I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Group of 77 and China as Explanation of Position on the Decision on Agenda Item 5 (a) ‘Evaluation of UNDP assistance to conflict-affected countries'.

The Group of 77 and China would like to reiterate its concern over the use of terminology and concepts in the Evaluation Report and the Response of Management to this evaluation, which are not intergovernmentally agreed or widely understood.

We note the intention conveyed by the Director of Evaluation Office of UNDP yesterday, to hold additional consultations to bring more clarity.

We take this opportunity to reiterate our request to UNDP to review its management response to the Evaluation of UNDP assistance to conflict-affected countries as contained in DP/2007/4, to align it with the UNDP mandate, taking into account the views expressed by the Member States, and to present the revised response for the consideration of the Executive Board at its annual session 2007.

The Group stresses that UNDP operations should focus on delivering effectively in the transition from relief to development. We feel that through its core competence, UNDP should continue to contribute in the recovery process in the conflict-affected countries. In the same spirit, we expect that emphasis of management response to the evaluation report should focus on the development aspect of UNDP activities.

I thank you.