Mr. President,

Excellencies and colleagues,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the G77 and China.

At the outset the group expresses its gratitude to the co-facilitators, the Permanent Representatives of the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Kenya, for their dedication as we negotiated the modalities resolution. We also thank the delegation of Uganda for the hard work and commitment to the role of coordinator during the negotiation of the resolution on the modalities of the WSIS+20 review.

The group appreciates the flexibility and fairness expressed by our partners, which led to the agreement that the modalities resolution of WSIS+20 will be a technical rollover.

Mr. President,

The Group hopes that the WSIS+20 Review will be vital in evaluating our progress, confronting the challenges we have faced, and reaffirming our collective commitment to harnessing ICTs for the advancement of information and knowledge societies. This review also aligns with the objectives of the Global Digital Compact, aiming to forge a shared vision for digital cooperation and governance.

The twenty-year review of WSIS outcomes, to be completed by the General Assembly this year is a timely exercise in the context of elaborating the development agenda. We believe a digital economy is a source of innovation and productivity improvements for all countries. It is, therefore, critically important to address the existing digital divide between developed and developing countries, as well as within societies, particularly in the availability, affordability, quality of access, and broadband connectivity.

Finally, the G77 and China reiterate their commitment to actively engaging in this very important intergovernmental process and look forward to reaching a concise, action-oriented outcome agreed upon by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations.