Thank you Madame President.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the G77+China.

Firstly, allow me to express the Group sincere gratitude to Brunei Darussalam and Zimbabwe for ably leading this process and finalizing the modalities resolution.

The Group also extends its appreciation to all delegations that participated in this negotiation, and helped to craft this outcome. Multilateralism works because of global participation.

Madame President,

Twenty-five years ago the international community committed to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. Member States acknowledged that racism, xenophobia and related intolerances are universal ills requiring both global and national solutions.

It remains apt that after apartheid formally ended in South Africa, the world came together to condemn the underlying causes of this regime. Apartheid, colonialism and slavery were all rooted in the destructive view that some humans are superior to others. Historical and contemporary forms of racism and xenophobia must continue to be addressed in order to fulfill our commitments to the sustainable development goals.

The Group of 77 and China is of the view that this twenty-fifth anniversary should enable Member States to reaffirm their strong commitment to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and strengthen global public support for the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

The upcoming High-Level meeting offers an important opportunity to reaffirm the milestone achievement of the DDPA, assess gaps in implementation and accelerate our collective efforts at combatting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

In this regard, the Group would like to emphasize the importance of preserving and strengthening existing DDPA commitments, while ensuring that the Political Declaration does not seek to re-define or re-determine the parameters and goals established in 2001.

The Group of 77 and China participated actively in the negotiation on these modalities and is satisfied with the outcome. It is for this reason that the Group fully supports this outcome.

Finally, the Group finds it unfortunate that a vote was called on this matter and it hopes that all delegations will participate during the negotiations on the political declaration, to demonstrate the continued commitment of Member States to global solidarity against racism, xenophobia and related intolerances.

We thank you.