Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The Group would like to thank Mr. Chandru Ramanathan, Controller and Assistant Secretary-General and Mr. Abdallah Bachar Bong, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions for introducing their respective reports.

2. At the outset, we express our deepest gratitude to the Government of Cambodia for its support to the work of the Chambers. The Group appreciates the substantial progress made by the Extraordinary Chambers towards fulfilling its mandate and, in this regard, we commend its judicial officials and staff for their commitment despite challenging circumstances.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Group welcomes the completion of the judicial proceedings in all cases before the Extraordinary Chambers in the year. We remain seized with the efficient and effective operation of the Chambers. We recall that by its resolution 77/263, the Assembly reaffirmed the high priority accorded to the Work of the Chambers. As such, we continue to stress that ensuring adequate and sustainable financing for them remains a priority for the Group.

4. The Group commends Cambodia for its commitment to provide in-kind contributions and the majority of funding of the national component over the past eight years, particularly full funding of the national budget in 2023. We further commend Member States who have provided extra-budgetary resources towards the important work of the Chambers. However, we remain concerned over the persistent financial challenges facing the Chambers despite various fundraising efforts. In particular, we note that voluntary contributions have steadily decreased over the years from 65 per cent of the approved 2015 budget to 31 per cent of the approved budget in 2023. The Group strongly encourages the Secretary-General to continue with his efforts in mobilizing the necessary funds, through voluntary contributions from Member States, to fulfil the persistent funding gaps for the Chambers.

Mr. Chair,

5. We note that the Extraordinary Chambers have entered into the residual phase, which is envisaged to initially last three years. It remains critical for the international community to guarantee that the Chambers have the necessary financial means to ensure full accountability for the crimes perpetrated during the former Khmer Rouge regime and completion of their residual functions, including dissemination of information and management of their archives in line with international standards. A financial failure of the Chambers would constitute a renewed tragedy in the quest for justice of the people of Cambodia, who have waited for decades for these efforts to reach belated fruition and would constitute a serious setback to the international community's fight against impunity.

6. In this regard, the Group supports the Secretary-General's proposal to supplement the extra-budgetary resources for the year 2024, which we trust will be considered positively during our deliberations. The Group has also studied the recommendations contained in the report of the ACABQ and we will provide our comments and queries on the proposed way forward during our informal consultations.

7. In conclusion, Mr. Chair, the Group would like to assure you of our commitment to work constructively with all delegations on this agenda item.

I thank you.