Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

1.- It is an honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China as we begin our discussion on this important issue: poverty eradication.

2.- Firstly, allow me to extend, on behalf of the Group, our warmest congratulations to you and, through you, to the other members of the Bureau, on your election to the 49th session of the Commission for Social Development. The Group of 77 and China wishes to assure you of its full support and cooperation.

3.- I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for the report on poverty eradication submitted under agenda item 3a, which will certainly contribute to enrich our discussions on the matter.

Mr. Chairman,

4.- Sixteen years after the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen, poverty is still a major challenge for all Governments and the United Nations system. Poverty eradication is one of the three interconnected pillars of the Copenhagen Declaration, and the Group of 77 and China remains fully committed to the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the Summit, as well as to the further initiatives for social development adopted by the General Assembly, including the Millennium Development Goals.

5.- Despite the progress made since the World Summit for Social Development, much more needs to be done to achieve our mutual goals in the field of social development. In the view of the Group of 77 and China, poverty is a complex problem involving a set of economic as well as social development issues that cannot be solved automatically through economic growth only. We must place people at the centre of development, as recognized by the principles and goals of the Copenhagen Declaration and promote actions aimed at fostering pro-poor growth and social protection.
 
6.- In this context, the Group of 77 and China is deeply concerned about the constraints on our fight against poverty arisen from current global crises, in particular the world financial and economic crisis, the world food crisis and continuing food insecurity, the energy crisis and the challenges posed by climate change.

7. - Since the proclamation of the International Year of the Family in 1994, the international community has undertaken a range of activities and commitments in support of its objectives. Further efforts and initiatives of Governments, the United Nations system and civil society are necessary to ensure the further promotion and continuous implementation of the mandated objectives of the International Year of the Family. The twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2014 is on the horizon. In this context, the Group of 77 and China will present a draft resolution on the Preparation for and observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family to set the grounds for the preparations of this important anniversary.

8.- As population ageing continues, with its positive effects and its challenges, we must prepare to better respond to this new reality, including it in the context of our efforts to eradicate poverty. The implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action is seminal, and we trust the recent resolution adopted by the General Assembly on an initiative by the Group of 77 and China will be an added contribution to its implementation. We are looking forward to discussing the most appropriate ways and means of achieving the development, well-being and full enjoyment of all human rights of older persons as well as the preparations for the second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action.

9.- The Group of 77 and China would like to stress once again the importance of surmounting obstacles to the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination, in particular of peoples living under colonial or other forms of alien domination or foreign occupation, which adversely affect their social and economic development.

Mr. Chairman,

10.- While recognizing the primary responsibility of each Member State with regard to the well-being of its nationals, which certainly includes the design and implementation of domestic policies aimed at eradicating poverty, it must be also recognized that in many cases these efforts at a national level cannot be enough by themselves to tackle the problem of poverty.

11.- This situation is recognized in the General Assembly Resolution 64/216 on the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017), which I will quote: "…increased effective national efforts should be complemented by concrete, effective and supportive international programmes, measures and policies aimed at expanding the development opportunities of developing countries…" Moreover, operative paragraph 11 of that resolution: " recognizes that sustained and inclusive economic growth is essential for eradicating poverty and hunger, in particular in developing countries, and stresses that national efforts in this regard should be complemented by an enabling international environment".

12.- We must address the causes of poverty, especially those on which United Nations can take effective action. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China believes that special attention must be brought to the structural roots of poverty in the international system hindering the efforts of the developing countries in their fight against poverty. I am sure the discussions to be held these days at the Commission will prove to be an effective contribution to this end.

13.- As it has been repeated for a long time, poverty eradication cannot be successfully achieved without the collective commitment and efforts of the international community. Therefore, international cooperation based on the recognition of national leadership and ownership of development strategies must be enhanced, including fulfillment of commitment of internationally agreed official development assistance, debt relief, market-access, capacity-building and technical support. We also recognize the contributions of South-South cooperation to the efforts of developing countries to eradicate poverty and to pursue sustainable development.

14.- As set forth in its Charter, one of the purposes of the United Nations is "to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character". Poverty is indeed an international problem of a social as well as economic, cultural, environmental and humanitarian character. Therefore, the Group of 77 and China hopes we will be able, through the in-depth analysis and discussions in this Commission, to better understand the roots of poverty at the international level in order to address them in a more effective manner.

Thank you.