Madam President,
Distinguished Members of the Board
The UNDP Administrator,

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

2. The Group congratulates you and other members of the Bureau on your able leadership during the challenging times.The Group also wishes to thank UNDP Administrator, Mr. Achim Steiner, for the report on the work of the Organization.

Madam President,

3. In 2021, multiple crises threatened global development gains.While the world is still reeling from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the looming climate catastrophe, the current geopolitical tension is coup de grâce to achieving the 2030 Agenda within the remaining decade of action if we don’t commit to bold and immediate actions.

4. The compounded challenges of unsustainable debt burden; rising commodity prices and inflation; increase in borrowing cost; and liquidity constraints compelling many governments in the developing countries to make the hard choices between saving peoples lives and repaying their debts.

5. These extreme financial difficulties have already pushed some developing countries to default; others may follow the suit.

6. The United Nations Development System has a crucial role to play in supporting countries national efforts to achieve the SDGs and meeting the development challenge. The Group appreciates the efforts by the UNDP in helping the developing countries in this regard.

7. The Executive Board’s role is to ensure thatimplementingagencies are equipped with guidance and tools to address those challenges.To guide the work of the board, we would like to highlight some of the Group’s priorities

– First,eradication of poverty must remain core focus of the UNDP work.
– Second,access to concessional finance is of crucial importance for the developing countries. The Group appreciated the work by the UNDP in supporting developing countries in this regard and requests that this support to be further expanded.
– Third, access to liquidity must be complemented by other immediate measures, includingby fulfillment of the longstanding commitments of the 0.7% of GNI ODA and$100 billion in annual Climate Finance by developed countries, emergency measures to address debt distress in many developing countries and re-channeling of at least US$ 250 billion of un-utilized SDRs to developing countries in need of liquidity.
– Fourth, more concerted efforts are needed to ensure universal access to social protection measures as a means of saving lives and livelihoods.
– Fifth, mobilization of adequate investment in quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure in energy, agriculture, communications, transport, and technology should be a part of synergetic strategy for COVID-19 recovery, sustainable development, and climate action.

Madam President,

8. We are all aware of the looming multiple interlinked crises facing us, which will undoubtedly impact the poorest disproportionately.

9. In order to respond effectively to these, there is a dire need for the UN Development System to have access to predictable and regular financial resources. Hence, the Group is extremely concerned about the trend of major cuts in core allocation for development.

10. In addition to the pervasive imbalance between core and non-core resources, these recent funding cuts threaten the long-term viability of the UN development pillar, which also, through the support in countries in conflict and post-conflict situations, contributes to peacebuilding and sustaining peace when reducing people’s needs, addressing risks for development programming and fostering resilience, in accordance with each agency’s mandates.

11. While the world is experiencing immediate humanitarian urgencies, we are also on the verge of a global development crisis and these cuts in core funding of the UNDS could have a lasting effects on the most vulnerable, stall the collective development trajectories over the last decades, and well-being, of people in the developing world -as well as on the institutions that are designed to deliver on the development aspirations

12. In many ways, cutting funding for development is the opposite of what the world needs at a moment.

13. We strongly reiterate the high level of importance programme countries accord to the core development mandate of the UN Development Agencies, in particular UNDP, and we would like to stress the importance and necessity of core resources for the UNDP to deliver on its important mandates.

14. The Group looks forward to a constructive discussion during this session of the Executive Board and we look forward to strengthening our close cooperation with UNDP with the aim of achieving long-term development.