STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MR. DIOSDADO HERNáNDEZ, THIRD SECRETARY OF THE PERMANENT MISSION OF CUBA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 134: PROGRAMME BUDGET FOR 2024: PROGRAMME BUDGET IMPLICATIONS OF DRAFT RESOLUTIONS 78 UNGA, AT THE MAIN PART OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AT THE MAIN PART OF THE SEVENTY-EIGHTH SESSION OF THE FIFTH COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 11 December 2023)

Mr. Chair,

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

2. It is a paramount position of the Group to ensure that mandates approved by intergovernmental bodies of the United Nations are given adequate resources to ensure their successful implementation. It is the responsibility of the Fifth Committee to fulfill this mandate.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Group supports the convening in 2025 of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, in the context of the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the achievement of the SDGs and the reform of the international financial architecture. Therefore, we support the establishment of an intergovernmental preparatory committee to make the organizational, procedural and substantive preparations for the Conference. We look forward to exchanging views on the financial requirements for this proposal in order to ensure its full and timely implementation.

4. In the same vein, we will pay particular attention to the discussions regarding the PBIs arising from the follow-up to the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries. In this regard, we support the proposal of the Secretary-General for strengthening the capacity and functions of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States in view of the increased demand from these three groups of countries and their challenges while dealing with key development issues.

5. We also express our full support to the adequate allocation of resources for the mandates derived from the draft resolutions on "A global call for concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action" and also the "Follow-up to and implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States".

6. With regards to the PBIs arising from the draft resolution on "Promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations", we will follow the deliberations on this matter in order to ensure that the mandates contained therein are given adequate resources, including for the establishment of a Member State-led, open-ended ad hoc intergovernmental committee for the purpose of drafting terms of reference for a United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation.

7. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China would like to assure you, Mr. Chair, that we will constructively and actively engage in the consultations on this agenda item.

I thank you.