Distinguished Co-facilitators,

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

First, the Group would like to thank you for convening this important meeting on the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals.
Before I start responding to the questions raised in the Co-facilitators' letter dated 21 April 2010, I would like to underline the following:

First, this submission of the Group is a preliminary articulation of the Group's positions on the issues you have raised and is without prejudice to the contribution that the Group will make in due course.
Second, as there is no "one-size-fits-all" formula, the Group considers it extremely important that national ownership and leadership of the development process, including the formulation of MDGs achievement strategies, must be preserved and ensured.

What should be the structure of the Outcome Document?

Intergovernmental negotiations on the Outcome Document must be conducted in an open and transparent manner.
The structure of the outcome document should be guided by General Assembly resolution 64/184 dated 21 December 2009, in particular OP3 (successes, best practices and lessons learned, obstacles and gaps, challenges and opportunities and concrete strategies for action).

What should be the overall message of the Outcome Document in terms of the progress made to date as well as major remaining challenges and obstacles?

The Outcome Document must reiterate long-standing commitments to MDGs as building block to international development goals with a concomitant provision of resources to address the challenges faced particularly by those countries which are lagging behind in meeting MDGs.

We believe that MDGs are achievable. However, at current trends most developing countries stand to miss many of their MDG targets. Timely attainment of MDG is possible provided, inter alia:

a) Commitment-delivery gap in terms of resource flow is immediately bridged through quantification and benchmarking of targets under MDG 8 with a follow up and monitoring mechanism in place.

b) International environment becomes favorable to developing countries and international partnership is scaled-up particularly in the areas of ODA, trade, debt sustainability, FDI and transfer of technology, affordability of medicine, etc.

c) Additional resources are provided to meet the emerging challenges such as climate change, and challenges emanated from multiple crises -food, energy and economic and financial.

d) National leadership and ownership should guide the development process and the international development policies and assistance must be aligned with national priorities

e) Centrality of the UN as a legitimate multilateral organization in advancing all development issues in the world, including MDGs, is underscored and translated into action with Bretton Woods Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks and other international institutions playing a complimentary role.

f) Interrelationship and mutually reinforcing nature of all MDGs are acknowledged and action plan is developed accordingly. While eradication of poverty and hunger must be viewed as an ethical, political, economic and social imperative, the attainment of MDGs 1-7 is critically dependent on MDG 8.

g) The poorest and vulnerable people and countries facing impediments and constraints must receive focused attention.

How should we define the action agenda to achieve the MDGs by 2015 and should this be structured around the eight MDGs?

Before commenting on this question, may I seek clarifications from our distinguished Co-facilitators on their understanding about this question?

Based on our understanding of this question, we feel that the action agenda should be focused and built upon the 8 MDG.

We have seen that wherever progress has been made towards meeting MDGs it has been possible only with combined efforts of national commitment, effective programmes, resources and international support. In order to support national efforts of developing countries, especially LDCs and other vulnerable countries, scaling-up MDG 8 is critically important for the achievement of the MDGs Sustainability of MDGs will eventually hinge on the sustained economic growth and sustainable development of a country. Hence, the international community must strike a right balance in mobilizing resources both for social sector development and sustained economic growth aimed at building productive capacity in a long-term perspective.

How will we define the clear and targeted interventions which we hope will make a change in the current trajectory of achievements?

The Group is still reflecting on how to address this question as well as the next question because these questions demand substantive inputs that go well beyond our comments on the structure of the Outcome Document. However, I would like to make preliminary comments on both questions

The action agenda should contain concrete yet detailed strategies and measures to achieve MDGs both at national and international levels. Unequivocal political commitment at the global level and matching flow of resources will be particularly critical to accelerating the progress on the action agenda.

It is important to reconcile a vision analyzing each MDG in particular with a holistic vision of all the Millennium Development Goals. The two approaches are complementary and necessary, since the design and application of policies focused on the MDGs require high-impact specific actions integrated in a national strategy providing them with an appropriate framework of coherence and sustainability.

How should we reflect the need to transform or adjust policies, institutions and financial support in order to deliver on the promise of 2015?

International policies and support programmes should be aligned with the national needs and requirements.

Institutional reform, including at the international level, should be promoted to ensure institutional effectiveness in promoting global development agenda. As stressed earlier, the UN must play a catalytic role in promoting international development.

I thank you.