President of the Trade and Development Board Ambassador Maimuna Tarishi of Tanzania,
Acting Secretary-General of UNCTAD Madame Isabelle Durant,
Chair of the Advisory Body set up in accordance with paragraph 166 of the Bangkok Plan of Action for 2020-2021, Ambassador Federico Villegas of Argentina,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. The Group of 77 and China would like to thank Ambassador Federico Villegas for his presenting the report of the Advisory Body set up in accordance with paragraph 166 of the Bangkok Plan of Action and for his work as Chair during the period 2020-2021.

2. The programme established by Paragraph 166 continues to deliver excellent training on key issues on the international economic agenda, through the short courses to Geneva-based delegates, and through the regional courses to policy makers around the world in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Madame President,

3. The Group of 77 and China would like to express its gratitude to Egypt, Kenya and North Macedonia for their hosting of regional P166 courses in their respective regions, while also welcoming Argentina and Pakistan for the future regional courses for countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia and the Pacific. Our Group is pleased to learn about the establishment of these venues by the Advisory Body for hosting future editions of the P166 courses in those two regions.

4. Our Group would also like to take the opportunity to thank the UNCTAD Secretariat, in particular the team responsible for this programme within the Division on Technology and Logistics, for their hard work in organizing and delivering the regional courses and the short courses. Despite the global pandemic, the Secretariat delivered seven short courses for Geneva-based delegates and continued to monitor and assess the feasibility of various options on the way forward for the regional courses. Our Group is pleased to learn that the next regional course for Eastern European economies in August 2021.

5. At the same time, we would like to reiterate our positive assessment of the recently created inter-regional platform of P166 courses, which constitutes a valuable opportunity to provide global exposure to the policymakers trained and to bring together the knowledge and experience of the five regions. We look forward to the next interregional platform as soon as the sanitary situation and related travel restrictions permit. The Group is pleased to learn that UNCTAD’s survey of P166 alumni generated a 40% response rate, with nearly all survey participants having utilized the knowledge gained from previous P166 courses in response to the pandemic.

6. Our Group would also like to take the opportunity to welcome the appointment of the new members of the Advisory Body for 2021-2022 who will, under the leadership of Ambassador Tarishi as Chair of the Advisory Body, ensure the oversight of Member States over the work of the P166 programme.

7. To conclude, our Group is pleased to hear about the future plans of the programme, and what it achieved. We call on all members to continue supporting this important programme. The Group of 77 and China looks forward to the continuation of the successes of P166 programme into the coming years.

I thank you, Madam President.