Mr. President,

Allow me on behalf of the Group of 77 and China to congratulate you and the other members of the Bureau on your election to the Presidency of the Bureau. We look forward to working with you constructively, and we are confident that you will successfully lead the deliberations of the Board throughout 2012. We also express our deep appreciation to your predecessor, H.E. Mrs. Edita HRDA and to the members of the outgoing bureau.

Mr. President,

The Group of 77 and China, greatly values the work of UNDP and its ability to respond to the development needs of programme countries in a flexible manner, and to ensure that the UN development system assistance is carried out for the benefit of programme countries, at their request and in accordance with their own priorities.

The Group of 77 and China thanks the UNDP Administrator for her comprehensive, exhaustive and analytical statement and encourage her to further refining the focus of UNDP in order to ensure bigger impact and to bring about real progress in human development at the country level.

Mr. President,

As we prepare for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), for the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review, for the International Conference on Population and Development beyond 2014, as well as for the UN development agenda beyond 2015, the G-77 and China is ready to continue engaging in a constructive spirit with the Board and with all our development partners in view to improving coordination, cooperation, and for greater development effectiveness to achieve the internationally-agreed development goals, including the MDGs.

The G77 and China stresses the importance of consistent, sustained and predictable resources and notes with concern that any decline adversely impacts the quality of the delivery of the United Nations development system.

The growing imbalance between core and non-core funding of operational activities of the United Nation system constitutes a legitimate source of apprehension and should be given due consideration, in particular owing the importance of challenges to be addressed.

With regard to the programming arrangements, the Group underlines the need to find a comprehensive solution to the legitimate concerns raised by several developing countries during the previous meetings over the allocation of resources and calls for objective criterion, fair methodology and reliable and verified data.

Mr. President,

In conclusion the Group of 77 and China stresses that it could not be "one size fits all" approach to development and that development assistance by the United Nations development system should be able to respond to the varying development needs of programme countries. We value the efforts of UNDP for its attention to this highly important issue.

Thank you.

2. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his informative reports under this agenda item.

3. The Group of 77 and China wishes also to stress the timely discussion of the priority theme of this session, which intervenes in the middle of the ongoing preparatory process for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 22 June 2012. We firmly believe that "Rio-plus-20" Summit will provide a useful opportunity to strengthen the social development pillar in general and the eradication of poverty in particular.

Mr. Chairman,

4. Poverty eradication is one of the three mutually reinforcing and interdependent pillars of social development as identified more than seventeen years ago at the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995. The Group of 77 and China is deeply concerned that the number of people living below poverty line in the world still surpasses one billion and with less than five years remaining for the deadline of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), MDG 1 of eradication of extreme poverty and hunger remains one of the most challenging goals to attain. In this context, the Group reaffirms its strong commitment to continue implementing the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action and the further initiatives for Social Development adopted by the General Assembly at its twenty-fourth special session. The Group also recognizes that the implementation of the Copenhagen commitments and the attainment of the Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs), including the Millennium Development Goals, are mutually reinforcing and that the Copenhagen commitments are crucial to a coherent, people-centered approach to development.

Mr. Chairman,

5. Despite some progress made in reducing poverty in some regions, we still have a long winding path to total eradication of poverty which poses itself as a most complex issue, with interplay of economic, political, social and historical factors. In this context, the Group of 77 and China is seriously concerned about the current multiple, interrelated crises and challenges, such as the ongoing financial and economic crisis, the food crisis and continuing food insecurity, volatile energy and commodity prices and climate change, which had exacerbated the already dire situation of global poverty reduction and could further undermine the achievement of the Internationally Agreed Development Goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Chairman,

6. The Group of 77 and China continues to underscore the importance of addressing the main impediments to eradication of poverty, namely unemployment, inequality, conflicts, instability, family disintegration, armed conflicts which are persistently impeding the avenues for development and growth for large segments of populations in the developing world.

7. We fully share the view that for economic growth to contribute to poverty reduction, it is essential that macroeconomic and social policies should focus on job creation, reducing inequalities and providing social protection. Furthermore, as mentioned in the conclusion of the Secretary General's report on the priority theme, investing in agriculture, rural development and climate change adaptation and mitigation are also necessary to improve food security and reduce poverty. We also firmly believe that alleviation of poverty requires a development oriented strategy focused on building rural infrastructure, bolstering income and basic services such as medical care and insurance and investment in education. We also believe that it is essential to redouble efforts to ensure that all segments of society, including youth, the elderly and persons with disability had access to resources and opportunities.

Mr. Chairman,

8. Since the proclamation of the International Year of the Family in 1994, the international community has undertaken a range of activities and commitments in support of its objectives. Further efforts and initiatives of Governments, the United Nations system and civil society are necessary to ensure the further promotion and continuous implementation of the mandated objectives of the International Year of the Family. The preparation for and observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2014 provide a useful opportunity to draw further attention to the objectives of the year for increasing cooperation at all levels on family issues and for undertaking concerted actions to strengthen family-centred policies and programmes as part of an integrated comprehensive approach to development. In this context, the Group of 77 and China will present a draft resolution on the preparation for and observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family to set the grounds for the preparations of this important anniversary.

9. Population ageing is another issue of global concern that requires concerted, well focused and forward looking policies at all levels. The Group of 77 and China attaches great importance to the issues of elderly people which not only face discrimination on the basis of age, but are impacted by forms of discrimination, poverty and violence, as well as lack of specific services and resources. The implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action is seminal and we hope that this session will contribute to discuss the most appropriate ways and means of achieving the development, well-being and full enjoyment of all human rights of older persons and to set the grounds for the preparation of the upcoming second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing.

10. The Group of 77 and China welcomes the outcome document of the UN High-level Meeting on Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding held on 25 and 26 July 2011 and call upon Member States, the UN system and relevant stakeholders to fully address all current challenges affecting youth.

11. We also welcome the proclamation of the year 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives and call on all Member States, as well as the United Nations and all relevant stakeholders to take advantage of the International Year of Cooperatives as a way of promoting cooperatives and raising awareness of their contribution to social and economic development through eradication of poverty and to share good practices on the implementation of the activities carried out during the Year.

12. The Group of 77 and China notes with great concern that persons with disabilities, who face a greater risk of living in absolute poverty, make up an estimated 15 per cent of the world's population, of whom 80 per cent live in developing countries. The High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly which will be held during its sixty-eighth session on the Realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other Internationally Agreed Development Goals for persons with disabilities will provide an invaluable opportunity to consider a global strategy towards 2015 and beyond for mainstreaming disability in the development agenda.

13. The Group of 77 and China would like to stress once again the importance of removing obstacles to the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination, in particular of peoples living under colonial or other forms of alien domination or foreign occupation, which adversely affect their social and economic development.

Mr. Chairman,

14. The Group, furthermore, would like to emphasize the need for a strengthened and scaled-up global partnership for eradication of poverty, based on the recognition of national leadership and ownership of development strategies. In this context, international cooperation must be enhanced, including fulfillment of commitment of internationally agreed official development assistance, debt relief, market access, capacity-building and technical support, including technology transfer.

15. In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China looks forward to having a successful session with a productive outcome that contributes to achieving the goal of poverty eradication.

I thank you.

2. Let me at the outset thank the Co-chairs and Bureau members of the Preparatory Committee of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development for leading the ongoing process and providing us with the zero draft of the outcome document.

3. The Group of 77 and China stresses that the participation of developing countries is key for this process and must be ensured. The Group would like to thank those countries which made contributions to the Commission on Sustainable Development voluntary trust fund and reiterates its deep concern that the resources available in the trust fund are insufficient to support the participation of representatives from all developing countries in the meetings of the preparatory process of the Conference and in the Conference itself. It is incumbent upon the international community to address this important issue as soon as possible in order to ensure the participation of representatives from governments and major groups from developing countries during this process.

4. As far as the negotiating process is concerned, the G77 and China requests from the Co-Chairs of the PepCom to establish a clear schedule of meetings in order to facilitate the work and coordination of the Group. In that sense, we reiterate our proposal on the schedule of negotiation that was presented to the Bureau last December. With respect to the zero draft, sections I and II are still under consideration of the Group and we reserve the right to come back later and complete our submission, in order to reflect the concerns and the positions of the G77 and China. The Group also requests that the outcome of this meeting be a compilation document that contains all proposals and not a revised Co-Chair's text. Furthermore, given the complex nature of the issues dealt with in the zero draft, the Group also requests the extension of the deadline for submission of text proposals on the rest of the zero draft, initially scheduled for 17 February, to a later date, since the next negotiating session is scheduled from 19 to 23 March 2012.

5. The Group believes that this zero draft lacks vision, ambition, balance and action oriented language and did not reflect all the concerns and positions of the G77 and China, especially in terms of the means of implementation and the full integration of the three pillars of sustainable development, namely economic, social and environmental pillars. However, the Group expresses its readiness to engage constructively in the negotiations in order to improve it further and bring in more ambition and turn it into an action-oriented document.

6. The outcome document of the Conference of Rio +20 shall achieve the objectives of securing renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assessing the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges. It will not renegotiate nor retract agreed outcomes of the major summits and agreed principles, including the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

7. The zero draft of the outcome document did not address the issue of peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation in accordance with the relevant documents on sustainable development, especially the agreed language from the JPOI, that have been duly reflected by the two paragraphs in the submission of the G77 and China.

8. This draft did not also address the important issues of health and population. Further, it did not reflect all the relevant outcomes of conferences and summits dealing with the three pillars of sustainable development, including the three convention of Rio: UNFCCC, CBD and UNCCD.

9. The G77 and China takes note of the paragraphs relating to oceans, seas and SIDS, which are included under the same subsection and would prefer to address oceans and SIDS in two separate subsections. Concerning the substance, the G77 and China recalls its comprehensive proposal on these topics taking into account interests and concerns of its Member States. However, many issues pertaining to oceans and seas, included in the aforementioned submission have not been or were very insufficiently reflected in the draft document. The Group reserves its right to come back with concrete proposals on those issues during the negotiations. Furthermore, the Group has noted terminological and factual inaccuracies that should be rectified during the consideration of this subsection.

10. At the same time, the Group believes that other sectorial issues should be reflected in a balanced manner.

Mr. Chairman,

11. The Group of 77 and China is convinced that the outcome document needs to produce an assessment and stocktaking as to why many of the commitments of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio 1992 as well as the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, 2002, were not realized to their full potential; what has prevented the international community from moving forward on agreements; and how we can re-energize the political will to avoid the perception that multilateral approaches are increasingly associated with indecision, unfulfillment of commitments and stalemate.

12. The Conference should identify concrete actions and measures to deliver previously agreed commitments, focused on implementation and full integration of the three pillars of sustainable development and in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, in order to achieve tangible outcomes. This includes:

a. The provision of new, additional, stable, predictable financial resources to support implementation activities in developing countries;

b. The increase of resources for development, including commitments by developed countries to increase ODA, and the fulfillment of ODA assistance;

c. Effective access to and transfer of technologies for developing countries, in accordance with JPOI principles;

d. Effective institutional frameworks at all levels to strengthen the role of governments, with the fundamental lead of States, and encourage the participation of major groups and other stakeholders for the implementation of the sustainable development agenda;

13. On the participation of civil society, major groups and other stakeholders in the implementation of sustainable development, the G77 and China would like to see an equal and balanced treatment of all stakeholders, while recognizing the need to ensure that their participation in the national sustainable development strategies should be done in accordance with national legislations and policies.

14. The lack of integration of the three pillars of sustainable development and the lack of implementation of commitments of sustainable development have led to the scale and gravity of global challenges, especially climate change, threatening the ability of developing countries to achieve the MDGs and for some threatening the territorial integrity and the existence and viability as countries.

Mr. Chairman,

15. Guided by the Rio Principles and Agenda 21, the UNCSD (Rio+20) 2012 outcome should provide the necessary political impetus for the range and level of action required to bridge the implementation gap.

16. Any outcome should give priority to the eradication of the root causes of poverty, and to supporting the effective national efforts of developing countries in promoting empowerment of the poor, including enhancing the productive capacity, full and productive employment and decent work for all as well as the creation of income opportunities that must be complemented by effective social policies with a view to achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. In this regard, we must adopt forward looking policies and action plans that promote gender equality and empowerment of women in all spheres of sustainable development. An integrated focus on women and gender issues is essential for achieving equitable and inclusive growth.

17. The G77 and China understands that the renewed political commitment in Rio should lead to the full implementation of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development ("Johannesburg Plan of Implementation") and should fully support national efforts to achieve sustainable development in particular eradication of poverty and food security.

18. There is an urgent need to increase efforts at the national, regional and international levels to address food security and agriculture development as an integral part of the international development agenda. We underline the need for sustained funding and increased targeted investment to enhance world food production and called for new and additional financial resources from all sources to achieve sustainable agriculture development and food security.

Mr. Chairman,

19. The G77 and China reaffirms that the current major challenge for developing countries is the impacts from the multiple crises, particularly the ongoing economic and financial crisis which is a result of the current imbalances in the structure of the international financial system. In this context, we reaffirm the urgent need to address the lack of proper regulation and monitoring of the financial sector, the overall lack of transparency and financial integrity, excessive risk taking, overleveraging and unsustainable patterns of consumption and production in developed countries. These economic repercussions have also aggravated poverty, social exclusion and gender disparities, increased unequal distribution of income and wealth, and undermined efforts to implement sustainable development. In this regard we call for the reform of the global financial system and architecture and its governance. Recognizing the vital role played by the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields in shaping a broad development vision, we also reaffirm the need to continue working towards a new international economic order based on the principles of equity, sovereign equality, interdependence, common interest, cooperation and solidarity among all States.

20. On a Framework of Action for Implementation of Commitments, we stress that the UNCSD should identify a framework of action of implementation of commitments and should move the sustainable development agenda forward. We strongly believe that increased political commitment of developed countries is essential to fill the gaps in the means of implementation. It can be achieved through the provision of a clear registry on financial resources and technology transfer from developed countries available for the implementation of sustainable development commitments, as well as its timelines, functions, recipients, management, and objectives.

21. It is clear that there is an urgent need for substantial increases in the provision of financing to developing countries for sustainable development. It is also essential that financing for the UN system be significantly enhanced for it to operate effectively and fulfill its sustainable development mandate.

Mr. Chairman,

22. In the transfer of technology and capacity building sections, the G77 and China believes that no concrete actions and mechanisms have been reflected. The Group reiterates its call for decisions on transfer of technology and capacity building to:

i. Establish an International Mechanism to implement concrete actions focused on bridging the technological gap between developed and developing countries and facilitating transfer of technology in sustainable development.

ii. Create an enabling environment that aims at removing all barriers to technology transfer and technology adaptation, consistent and in harmony with the relevant international obligations.

iii. Ensure immediate implementation of the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building.

iv. We stress the need for effective mechanisms, enhanced means, appropriate enabling environments and the removal of obstacles to the scaling up of the development and transfer of technology to developing countries.

v. There is a need for access of developing countries to technologies. Developing countries would also need to have access to the know-how and expertise required for the effective utilization of these technologies to achieve sustainable development.

vi. Consideration must also be given to the role of patent protection and intellectual property rights along with an examination of their impact on the access to and transfer of environmentally sound technology, in particular to developing countries, as well as to further exploring efficiently the concept of assured access for developing countries to environmentally sound technology in its relation to proprietary rights with a view to developing effective responses to the needs of developing countries in this area.

vii. Concepts and modalities for assured access to environmentally sound technologies, including state-of-the-art technologies, in particular by developing countries, should continue to be explored, enhanced access to environmentally sound technologies should be promoted, facilitated and financed as appropriate, while providing fair incentives to innovators that promote research and development of new environmentally sound technologies

viii. Bearing in mind that recipient countries require technology and strengthened support to help further develop their scientific, technological, professional and related capacities, taking into account existing technologies and capacities.

Mr. Chairman,

23. The Group of 77 and China has addressed key issues related to a Common understanding and to the Way forward on Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

24. In this regard, the G77 and China believes that the elements of what should be discussed should be developed in accordance with the principles contained in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, in particular the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities as well as respective capabilities and national priorities, with Agenda 21, and the instruments further adopted for the implementation of Agenda 21, in particular the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

25. At this point in time, the Group recognizes that there is no consensual agreement on the definition of a Green Economy in the context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. The Group is discussing and considering further this theme based on, among others, these following tenets:

- Undertaking economic and social activities in an environmentally sound manner;

- Ensuring social inclusion and equity;

- Including tools to catalyze international cooperation in the multilateral framework for achieving sustainable development and poverty eradication through technology transfer/access and sustainable consumption and production patterns;

- Applying a multidimensional and multisectoral approach covering all aspects and stages of development;

- Analyzing the effects of practices conducive to the quantification and evaluation of ecosystem services oriented to establishing market mechanisms

26. The Group of 77 and China stresses that, the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development, as a whole, should focus on the effective integration of the three pillars of sustainable development, the implementation of Agenda 21 and the JPOI and shall be based on an action- and result-oriented approach and be consistent with the principles of universality, democracy, transparency, cost-effectiveness and accountability, keeping in mind the principles of Rio, in particular the common but differentiated responsibilities.

27. In its submission, the G77 and China has also stated the General Principles and Goals that should be the basis of the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development and should guide our efforts towards it, as well as underlined two main Functions: Implementation of sustainable development, and Integration of the three pillars of sustainable development.

28. The Group would like to reiterate that an effective IFSD should strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to foster international cooperation in order to address fully the wide range of issues pertaining to development, particularly of developing countries and reduce overlapping and duplication of responsibilities among the existing structures, while promoting effective coordination.

29. The G77 and China would like to stress on the central role that Governments will play in the ongoing process,

Mr. Chairman,

30. The G77 and China is looking forward to the convening of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20, in Brazil in 2012 and hopes that we can have useful and constructive discussions in this initial consultation on the zero draft of the outcome document.

        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.