Madam Chair,

1- I have the honor to present the following considerations on behalf of G77 and China, on the non-paper on improving methods of work of the Second Committee.

2- Allow me at the outset to welcome the initiative taken by your Excellency in your capacity as the Chairperson of the Second Committee of the Sixty-fifth session of the General assembly.

3- G77 and China understands that the current exercise is essentially procedural in nature. Given that the procedural discussions could have implications in the substantive work of the Second Committee, all due care is necessary. In this understanding, we do not favor initiatives that may affect the prominence of Second Committee and its stance comparing to other Main Committees. We need to improve our working methods, where there is room for improvement.

4- The mandates of the Committee emanate from the will of the UN membership and should not be the object of this exercise. The G77 and China does not believe it is necessary to adopt a recommendation to the GA as suggested by this non-paper. If needed, we prefer a set of internal recommendations for making the work of the Committee more efficient and rationalizing working methods.

Madam Chair,

5- The G-77 and China reiterates the importance of maintaining the general debate as a way to allow all delegations to express their views on the topics of the Committee and present their priorities before the beginning of the session. It is the legitimate right of every Member State to address the Committee on issues under its remit, in accordance with the rules of procedure of the GA. Furthermore, we consider that the general debate gives depth to resolutions that will come up later.

6- On the other hand, we are open to possible reviewing of its format to make it more effective. In particular, we believe that current time limits for speakers for both groups and individual delegations in the general debate can be reviewed and better compliance with time limits can further be encouraged. We consider that this revision is part of the prerogatives of the Bureau, in accordance with the established practice and with the assistance of the Secretariat.

7- We also believe that debates per agenda items should be maintained, as a way to allow delegations to express their views on specific topics, as well as to express their opinions on the SG reports prepared under the agenda items. However, we believe that there is room for further improvement on the format of those debates and we could explore possibilities on how to rationalize the discussions, including through more interactive and dynamic debates.

Madam Chair,

8- As expressed in the non-paper, the G-77 is traditionally responsible for the submission of most of the draft resolutions to the Committee, which demands a very important effort by the Group.

9- The suggestion to make consultations outside the Group, as part of the preparation of the draft texts, is not acceptable. It would only hamper and complicate the process further.

10- It is also the right of the Group to decide on what kind Of text to present to the Committee, including its content. Therefore, the suggestion to present "less detailed" texts would impinge on the rights of the G77 and China.

11- Putting limits on the length of the draft proposals seems impractical. It is not clear what should be considered as brief and what as elaborated.

12- A similar call could be made to partners to exercise restraint when presenting counterproposals, since many "detailed" text come frequently from their side, with the consequent delay in the negotiation process.

13- The Group does not favor a too strict way to apply the deadlines for submission of the draft proposals, taking into account the considerable amount of time the G-77 needs to spend to be able to submit them. However, we could agree to discuss more realistic deadlines that take into account the complexities of the draft proposals to be negotiated. For instance, the more complex issues could have later deadlines to allow for the necessary internal consultations.

14- This is not the first time that the Committee discusses issues related to the rationalization of the agenda, and it has proven to be one of the more complex topics to be addressed, since all agenda items currently considered are of great importance. Currently the Group is studying possible options to try to further rationalize the agenda of the Committee, including with regards to the biennalization and trienalization of agenda items. This exercise needs to be done carefully, on a case by case basis, with clear reasoning, and always based on the willingness of interested delegations to accept the proposed modifications. However, it should be made clear that this exercise cannot be conducted to the detriment of the right of all Member States to table new proposals to the Committee for introduction of additional agenda items or new draft resolutions under the current ones, as stated in the Rules of Procedure, albeit without resulting in less actual time to discuss each agenda item.

Madam Chair,

15- We agree to continue the practice of organizing panel discussions and other interactive events, as part of the work or the Committee. However, these events should not be too many, to avoid unnecessary overloading of the Committee's work. The topics could be selected on the basis of the Bureau's recommendations, in consultation with Member States, and they need to be closely related with the topics of the Committee, so as to make sure they are indeed relevant to our work. On the selection of key-note speakers, we reiterate that there's a need for appropriate balance between experts from the North and the South, coming from different intellectual backgrounds.

16- We do not favor substituting the debates per agenda item with the above mentioned interactive discussions that sometimes do not allow for a focused exchange of views among delegations on the topics at hand, including the examination of the relevant SG reports.

17- It is not necessary to decide on a new agenda item to consider the working methods of the Committee, since as noted in the non-paper, this issue can be considered under the existing agenda item entitled Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. Although we consider important the consideration of these issues by the Committee, we do not feel necessary to discuss it on a yearly basis.

18- Finally, the G77 and China requests clarification with regards to the issue raised under the subtitle "Mandated activity". While the General Assembly resolution 64/301 has requested recommendations, it is a prerogative of each Committee to present proposals on these issues. We do not consider it necessary to enter into a long and complex process of negotiation with regard to matters pertaining the rationalization of the agenda since a parallel process of that nature would only contribute to further delays in our work, further overburdening the agenda of the Second Committee.

I thank you.