President of the General Assembly,
The Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,

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

At the outset please allow me to thank you for convening today’s discussions. The Group stands ready to engage constructively in these consultations and forthcoming negotiations.

The Group has shared its views on the Cluster-I paragraphs and procedures with you.

I will summarize these views.

Mr. President,

The Group welcomes the submission of the report by the Secretary General as the basis of further discussion.

On the process, the Group:

One, requests the Secretary General to inform the member states on the proposals for which he considers a mandate already exists in line with agreed frameworks as well as on those for which actions have already been initiated by the Secretariat;

Two, stresses that the way forward on new proposals must be guided by the member states;

Three, requests clarity on the outcome and next steps of these clustered discussions in which member states should take precedence.

Mr. President,

On Thematic Cluster-I, the Group understands that the concept of a renewed national social contract is complex and seek further elaboration regarding the international dimension of proposed social contract.

The Group emphasizes that the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 should remain at the core of the “Our Common Agenda”. It must include universal access to social protection measures and sharing of best practices.

The Group takes note with interest the Secretary General’s proposal regarding the Global Social Fund and requests further elaboration on its functional modalities, mandate, objectives, beneficiaries, and monitoring mechanisms envisioned for it.

Mr. President,

The proposal by the Secretary General to convene the Transforming Education Summit must involve existing specialized UN entities that have a distinct mandate to convene such dialogue to avoid duplication of efforts and it should be an all-inclusive member state driven process.

We believe that an Education Summit could consider: digital learning, access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities, close the digital divide among countries, remove obstacles to education and promote inclusive education for everyone, strengthen capacities of teachers and create better job opportunities for the youth in developing countries.

However, the Group has asked for clarity on the proposed recovery barometer and on how it will track career paths and labor outcomes in the absence of appropriate data in many developing countries.

The Group also requests more detailed information on the proposed high-ambition coalition to promote green and digital economy job creation.

Mr. President,

We recognize the positive contribution of migrants to inclusive growth and sustainable development in countries of origin, transit, and destination. International cooperation is needed to ensure safe, orderly, and regular migration. Such cooperation should also strengthen the resilience of communities hosting refugees, particularly in developing countries

The G77 and China takes note of the Secretary General’s proposal to hold a World Social Summit and requests greater clarity on the process, including modalities, objectives, scope, and outcome of the Summit.

The G77 and China takes note with interest of the five related and transformative measures proposed by the Secretary General in paragraph 31 of his report “Our Common Agenda”.

We reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and mainstreaming of a gender perspective into development and would appreciate further information on an emergency response plan to accelerate the eradication of violence against women and girls.

The G77 and China would appreciate further elaboration on the criteria and scope of the “youth in politics index” and on the proposal to establish a dedicated UN Office for Youth, particularly on its proposed role in comparison to the existing Office of the Special Envoy on Youth.

Mr. President,

On transition to global net-zero emission, the Group would like to emphasize that as per Article 4 of the Paris Agreement, it is clear that peaking for developing countries would arrive at a later date as compared to the developed countries. Therefore, developing countries would need more time to achieve net-zero emission.

On the United Nations Development System (UNDS) the Group understands that the principal objective of the reform of United Nations Development System (UNDS) was to ensure effective, efficient, coherent, and comprehensive support to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda.

The provisions of the QCPR resolution should overall guide the UNDS, including on the linkages between development and peace and security.

I thank you.