Madam Chair,

1. I have the honor of delivering this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and in that capacity, I would like to express our congratulations to you and the members of the Bureau on your election. The Group commits its full support and cooperation to the success of your work.

2. The world continues to face complex challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn and the existential threat of climate change, among others. The intersection of these challenges has reversed progress towards the 2030 Agenda and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly for developing countries.

3. In that context, the Group reaffirms its commitment to fulfilling the goals and objectives of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted at the World Summit for Social Development, and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, especially poverty eradication, promotion of full and productive employment, and the fostering of social inclusion.

4. In view of the current present circunstances, the priority theme of the 61st session of the Commission on Social Development is timely, as part of the collective efforts of the international community to achieve the SDGs. It is essential to work towards creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

5. In that spirit, it is clear that unprecedented times call for an unprecedented response from the international community based on responsibility sharing and global solidarity. There is an imperative need for North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation, to support national efforts to promote full and productive employment, and to realize the commitments made in Copenhagen Declaration as well as those contained in the 2030 Agenda.

6. We must enable developing countries to promote full and productive employment for all, and achieve the SDGs. Developing countries need financial support of at least $3.3 to $ 4.5 trillion per year to achieve SDGs within the given timeline.

7. To that end, we reaffirm the paramount importance of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in supporting the sustainable development needs of developing countries, in particular countries in special situations and those facing specific challenges, and we urge developed countries to fulfill their unmet ODA commitments.

8. Developing countries require fiscal space to provide social protection and universal health coverage to their populations. We encourage International Financial Institutions to support global efforts towards sustainable development, food security and debt long-term sustainability.

9. The international structures of finance, production and trade must be made fairer and equitable. Otherwise, the overall aim of leaving no one behind, set forth in the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, will not be fulfilled.

10. In the same line, the imposition of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries does not contribute to economic and social development, and undermine efforts towards creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

11. Creating full and productive employment and decent work for all also requires equal access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, including vocational and skills training, to help workers to be more resilient to shocks and ensure sustainable employment opportunities. It is also important to recover learning losses during COVID-19, as distance learning is not an option for at least 80 million students in low- and middle-income countries. This reality reflects the urgent need to close the digital divide as a matter of priority, and invest in early childhood education and care to reduce child poverty and breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty.

12. On the other hand, recovering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will not be possible for developing countries without ensuring global and equitable access to safe, timely and effective COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and medicines.

13. Finally, the Group wishes to stress that efforts towards creating full and productive employment and decent work for all should contribute to the eradication of poverty. The Group is convinced that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, remains the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.

I thank you.