Excellencies,

1. I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. At the outset, allow me to reiterate the Group’s appreciation to both co-facilitators for convening today’s informal meeting and for preparing the comprehensive questions that will help guide our consultations and share the views and ideas of States on issues relevant to the reviews.

2. The G77 and China reiterates its position that the current review of ECOSOC and the HLPF should ensure that the current intergovernmental structures can most effectively fulfil their roles in accelerating the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and achieve our common development aspirations. Therefore, the reviews should not be used to renegotiate substantive agreements on the SDGs, but rather to strengthen the basis for their implementation.

3. The G77 and China stresses that while the review processes for the HLPF and ECOSOC are similar and complement each other, they are not the same. Each responds to different mandates and has different objectives and should therefore be treated separately, with due attention to their interconnectedness. Thus, the two reviews should not be merged but should be treated as separate processes.

4. I would like in this regard, to express the Group’s position, while providing answers to the questions that you have shared with us:

A- With regards to the HLPF Review:

5. Concerning the HLPF cycle, its cross-cutting themes and SDGs in 2022 and 2023, the Group believes that the SDGs reviews model needs to consider the interlinkages across all Goals, their synergies and trade-offs, so as to ensure that the international community can review the 17 SDGs in one cycle, “leaving no SDG behind”, taking into account the holistic nature of the 2030 Agenda. The Group is of the view that the HLPF should allow the technical participation of line Ministries and other agencies, fostering peer learning and networking to effectively address global, regional and national development challenges.

6. Moreover, the synergies and interlinkages among the SDGs should also be strengthened, because sustainable development is about the interconnectedness between SDGs. In this vein, the Group believes that the thematic reviews would gain in pertinence if they discuss synergies among the SDGs both in their implementation and follow up.

7. On your question on how to improve the VNRs, the Group would like to make several proposals on improving the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs). The VNRs conducted by the HLPF have proved highly effective in bringing together a cross-section of national actors to review commitments and assess national progress in SDG implementation. However, some improvements to the current VNR process are necessary. The Group emphasises that:

– VNRs are an important means for developed and developing countries to report globally on their progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the SDGs. They should remain voluntary and be country led, allowing each country to present its specific context and address national particularities.

– The Secretary General’s voluntary common reporting guidelines and handbook for VNRs is a useful resource for preparing VNRs. However, the handbook should not be used to standardize country reports.