Interactive Dialogue with G77+China Meeting

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

17 April 2019

Your Excellency Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer Representative of the State of Palestine and President of the Group,

Distinguished Permanent Representatives,

Mister Mourad Ahmia, Executive Secretary of G77+China,

Delegates,

It is always a true pleasure to meet again with all of You. I wish to express my deepest thanks for the extraordinary support that I have received from the Group and from each of its members during these first 7 months of my term in office.

Furthermore, I wish to congratulate the leadership of Palestine for constantly defending interests of developing countries. I think that the eradication of poverty, climate action and leaving no one behind are priorities that we share, and I extend my full support for them.

Allow me to reiterate my great admiration for the great coordination work of the President of this Group, Ambassador Riyad Mansour. The Efforts of your delegation honor the Palestinian People and remind us of the place that the State of Palestine deserves in the concert of nations.

I also highlight the fundamental support and solidarity of the members of the Group -my group-; I trust that this will continue to be strong in the months ahead. The unity of the Group is indispensable to guarantee an effective influence in the countries of the Global South and to firmly move forward in the processes of our Organization.

I congratulate Palestine for the prominent negotiations of the Outcome Document of the Second UN Conference on South-South Cooperation held in Buenos Aires a few weeks ago. I also wish to highlight the flawless organization of the host country, Argentina.

It was a highly successful Conference. Needless to say, I also wish to mention the fantastic work of the Ambassador of Uganda, H.E. Adonia Ayebare, also a Group member who led, along with Lithuania, the co-facilitation of the Outcome Document.

I also wish to take this opportunity to thank the support of this Group for the events that my Office has organized, particularly the “Women in Power” event, which was held on March 12. This meeting produced the “Call for Action” document, which was signed by the female leaders who participated. It is a concise, action-oriented, non-binding document. I invite the leaders of your countries to be part of this non-binding, very concise and action-oriented document, which seeks to drive the participation of women in politics.

Likewise, the support of the Group was crucial for the success of the meeting held on March 28 on the Protection of global climate for present and future generations. This Group, in fact, created the mandate for its organization. Three Presidents and two Prime Ministers participated and more than one hundred statements were declared to advocate for urgent climate action, greater ambition and the inclusion of young people. I kindly invite you to maintain our vigor in the fight against climate change from this moment on to 2020.

Similarly, I thank you for your participation to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the International Labor Organization and the debate on the future of work. It was an extraordinary way to commemorate the ILO, whose work has been fundamental for the progress in the rights of workers and has established a space for governments, employers and workers to agree.

Excellencies,

There are many challenges ahead of us.

We have the negotiation of the Political Declaration for the High Level Political Forum under the Economic and Social Council and under the General Assembly. We must achieve a concise, agreed document that offers political leadership, orientation and clear recommendations to accelerate the compliance of the SDGs. I am counting on the support of the Group and of the co-facilitators that I have appointed, the Ambassadors of Bahamas and Sweden.

Another relevant topic is the modalities of the Summit, for which consultations are led by the Ambassador of El Salvador. We all know the political importance of that event and therefore bringing our best efforts to make the Summit as innovative and impactful as possible is essential. I would like to add that the Summit will not be an isolated event, since my intention is to facilitate a coherent and synergetic approach to all the sustainable development processes that will occur during the high-level week. I am working jointly with the President of ECOSOC and the UN Deputy Secretary-General, on a narrative to maximize impact during that important week.  

In the next mandated events of the General Assembly, the active participation of the Group is fundamental. The peoples of the South, which represent 80% of the world’s population, are counting on you to bring their voices, their needs and their demands to this venue.

On April 22, the Interactive Dialogue on Harmony with Nature to commemorate Mother Earth will be held. This will be an event that will also contribute to reaffirming our commitment to environmental action. The central topic is “The Mother Earth approach in the Implementation of Education and Climate Action”, which resulted from another resolution issued by this Group.

On April 24, we will hold the event on “Multilateralism and diplomacy for peace”, which will be an event that will be held precisely now that the international system, the one we have worked so hard to build, is under attack. I invite you to seize this opportunity to reaffirm the historical commitment of the Group and its countries with multilateralism and the construction of a fairer, more democratic, rules-based international order. We expect to have your active participation.

On April 29, we will hold the Interactive Multi-stakeholder Hearing on Universal Health Coverage, an excellent opportunity for States to listen to civil society representatives in the context of preparing the high level meeting of September.

In May, three high level events on economic topics will be held, mandated by important resolutions proposed by this Group: on May 14, the debate on Inclusive Development and Inequality within and between countries; on May 15, the dialogue on Commodities, where we will be able to address the market for these products and the policies needed to increase their value chain and on May 16, the meeting on international cooperation to fight Illicit Financial Flows, whose objective will be to evaluate the progress of our efforts to build a global architecture and better fight these flows.

The development and the summaries of these meetings will be, as such, part of the implementation of their corresponding resolutions. They represent the work of our negotiations and deliberations and are key moments to move forward in the facilitation for international cooperation in these topics. The active participation of the group will allow us to have a greater strategic impact. Let us seize this opportunity.

I decided to convene these meetings in consecutive dates to strengthen the synergies between these dialogues and motivate the participation of your Ministers and other relevant authorities.

As a poet, I also feel the need to point out, in a special way, the event on Culture and Sustainable Development, on 21 May. I am utterly convinced about the transforming power of culture and the arts, to achieve better, more inclusive, more equitable, more resilient societies. Culture is a mechanism to build dialogue. Creativity can open new and original paths to make sustainable development a reality; we must seize its potential. I am counting on you to ensure the active participation of your countries.

I also wish to highlight that my office is closely following the processes to review the Programmes for Small Island Developing States and Landlocked Developing Countries. I am in constant communication with the co-facilitators and I wish to express, once again, my full support and endorsement.

Excellencies,

As part of my priority on persons with disabilities, I continue to advance the Steering Committee on Accessibility, with the help of the Ambassadors of Antigua and Barbuda and the Republic of Korea, and I have launched a campaign for the universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I am personally reaching out to the States that have yet to join the convention, and I hope these undertakings bear fruits very soon.

On June 12, I will convene an event on “Disability and Inclusive Development”, as part of the Conference of the Parties. We are currently finalizing details for the organization of this event, which I will convey as soon as they are ready. Your suggestions for panelists are welcome.

Regarding the alignment process of the General Assembly program with the 2030 Agenda, I remind you that it was launched on March 18. In the first meeting I focused on the need to establish an integral methodology to identify possible gaps and duplications and the importance to agree on a realistic due date.

I encourage the Group to participate constructively in the process. Reflecting the integrated and universal nature of the sustainable development Goals and targets in the work of the General Assembly, ECOSOC, the High-level Political Forum and other relevant organizations is fundamental.

For the next session, the Presidency of the General Assembly will be passed on to another country of G77+China. This is very significant, since it will allow us to strengthen ties and improve coordination even more in topics of interest for developing countries.

To conclude, I reiterate that in these times of growing polarization and in which reaching agreements is something that is becoming increasingly difficult, the role of G77+ China is vital.

Coordinated work will be key during the sessions of the Main Committees of the General Assembly, between October and December 2019.

We need your leadership, your example of solidarity and teamwork to fulfill the purposes of our Charter: the peaceful settlement of disputes; friendly relations among nations and international cooperation in global subjects that impact the lives of all persons, particularly the most vulnerable, the ones we serve.

Let these aspirations continue to be the driving force of your work and your unity.

Thank you.