I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

Distinguished Co-chairs,

At the outset, let me thank you once again for your efforts in bringing the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals to this point where it will begin the discussions on the way forward and the final outcome of this work, you can count on our full engagement with this process. We also thank you for your comprehensive opening remarks.

Co-chairs,

The Group of 77 and China acknowledges the effort in producing both the Progress report of the Open Working Group of the General Assembly on Sustainable Development Goals and the subsequent non-paper on Focus Areas. They are valuable, comprehensive and balanced texts that will be helpful in the upcoming work. We look forward to the updated version of the progress report, incorporating the suggested changes made by the Group of 77 and China and other developing countries delegations. In this regard, please consider the need of delegations for even more time between the circulation of a document and the meetings where it will be discussed in order to better reflect on the issues contained there.

The first key issue for the Group of 77 and China is the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR), which has been constantly named by the Group in its statements and by its Members through all the discussions and has been set out by Rio+20 outcome document: The future we want. In this regard, the Group of 77 and China proposes the inclusion of the principle of CBDR as guiding principle in the development and implementation of SDGs. It means that SDGs should not place additional restrictions or burdens on developing countries. Importantly, it requires the donor community to honor its international commitments especially those related to financial resources, technology transfer and capacity. The Group of 77 and China wishes to overemphasize that the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities should guide our work in designing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Another issue of critical importance for us, as it was stressed many times before, is the one regarding the Means of Implementation. The Group of 77 and China is of the view that the OWG should integrate clear and concrete means of implementation to each of the goals that we discuss, as well as more concrete elements for a specific goal. We also underscore the importance of linking international factors to an 'enhanced global partnership', the critical role of means of implementation, together with national actions and efforts to be taken by countries at the national level. This three-component approach is essential because the formulation of laudable goals at the national level will not be attainable unless structural factors, including international factors, are addressed. Similarly, developing countries require international cooperation in finance, technology transfer and capacity building if they are expected to achieve the SDGs.

In this regard, there were no concrete actions indicated in terms of international systemic issues, and the creation of an international enabling environment, including addressing trade, debt, technology and reform of international financial system and global economic governance . This needs to be elaborated. Overall, the thrust on international systemic issues needs to be strengthened.

Also, the Group believes that achieving sustainable patterns of consumption and production is essential to the sustainable development agenda. This view is consistent with the call made by our political leaders more than twenty years ago at the 1992 Earth Summit, in Agenda 21 ten years later and the Rio+20 Summit in 2012. We thank the co- chairs for taking due regard of this, as well as for the balanced way in which the dimensions of sustainable development were reflected in their latest document.

Co-chairs,

There are other several issues of critical importance that the Group of 77 and China finds that either not were fully reflected in the focus areas or should be better addressed.

The attainment of food security and the move towards sustainable agriculture, including increased food production in developing countries, are important issues to be discussed in the SDGs framework. Most agricultural production in developing countries involves small land holdings and family agriculture, mainly producing for self-consumption. Smallholdings account for approximately 85% of the world's farms. To support the economic viability of smallholder family agriculture and thus reduce their vulnerability, policy actions are required to enhance smallholder producers, particularly women, indigenous people and people living in vulnerable situations to credit, markets, secure land tenure and other services.

It is also important to stress that desertification, land degradation and drought corrodes the three pillars of sustainable development and they represent a serious concern for developing countries. Addressing this phenomenon will enable countries to deal with several global policy challenges.

Migrants and migration are relevant to all countries of origin, transit and destinations. These are global issues, with economic and structural imperatives. The organizational and political challenge is to overcome these biased approaches and work towards facilitating orderly and safe mobility, recognizing that greater mobility is inevitable in a context of increasing globalization.

We are deeply concerned that more than 226 million people globally are affected on average by disaster associated with natural hazards every year. While hazards are natural, disasters are preventable. The scientific community has informed that the current drivers of risk are linked to poor policies and practices in land-use planning, governance, urbanization, natural resource management, ecosystem management as well as increasing poverty levels. We must also recognize that eradication of poverty and promotion of sustainable development is the surest way of enhancing people's resilience to disasters.

The Group of 77 and China views culture as both an 'enabler' and 'driver' of sustainable development. Development approaches should be adapted to national circumstances and local contexts. Culture also drives development within a number of cultural sectors including the creative industries, cultural tourism and heritage, both tangible and intangible.

Youth must not be merely connected to unemployment under SDGs. Engagement of Youth, which constitutes a significant portion of developing countries, should be acknowledged in overall SDGs considering many aspects such as education and skills development, entrepreneurship and innovation, ICT, health, SCP and their engagement in policy-making. Youth empowerment serves as enabler of realizing goals.

The Group of 77 and China reiterates the importance of undertaking further effective measures and actions, in conformity with International Law, to remove the obstacles to the full realization of the right of self-determination of peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation, which continue to adversely affect their economic and social development as well as their environment as detailed in paragraph 27 of "The Future We Want" adopted at Rio+20.

While recognizing the hard work undertaken by the Co Chairs and the member states of the OWG SDGs, the Group of 77 and China strongly believes in the need to include focus-areas with a real transformative impact that allow us to advance towards a real and comprehensive development agenda. With that intention, the Group requests the inclusion of the areas of culture, as indicated before, trade, technology transfer, financial architecture and taxation. We believe in the need to properly address the main development challenges of developing countries, including the multidimensional nature of poverty and development as well the creation and promotion of global public goods. Only recognizing and including those needs we can really talk about a global, universal, transformative and reachable development agenda.

In this regard, we also call for the urgent and immediate fulfillment of the relevant United Nations documents and resolutions which request all Member States to refrain from promulgating and applying any kind of unilateral economic, financial or trade coercive measures, against other sovereign States. Those measures constitute a flagrant violation of the International Law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Human Rights, especially the Right of Development. Moreover, these measures impede the full achievement of economic and social development, particularly in developing countries.

Co-chairs,

Lastly, regarding the Joint meeting of this Open Working Group and the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing to be held next Wednesday, the Group of 77 and China stresses the necessity of addressing, among others, the following issues: the traditional and non-traditional resource pools and potential sources identified by the experts as main drivers of SDGs during the 15 years beginning 2016; the way to maintain the universal nature of means of implementation in a way that ensures adequate resources flows and technology transfer with respect to each identified SDG, with special reference to the countries which are lagging behind; and the thrust areas that the SDG financing committee found as priority areas to be addressed.

I thank you, Co-chairs.