Mr. President,

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

2. Let me express the Group's appreciation to you, Mr. President, for submitting the Outcome Document of the Special Event to follow up efforts made towards achieving the MDGs, and for its adoption today by the General Assembly.

3. I wish to also convey the Group's appreciation to the Co-Facilitators of the consultation process for this Outcome Document, the Permanent Representatives of South Africa and Ireland, whose tireless efforts and commitment have ensured that we arrive successfully at this important occasion today.

4. We wish to underscore the importance of this Outcome Document, to us as G77 & China and to the General Assembly, in capturing our collective will as we move forward steadfastly towards achieving our development aspirations for this millennium. While the Millennium Development Goals were focused on developing countries, what has been outlined in the Outcome Document is intended to result in the formulation of a post-2015 development agenda that is applicable to all. The 'roadmap' set out in the Document ensures that the international community as a whole is involved and engaged throughout, in a transparent intergovernmental process, "to craft a strong post-2015 development agenda that builds on the foundations laid by the MDGs, complete the unfinished business and respond to new challenges."

5. During the Special Event, our leaders expressed the view that we should take advantage of this historical opportunity to reaffirm our collective political commitment and redouble our efforts to accelerate the achievement of the MDGs with a sense of urgency and determination. As we set our sights on the framework that will take us beyond 2015, it is important that we reaffirm our resolve that our work must remain guided by the principles and values enshrined in the Millennium Declaration, the outcome document of Rio+20, and the outcomes of all the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields.

6. We wish to also reiterate that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is of paramount importance as a guiding principle in crafting the future development agenda. As developing countries, we reaffirm our conviction that the new development agenda must take into account our differing national circumstances and development priorities.

Mr. President,

7. In line with the request reflected in paragraph 26 of the Outcome Document, that the PGA convenes in a timely manner, intergovernmental consultations to achieve agreement on organizational modalities for the Development Summit in 2015, I wish to express the G77 & China's readiness to work with you and our partners to make that a reality.

Thank you!