Madam Chairperson,

1. I have the honour to introduce on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, the draft resolution on the "Social Dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa's Development", E/CN.5/2013/L7 under agenda item 3.

2. The Group of 77 would like to express our appreciation to all delegations for their constructive contributions during the deliberations that led to the finalisation of this draft resolution. The Group would also like to express its appreciation to the delegation of Egypt, for their expertise in conducting deliberations on this draft resolution on behalf of the Group.

Madam Chair,

3. The resolution reaffirms the recognition and support of the UN membership for the progress in the implementation of NEPAD and the acknowledgement that there is still much that needs to be done.

4. Through NEPAD, the African Leaders have taken ownership and leadership and transformed the content of the development agenda.

5. The draft resolution is a follow-up to the progress which continues to be made on the social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). Therefore, it reflects the recent developments related to Africa's economic growth that contributes to reductions in poverty and job creation, as well as the significant gains that are being made, particularly in improving access to education and health.

6. The draft resolution highlights the challenges Africa faces regarding levels of unemployment, overwhelming poverty and rising inequality, as well as the gaps in the progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It also highlights ways of improving the effectiveness of the work of United Nations bodies, while preserving the social dimensions of NEPAD.

7. The draft resolution stresses the priorities of the African states, including those related to the external debt problems, technology transfer, commitments on official development assistance and greater international cooperation.It also emphasizes the responsibilities of both African states and their development partners and the international community.

Madam Chair,

8. Allow me to highlight some of the paragraphs, which I believe constitute the core of the draft resolution:

         The draft resolution encourages African countries and their development partners to place people at the centre of Government development action to secure core investment spending in health, education and social protection and to give particular consideration to universal access to basic social security systems, recognizing that social protection floors can provide a systemic base to address poverty and vulnerability, which is consistent with CSocD priority theme this year "EMPOWEMENT OF PEOPLE"

         The draft resolution invites intergovernmental efforts to continue to improve the coherence and effectiveness of the United Nations system in support of Africa and to preserve the examination of the social dimensions of NEPAD. In addition to the previously agreed commitments related to Africa's development needs that were made at major United Nations summits and conferences, and requests the United Nations system to support the Economic Commission for Africa and relevant partnerships in ensuring that the post-2015 development agenda takes into account Africa's social development priorities.

         It also welcomes the appointment of the new Special Adviser on Africa and requests the Secretary-General to continue to take measures to strengthen the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa in order to enable it to effectively fulfill its mandate, including monitoring and reporting on progress related to meeting the special needs of Africa.

Madam Chair

9. This draft resolution reflects the established positions of the Group with the inclusion of the concerns of other groups and partners. Against that backdrop, the Group of 77 would like to express its appreciation to our partners for their spirit of cooperation and collaboration during our consultations that enabled us to agree upon important issues addressed by this resolution. The G77 looks forward to the adoption of this resolution.

I Thank You.