Co-Facilitators,

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

2. First, I would like to thank you for convening this open consultation to discuss the elements for the draft outcome document for the Special Event to follow up efforts towards achieving the MDGs, which you have produced for our consideration. We welcome this opportunity to exchange views on the draft outcome document of such an important event.

Co- Facilitators,

3. The Group of 77 and China concurs with your view and the strong calls, as expressed by members on the meeting of 6 June, that the primary focus of the Special Event and its outcome must be on MDG progress and acceleration. While acknowledging the many achievements in various MDGs over the past decade, we are cognisant of the gaps and unevenness in achieving these development goals. The Special Event is the last chance and most opportune time for our political leaders, at the highest political level, to seize the opportunity to collectively renew their political commitments and rededicate us all to achieving the MDGs by 2015. We reiterate our strong call to address the implementation gaps of the MDGs and the poverty agenda over the next two years as we elaborate a roadmap towards a post-2015 development agenda. At the heart of this renewed effort is the urgent need to leverage an enhanced global partnership to accelerate MDG implementation.

Co-Facilitators,

4. The Group of 77 strongly holds the view that the shared desire for a concise outcome document should not mean we sacrifice substance nor move away from proclaimed commitments. We are concerned that the elements of focus on individual MDGs have been selective and misleading at times. For example, MDG8 is a goal in itself, but this important MDG was inadequately captured in the text of the draft outcome document. The eradication of poverty must remain the overarching objective of the MDGs and ODA must continue to play an essential central role in this endeavour, complemented by other sources of financing for development.

5. The Group of 77 is also very concerned about the omission of means of implementation from the draft outcome document, as well as what we see as a wrong focus, along with the inclusion of new elements under individual goals. Instead of conveying the aspirational message to the world that all States are working collaboratively with the UN system and other stakeholders to seriously address the implementation gaps of the MDGs, the way we see it, the draft outcome document does not provide a sense of urgency by our political leaders to intensify and renew their political commitments, with action-oriented proposals of concrete measures, to save and accelerate the achievement of the MDGs.

Co-facilitators

6. The Group of 77 and China reiterates its position that the unfinished business of the MDGs must remain an integral and central task of the post-2015 development agenda, with poverty eradication remaining the overarching goal. While we elaborate on the post-2015 development agenda, we must also take into account the silo processes that are taking place in the UN, with a view to bringing convergence of these processes under a single set of UN development goals, without prejudging the outcomes of the various negotiations.

7. In order to ensure the post-2015 development agenda is Member State driven, it is imperative that the UN system engages all States in the process. The Group of 77 reiterates its call for our political leaders to use the Special Event to give a political mandate to officially launch the intergovernmental process in the formulation of the post-2015 development agenda. This political mandate is urgently required, and can only be achieved through an inter-governmentally agreed outcome, to lay out a roadmap to bring States from September 2013 to the point of adoption of a new agenda at the 2015 development summit.
 
8. Finally, the Group of 77 and China, in a constructive spirit, wishes to submit, through this open consultation, a draft resolution for the Special Event of the General Assembly to facilitate the adoption of the modalities for this important event. In view of the great importance we place on this Special Event, the Group is also working on a concise complementary text on the essential elements of the draft outcome document, to be ready by the end of the week. We look forward to engaging constructively with all relevant stakeholders in this process to ensure a meaningful Special Event on 25 September 2013.

I thank you, Co-facilitators.