
3. The twenty-fifth anniversary of the meeting should enable Member States to reaffirm their strong commitment to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and strengthen global public support for the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Given the historic significance of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as a comprehensive framework and solid foundation for combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, the anniversary of its adoption should be celebrated and its visibility increased.

Co-facilitators,

4. The Group wishes to recognise the submission of the Report of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action un the title "Road map to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action" submitted last year in which the IGWG expressed the theme and proposed format for the meeting. We are pleased to note the theme "Mobilizing global public support for the full and effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action" is referenced in the guiding question.
 
5. We further wish to bring your attention to the format proposed by the inter-governmental working group of a plenary session and panels discussions. We would like to encourage this format and theme proposal is captured in the zero draft of the modalities and we maintain this is in line with the previous commemorative meeting held in 2021. We are considering some proposals for the themes for the roundtables/ panel discussion and will present them during the discussion on the modalities.

Co-Facilitators,

6. The Group wishes to emphasise the adoption of a political declaration is vital to this meeting and should reaffirm the central role of the United Nations in monitoring the implementation of the DDPA and in fostering international cooperation efforts. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action emphasizes human dignity and that equality and non-discrimination are fundamental principles of international human rights and international humanitarian law and are essential in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. It constitutes a holistic agenda that encompasses measures to improve education and awareness, to fight poverty and marginalization, and to secure inclusive development. Its relevance is further strengthened by the recognized nexus between combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

7. The declaration should be focused on strengthening the resolve of the international community to implement the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as agreed by consensus in 2001. The declaration should renew the global commitment to the effective implementation of the outcomes of Durban, as articulated in Durban and reflected in the successive review declarations and annual resolutions on it implementation. The group would encourage attention is given toward the need to eliminate all forms of persistent historical and structural inequalities, including by acknowledging, addressing and taking effective measures to remedy past tragedies and their consequences, and eradicate all forms of discrimination - as articulated in the Declaration on Future Generations and the DDPA. We also wish for the political declaration to centre on education on the history of racism and racial discrimination and the impact thereof and in this regard, we would welcome underscoring the important role of youth. It is a stain upon humanity that succeeding generations bear the burden of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, are robbed of their basic human rights and are prevented from attaining their true potential.

8. It is also important to recognise the modern elements impacting racism and racial discrimination and would encourage the declaration seek to combat this, whilst remaining grounded in the Durban Declaration and programme of action. As recognised in the most recent resolution on a Global Call to action, resolution 80/193, which mandated this very meeting and declaration.

9. The group would further wish to include the importance of widely distributing the text of Durban as recognised in the report of the Inter-governmental Working Group and requested by numerous resolutions on the implementation of the DDPA and would encourage a 25th anniversary commemoration print is prepared and distributed as part of the commemorations and may also include the updated Programme of Activities of the Second Decade of People of African Descent.

Co-facilitators,

10. We wish to conclude that the act of hosting this meeting and the adoption of focused and succinct declaration will be positive step in the global fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. Provided the text does not seek to re-define or re-determine the parameters and goals established in 2001. We remain deeply concerned about the alarming resurgence of all forms of racism in society and call upon States, in opposing all forms of racism, including hate-speech and religious intolerance, worldwide in line with Durban Declaration and Program of Action.

I thank you.

The Group of 77 and China welcomes this interactive dialogue, and wishes to reiterate its general support to the UN80 initiative and 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.

The Group supports efforts to reduce fragmentation, improve efficiency and strengthen delivery, while stressing that any structural reform must be Member State-led, evidence-based, transparent, and be supported by cost-benefit analyses and comprehensive risk assessments, with adequate time to clearly understand any operational implication.

The Group also wishes to emphasize that any reform proposal should not lead to the dilution of development mandates, nor jeopardize long-standing partnerships with UN development entities at the country-level, and should be guided by programme-country needs and national priorities and respect the different realities of field presences. The decisive test should be whether a reform improves efficiency and support to programme countries without disrupting the implementation of National Cooperation Frameworks and Country Programme Documents, ongoing projects and agreements.

With regard to the proposal to merge UNDP and UNOPS, the Group of 77 and China takes note of the Preliminary assessment of a potential merger between UNDP and UNOPS presented a few days ago, which includes 3 structural merger options and 2 alternatives to structural mergers.

Without prejudging the G77 and China and its Member States position, the Group notes that, in accordance with the reports and data provided, the option of creating a new merged entity appears to carry the highest legal, operational, financial and delivery risks, since it would require the dissolution of both UNDP and UNOPS and the renegotiation of legal, governance, regulatory and policy frameworks, country arrangements and funding agreements. At a time of tightening resources and rising development needs, the opportunity cost of prolonged institutional reconstruction should be carefully weighed, since transition financing and management attention could otherwise be directed to country-level delivery, including for SDG acceleration.

The Group of 77 and China would like to present the following questions:

1. The Group would welcome further clarification on the precise rationale for the proposed merger, including the primary challenge it is intended to address out of the objectives identified in the assessment.

2.Regarding the efficiency case for a merger, given the consolidated UNDP-UNOPS assessment provides two competing cost-recovery savings estimates, the Group would like to ask if the Secretariat could provide transparent and comparable data to Member States through independent verification, including to set out the assumptions behind these savings estimates and how we can prevent cross-subsidisation between the implementation arms.

3.How would it be ensured that any decision preserves UNDP's development mandate and country presence, including the Resident Representative function, nationally owned programming, and the continued implementation of Country Programme Documents, bearing in mind the significant value that UNDP brings to programme countries, as well as the long-standing relationships of trust it has built with national authorities since its establishment in 1965? Likewise, how would the preservation of UNOPS's distinct value as a provider of non-programmatic services be ensured?

4.What concrete gains could only be achieved through a structural merger, and could not be achieved through non structural options that ensure efficiencies through closer cooperation, shared services, data and expertise and joint planning? Furthermore, has the Secretariat assessed whether the projected efficiency gains would outweigh the operational, financial, and partnership risks identified, including in large programme countries where both organizations have substantial and potentially complementary engagements? In addition, could the Secretariat clarify the methodology used to arrive at the 5 per cent duplication estimate and provide country and sector-level evidence supporting this conclusion?

5.The consolidated UNDP-UNOPS assessment assumes that UNOPS' fee-for-service revenue can be added to UNDP's voluntary-funded base, while both the fee model and cost-recovery discipline remain intact. Can the Secretariat set out exactly how a merged entity would reconcile two different financial logics? Can you confirm if a hybrid "two-window" model is what is actually being proposed?

6.Could the Secretariat provide a country-level example showing how the country office setting would (a) handle a programmatic UNDP engagement and a fee-for-service UNOPS-type project simultaneously; (b) how the two cost-recovery rates will be applied; (c) how project selection between the two arms will be decided; and (d) how conflict of interest between advisory and implementation functions will be managed if it arises?

To finish, let me reassure you that the Group of 77 and China is aligned with the vision and ambition of the UN80 initiative, and it looks forward to receiving the information requested to continue to assess the merit of the different options presented in the UNDP and UNOPS joint assessment.