Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

1. It gives me great pleasure to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. At the outset, allow me, on behalf of the Group, to extend our heartfelt congratulations to you and other members of the Bureau on your election. We are confident that under your wise leadership, the Committee will have a successful outcome. The Group of 77 and China wishes to assure you of its full cooperation and support during the deliberations of this session.

2. We thank the Secretary-General for the reports submitted under agenda item 27: Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, which will contribute to enrich our discussions.

3. This year we commemorated the fifteenth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development which constituted a landmark in the development agenda. Indeed, the three major pillars of the Summit, namely eradication of poverty, promotion of full employment and decent work , and social integration, remain the key priority areas of social development and are critical to the attainment of all internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

4. There is no doubt that achievements have been made in social development over the past 15 years. In 1995, the World Programme of Action for Youth set forth a global agenda for youth. The International Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted by the World Assembly on Ageing in 2002, led to several areas of progress in the well-being of older persons. In 2006, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the rights of indigenous peoples are being more widely recognized in large measure. Finally, in 2006 the General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol which entered into force in May 2008.

5. Despite the progress made, it has been uneven and disappointing. Hence, the world is still far away from achieving the commitments made at Copenhagen.

6. For the first time in history, there are over 1 billion people suffering from hunger most of them in developing countries. In addition, there are still 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty. Moreover, the number of the unemployed reached a peak of 212 million at the beginning of 2010. Furthermore, lack of access to basic services, coupled with inequality, marginalization, conflict, instability and discrimination, continue to impede progress towards social development.

7. Challenges and obstacles to achieving social development are further compounded by the multiple inter-related and mutually exacerbating current global crises, in particular the world financial and economic crisis, the energy crisis, the food crisis and continuing food insecurity and the challenges posed by climate change which have major negative implications for social development and negative impact on the progress made in achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

8. In the light of the continuing challenges on the achievement of social development goals and the adverse social impacts of multiple crises, the implementation of the commitments made at the Summit becomes even more urgent than ever before. In this context, the Group of 77 and China reaffirms its commitment to implement the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the Summit and the further initiatives for social development adopted by the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth special session.
        
9. We must be committed to fulfill our obligations in conformity with international law through taking further collective and concrete actions to remove all obstacles to the full realization of the rights of peoples living under foreign occupation, which continue to adversely affect their economic and social development, and are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and must be combated and eliminated.

10. We welcome the proclamation of the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding (12 August 2010-11 August 2011) and call on all countries and relevant stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector and international cooperation agencies, to participate actively in all activities related to the year.

11. Several activities have been undertaken by the international community in support of objectives of the International Year of the Family proclaimed in 1994. The 20th anniversary of the IYF in 2014 is on the horizon, necessitating the efforts and initiatives of Governments, the United Nations system and civil society to ensure the further promotion, actual realization and continuous implementation of the mandated objectives of the International Year of the Family. In this context, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to the preparations for the observance of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family during the 49th Session of the Commission for Social Development and the 66th session of the General Assembly.

12. The Secretary-General's report on the follow-up of the Second World Assembly on Ageing as well as the report on the current status of the social situation, well being, development and rights of older persons, confirm that the number of persons 60 and over is increasing at an unprecedented pace, anticipated to rise by over 250 million just in the next ten years. They present us with the tip of this iceberg, indicating that much more is needed to be done and emphasize that this is a pressing issue that requires the immediate attention of the international community.

13. Following the practice of previous sessions, the Group of 77 and China will submit under this agenda item two draft resolutions entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly" and "Follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing". We are looking forward to the valuable contributions and support of all member states.

14. The Group emphasizes the need for a strengthened and scaled-up global partnership for development, based on the recognition of national leadership and ownership of development strategies. In this context, international cooperation must be promoted, including fulfillment of commitment of internationally agreed official development assistance, debt relief, market access, capacity-building, technology transfer and technical support.

15. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to having a successful session with a productive outcome that contributes to achieving our mutual goals in the field of social development.

I thank you.