New York – September 26, 2014

H.E. Mr. José Antonio Zamora Gutiérrez, Minister of Environment and Water of the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Honourable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for me to address the Group of 77 and China, on the occasion of its 38th Annual Ministerial Meeting, as we embark on the 69th session with a heavy agenda.

I commend you, Honourable Minister, and the delegation of Bolivia for your able leadership of the Group in such a challenging and eventful year. I would also like to congratulate the Republic of South Africa, on their upcoming Chairmanship of the Group.

The G77 and China reached an important milestone with commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary this year. We pay tribute to the significant contributions and achievements of the Group in the multilateral arena over the years. Representing 133 out of 193 UN Member States, the Group has played and continues to play a major role in promoting the views and interests of the global South.

Going forward, the Group should consider ways in which it can further optimize the opportunities for enhanced cooperation in addressing the challenges ahead.
Many countries among the membership still struggle with poverty, hunger, unemployment and are extremely vulnerable to economic, financial and environmental shocks.

As we initiate the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, the Group of 77 and China will have a critical role in ensuring that the priorities and concerns of developing countries are reflected in the new agenda.

In view of the importance of ensuring implementation of the agenda, once adopted, I chose “Delivering on and implementing a transformative post-2015 development agenda” as the overarching theme for the current session.

Critical to the success of the post-2015 agenda will be the mobilization of adequate means of implementation, including financial resources, technology transfer and capacity building. This will require a strengthened global partnership between governments, private sector, and civil society.

In order to foster dialogue among Member States and relevant stakeholders, I will convene a number of High-level thematic debates during the second part of the session, including on means of implementation, gender equality and the empowerment of women, and climate change.

Excellencies,

We expect the actual negotiations on the post-2015 agenda to commence early next year using the outcomes of the intergovernmental processes as well as the Secretary-General’s synthesis report.

It is important to ensure that the Third Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Addis Ababa in July 2015, is successful.
I will be consulting the membership on the programme of work and the thematic areas.

I will be appointing Co-chairs and Co-facilitators, following consultations, in order to launch the preparatory processes and the negotiations in good time.

During this Session, a number of major conferences and processes will be held on several issues related to sustainable development, including the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity in October 2014 in the Republic of Korea, the 10 Year Review Conference of the Almaty Programme of Action in November in Vienna, COP 20 in Lima in December 2014, the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015 in Japan, as well as the ongoing consultations on the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development.

The international community should give greater attention to developing countries, in particular those in special situations including African countries, Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing Sates and Landlocked Developing Countries.

In this context, I look forward to working with the Group of 77 and China to enhance South-South, triangular and North-South cooperation. We should further explore ways to enhance synergies amongst Member States including through the promotion of regional and sub-regional mechanisms and initiatives.

Distinguished delegates,

The General Assembly will play a crucial role in ensuring the successful outcome of these various intergovernmental processes.
We should work towards building consensus for successful outcomes in the economic, social, financial and environmental areas. We need to continue strengthening the role, authority and effectiveness of the Assembly, in the context of its revitalization.

In conclusion, I look forward to the support and engagement of the G77 and China during the 69th session, and wish you success in your deliberations today.

I take this opportunity to welcome the Republic of South Sudan which is to be admitted as the 134th member of this Group.

I thank you for your attention.