“The UN at 75 – Regional Cooperation: A building block of multilateralism and shared prosperity in the era of Covid-19 and beyond”

Your Excellency Ambassador Amrit Rai, Chairman of the Second Committee,
Executive Secretaries of the Regional Commissions,
Distinguished Moderator,
Excellencies ladies and gentlemen,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. Please allow me at the outset, to convey our sincere thanks to you Mr. Chairman, for convening this important dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the Regional Commissions. And we thank them for their excellent presentations.

3. The focus of our dialogue on “Regional Cooperation: A building block of multilateralism and shared prosperity in the era of Covid-19 and beyond” is very timely as we look towards leveraging a regional perspective and regional action in our efforts to recover from this global pandemic, whilst accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Moderator,

4. Our journey this year has been mired in uncertainty and doubt. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are still not fully known but have already exacerbated poverty, inequality and vulnerability for our countries. Development gains of the past decades have been reversed and developing countries face a difficult road to recovery from the humanitarian, social and economic fallout of the global crisis.

5. In this regard, the Group welcomes the UN system contributions at the regional level, particularly by the Regional Economic Commissions (RECs), in supporting our efforts to fully implement the 2030 Agenda and fight against the cascading impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. The Group emphasizes that the regional assets are at the heart of the repositioned United Nations Development System. It is important that we reap the development benefits they bring, particularly in offering policy options for resetting our economies, reversing the disruption of trade and transport links, harnessing the potential of digital technologies, and mobilizing resources to strengthen the preparedness, implementation and response capacities of our countries.

7. We take note of the Regional Collaborative Platforms (RCP) and Issue Based Coalitions (IBC) proposed by the SG’s Report for enhancing the UNDS, to maximize the contributions of the UN regional commissions in supporting developing countries to build back better from this crisis.

8. Additionally, we believe that it is crucial that the analytical work of the United Nations at the global level should give policy guidance, complement and feed into the work by the RECs at the regional level, and the UN country teams at the national level. This will help to synchronize and enrich tailor-made regional policy options and address particular national needs and priorities within each region.

Moderator,

9. The Group of 77 and China reaffirms the need for a strengthened multilateral system, underpinned by the principles of unity and solidarity. This must be demonstrated through collective actions at all levels and with all stakeholders.

10. UN Regional Economic Commissions have been at the forefront of decades of economic and social development, forging collective responses to sustainable development challenges. The Group of 77 and China looks forward to enhanced, more action-oriented and responsive Regional Economic Commissions within the overall backdrop of the UNDS repositioning, while fully delivering their mandates for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the States in each region.

11. Our confidence in the Regional Economic Commissions, based on trust and knowledge of the countries they serve, allows them to continue to advocate policy solutions, catalyse action and help to build partnerships across different development domains. This is the building block for enhanced cooperation, multilateral engagement and shared prosperity in the era of Covid-19 and beyond.

I thank you