Distinguished co-facilitators,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,

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

We thank you for convening these informal consultations, we will continue to engage in a constructive manner.

As we have indicated in the consultation held on November 9th, the G77 is of the view that these negotiations could take into account the extensive debates and the work that was done during the preparatory process, in matters of priority and urgency for developing countries, considering an adequate balance of the whole document. We are committed to participate, in the coming meetings in an open and constructive manner in order to incorporate all the necessary substance to the Pact for the Future, especially the needs and priorities of the developing world.

Regarding the Chapeau and Chapter 1, we understand the delicate balances that the co-facilitators have attempted to find on several issues in the Rev.3 of the draft decision on the scope that was not adopted. That version contained numbers of valid elements that could be incorporated in the Chapeau and Chapter 1 of the Pact of the Future. However, as we have indicated in the letter we sent to the co-facilitators on 17 August, we were and are concerned that many of our priorities were not reflected in the text or were included in a way that represents a setback in regards to major international consensus agreements.

The Chapeau should be concise and as part of the elements highlighted in the Rev3, the reaffirmation of the intergovernmental character of the United Nations needs to be incorporated, while reaffirming that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions should be one of the goals of the Summit of the Future and its deliberations. Poverty, including extreme poverty, continues to be the greatest global challenge and its eradication is indispensable for sustainable development.

The Summit of the Future should provide a platform for the acceleration of the multilateral system reform to move towards a more just, equitable, united and sustainable world that advances towards the sustainable development and prosperity of all countries in the world, in line with the UN Charter.

The Chapeau should reaffirm our commitment to reinvigorating multilateralism, boosting implementation of existing commitments, agreeing on concrete solutions to challenges, restoring trust among Member States, taking into account the needs and priorities of developing countries, and should recall also our pledge to strengthen global governance to build common future of sustainable development for the sake of present and future generations in an equitable manner, based on global solidarity.

Regarding the Chapter 1, there can be no 'future' without achieving sustainable development for present generations. Our roadmap in this regard is the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We must not renegotiate these agreements but instead focus on accelerating their implementation, in particular by addressing the issue of financing for development. Our leaders recently adopted the SDG Summit Political Declaration, in which they undertook commitments to accelerate progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. Chapter 1 should build on this Declaration in order to accelerate its full implementation.

The Summit of the Future is meant to turbo-charge the SDGs, therefore, it must address comprehensively the issue of Means of Implementation for the 2030 Agenda, which includes, but is not limited to, financing, technology transfer and capacity building.

This Chapter must also contain a clear reaffirmation of all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, as set out in principle 7 thereof. In this aspect, the omission of a reference to the CBDR principle is unacceptable to the G77 and China as it represents a regression from longstanding international consensus and multilateral agreements, as well as, hard-won gains of developing countries.

The Group emphasizes that the provision of climate finance by developed countries is insufficient, and the gap between the growing and evolving needs of developing countries and the support available is widening by the day. Therefore, a clear reference to the urgent need to significantly increase the provision and mobilization of climate finance by developed countries, particularly for adaptation and resilience as well as loss and damage, for a progression beyond previous efforts, is crucial. In addition, we stress that climate finance must not be double counted as official development assistance and must therefore be considered as new and additional to such assistance.

It is also important in this Chapter to make a follow up and support to the UN Secretary-General´s proposal for an SDG Stimulus for developing countries, which aims at massively scaling up affordable long-term financing for development and aligning financing flows with the SDGs. At the same time, this Chapter must address all obstacles to achieving sustainable development with concrete solutions.

To conclude, in these times of multidimensional crises that weigh particularly on the countries of the South, we can only look to the future with the conviction that solidarity and partnership must prevail to achieve the development and well-being of future generations.

The Group is ready to continue to provide substantive inputs for the relevant Chapters of the Pact of the Future with a very constructive negotiating position, as we have been doing in the last months.

Thank you.