STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY H.E. MR. MICHAEL RUDOLPH TEN-POW, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CO-OPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, CHAIR OF THE GROUP OF 77, AT THE JOINT BRIEFING BY THE PRESIDENTS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (New York, 28 January 2020)
Distinguished Presidents, Excellencies,
1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
2. Let me, at the outset, express our appreciation for the continuing efforts to enhance synergies and coherence in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and their subsidiary bodies, as well as the related high-level forums aligned, in particular, with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Abba Action Agenda.
3. Today’s briefing comes at a very critical moment for multilateralism. As we celebrate this year the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, the Group of 77 and China strongly reaffirms its commitment to the multilateral system. And with just ten years remaining for their implementation, it is ever more imperative that we work collectively towards achieving the Goals of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda through multilateral cooperation in support of national efforts. No country or region can on its own fulfil the vision set out in this landmark Agenda.
4. Based on the Group’s principles and priorities, we wish to underscore the importance of the 2030 Agenda and the full implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with special focus on the eradication of poverty in all its forms everywhere.
5. The work of the General Assembly and of the Economic and Social Council is critical in identifying the gaps and targets that remain and in taking action to address them. This process requires serious discussion and engagement aimed at finding ways to make their agendas better suited to the demands of the task before us. The indivisible nature of Agenda 2030 makes it imperative to ensure equal attention to all of its Goals and Targets in order to better track progress and to work towards the successful implementation of the Agenda in its entirety.
6. We are faced with a number of crucial milestones in our work. This year marks the review of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, meeting under the auspices of the General Assembly and of ECOSOC, together with the review of the strengthening of ECOSOC. Additionally, we will continue efforts to align the agendas of relevant organs and subsidiary bodies with the 2030 Agenda, as well as with the anticipated outcomes of the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference, the Second United Nations Oceans Conference, the Intergovernmental Conference on BBNJ and the review of the Beijing Platform for Action.
7. The Group wishes to underscore that any exercise regarding alignment of work must aim to ensure the enhanced treatment of substantive issues while safeguarding and strengthening the United Nations Development System. We must aim to increase the efficiency of our work and to maximize the use of each intergovernmental organ or forum in order to comprehensively address the complexity of the 2030 Agenda. And while we must strive to avoid redundancy, it would be a mistake, in our view, to equate duplication with repetition.
8. Our work on existing or new agenda items should aim to address specific mandates from the perspectives of different United Nations bodies. This approach to policy review and guidance on a case-by-case basis should aim to offer Governments broader policy options to pursue implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda at the national level. In this regard, we reaffirm the leadership of Member States in the review exercises that are underway, as well as their role in making good use of existing mandates and in safeguarding the prerogatives of States.
9. We will also turn our attention this year to the efforts of promoting the repositioning of the UN development system – especially the regional review and multi-country office review. Of paramount importance for us will be the forthcoming Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) of development activities. We also look forward to the start of a new round of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to be carried out in the HLPF in July. The Group would like to reiterate the need to allow sufficient time for each country presentation and to better manage the interests of States that wish to present their VNR.
The Group wishes to stress that achieving the SDGs requires adequate and predictable financing, as well as a bold approach to development finance – one that significantly increases long-term public and private investments, and seeks to combat illicit financial flows, while aligning national and international financing systems with the SDGs. We reiterate that illicit financial flows reduce the availability of resources for financing sustainable development and negatively impact the economic, social and political stability and development of societies, especially in developing countries.
10. The Group of 77 and China remain committed to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the work of the General Assembly and of ECOSOC. We wish to assure you, Presidents, that we will continue to engage in that effort in a positive and constructive manner.
I thank you