Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We would like to thank all briefers for introducing their respective reports.

2. The Group wishes to commend the role of UMOJA as being among the key elements of the administrative reform and modernization. It promotes the streamlining of processes, data-driven management and inter-operability across different support systems including the management of projects, human resources, supply chains and strategic planning.

Mr. Chair,

3. We thank the Secretary General for his report which contains information on progress relating to the three key strategic pillars of the Umoja system: the advancement of Umoja Analytics; the continuous improvement of Umoja applications; and the upgrading and maintaining of the Umoja systems, security and infrastructure. However, the Group believes that more elaboration is needed in respect of the strategic outlook for Umoja and the longer-term improvements and investments foreseen until 2030, as requested by the General Assembly.

4. We note that the United Nations Secretariat workforce portal was deployed to Member States and the roll-out of Umoja self-service analytics to all Secretariat entities commenced. We also notice that the major upgrade of Umoja to SAP ERP 6.0 enhancement package 8 has been the primary focus since mid-2022 and look forward to receiving further information on this matter.

5. With the circulation of personal and organizational data, it is only right that UMOJA is equipped with a strong capability to counter threats to its infrastructure, especially after the compromise of the system's security earlier this year. Thus, we trust that the Secretary-General and his designated officials will continue to exercise vigilance and due care to pursue this objective by ensuring the full implementation of the Secretariat's 2019 cyber security action plan, as well as making sure that Intellectual Property Rights to the platform and the solutions it provides remain with the organization.

Mr. Chair,

6. Despite the progress made so far, the Group remains concerned on over-expenditures in certain areas. Therefore, we look forward to receiving accurate information on the increase in $1.4 million of the total cost of ownership of UMOJA to 2030, the full extent of benefits realization and further details on Umoja-related resources for 2024.

7. The Group will also seek further information during the informal consultations on the revised funding model for Enterprise Resource Planning Solution Division (ERPSD), in order to ensure that the project remains cost-effective and transparent. We note that following the closure of MINUSMA, as well as the projected decline and evolution of peacekeeping budgets, additional time would be required to assess the most appropriate distribution. We concur with the ACABQ that any proposal for a revised apportionment of Umoja-related resources should have a clear methodological basis and justification and, especially in view of the downsizing and closure of peacekeeping operations, a commensurate impact on the scalability of resources.

8. We also note that the outstanding recommendations of Board of Auditors have been reduced from 37 to 17 and hope to receive further information of the remaining recommendations.

9. Finally, the Group notices that the report of the Secretary-General provides a proposal for the consideration of the General Assembly in respect of the frequency of reporting on the Umoja system and hope to further discuss about it in the negotiations ahead and to obtain further clarification and justification of the proposal.

10. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China stands ready to continue to engage constructively during deliberations on this agenda item.

I thank you.