STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY AMBASSADOR DAUDI N. MWAKAWAGO, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, CHAIRMAN OF THE GROUP OF 77, IN THE GENERAL ASSEMNBLY AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION ON UNITED NATIONS REFORM: MEASURES AND PROPOSALS UNDER AGENDA ITEM 157

New York, 19 December 1997

Mr. President,

Please permit me to make short remarks, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, following the adoption of the resolution on United Nations Reform: Measures and Proposals.

I should like at the outset to reiterate how much we appreciate you, Mr. President, for your great diplomatic skills and leadership and sense of humor in conducting these negotiations for the Secretary-General’s United Nations reform proposals.

We have come a long way since the commencement of the deliberations for this important agenda item in September, this year. Indeed we are mindful of the fact that the first track was launched by Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan in March.

Mr. President,

At the beginning, there existed an atmosphere of uncertainty and hesitancy in starting a serious consideration of the United Nations Secretary-General’s report: "Renewing the United Nations: A Programme for Reform (doc.A/51/950). It was preferred to await the pronouncement of our leaders in the General Assembly general debate on this matter before embarking on serious negotiations on reforms. The indication of support given by our leaders and the clear position taken by the Ministers of the Group of 77, provided a firm basis for the discussion of the Secretary-General’s reform proposals. The Ministerial declarations of both the G-77 and the NAM clearly supported the Secretary-General’s efforts and called for an in-depth study of his reform proposals.

The Ministerial Declaration strongly endorsed the Statement of Principles on UN reforms adopted by the 22^nd Meeting of the Chairmen/Coordinators of the Chapters of the Group of 77 held in Geneva in July 1997. These principles stressed, inter alia:

That the reform process must strengthen the UN’s ability to fulfil its role and functions in the development field, in particular to ensure enhancement of the capacity of the Organization to address development issues and to respond effectively to the development needs of the developing countries.

The reform of the United Nations should be undertaken in accordance with the UN Charter and the relevant UN resolutions.

A pre-requisite for enhancing UN effectiveness is to have a stable, predictable and adequate financing for the United Nations.

Mr. President,

These principles have been stressed in our position papers on both actions and recommendations.

It is encouraging to note that delegations managed to overcome their differences and negotiated vigorously prior to the adoption of the resolutions on actions and recommendations. It is our hope that when implementing these resolutions, the concerns and views expressed by particularly the major groups such as G-77 and Non-aligned countries, will be fully taken into account as agreed.

I should like to conclude by reiterating our support for the Secretary-General’s initiative on reform and to modernize the United Nations, based on his proposals as well as those made by other relevant United Nations bodies.

In the same vein, I should like to thank the members of the Group of 77 and China and the NAM for the great support and solidarity extended to me during the negotiations for reform as well as during the other processes.

Today we have witnessed the happy ending of a major enterprise in the discussion of UN reforms in which all of us were involved. It is a time to celebrate but at the same time a lot of work lies ahead for the implementation of the proposals and measures that have been agreed upon.

Lastly, but not least, I should like to thank the facilitatiors, my colleague and brother Amb. Lagwaila of Botswana and Ambassador John Campbell of Ireland, our partners and the staff assisting the Secretary-General in the reform process, for their cooperation during the negotiations on the reform of the United Nations. To our partners, I should like to underscore in particular our appreciation for their understanding of the concerns of the largest group in the United Nations.

I should also like to than my staff at the Office of the Chairman of the Group of 7 their hard work.

At this hour and bearing in mind we are close to the holiday season, allow me to wish the President, the Secretary-General and all member states and the delegations here to-day happy holidays and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.

Thank you, Mr. President.