Madam Chair,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the closing of the first part of the resumed seventy-ninth session of the Fifth Committee.

2. The Group would like to thank you, Madam Chair, and your bureau members, for your strong leadership throughout this session, which allowed for the successful conclusion of the work of the Fifth Committee. We are grateful to all facilitators for your tireless efforts in guiding the work of the Committee.

3. We also wish to recognize the hard work and efforts of representatives of the Secretariat for the Fifth Committee in support of our work and proceedings this session.

Madam Chair,

4. We are pleased to have reached consensus on some of the agenda items this session. Our Group appreciates the efforts made by all negotiators towards finalizing agreements on agenda items relating to the Organisation's ICT Strategy, the Joint Inspection Unit, and the revised estimates on measures to combat Islamophobia. However, our inability to conclude some of the other agenda items is a matter of concern for our Group.

5. In particular, the Group regrets the absence of comprehensive agreements under agenda items such as Human Resources Management and Accountability. We made every attempt to achieve consensus by moving significantly from our long-standing positions in the true spirit of compromise. It is concerning that we were not able to adopt substantive resolutions on these important matters and we look forward to renewed and more meaningful efforts in the next sessions to successfully producing consensus on these very important matters.

6. Despite our divergences on these agenda items, there were a few areas of convergence that we hope will form the basis of our discussions in future sessions, we especially look forward to continue building consensus on the thorough review of the Organization's internship programme, to develop a centralised system that promotes more opportunities for interns from developing countries in the Organization. We also hope to achieve meaningful results on air travel during the next first resumed session.

7.We also look forward to the coming sessions to continue working in an inclusive manner, especially in identifying steps to address the Organization's recurrent liquidity problems, which can only be sustainably resolved if Member States fulfil their obligations to pay their assessed contributions in full, on time and without conditions.

Madam Chair,

8. The Group of 77 and China remains committed to the work of this Committee in helping this Organization deliver on its mandates. We stand ready to engage with all delegations in an inclusive, transparent and effective manner.

I thank you, Madam Chair.