Mr. President,
Secretary-General of UNCTAD,
Director of the division for Africa, LDCs and Special Programmes
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.   At the outset, the G77 & China wishes to express its appreciation for the leadership of the UNCTAD Secretary General, and the efforts of his entire team in supporting Africa in its development endeavour.

Mr. President,

2.   The 65th Trade and Development Board Executive session is an important session to discuss technical cooperation report for Africa. The session provides a good opportunity to exchange views on how to further enhance the effectiveness of the technical cooperation in Africa provided by UNCTAD Secretariat.  The G77 & China welcomes the Report (for the period May 2016 – April 2017) on Activities undertaken by UNCTAD Secretariat in Support of Africa, and would like to express its appreciation to the Secretariat for preparing the Report.

Mr. President,

3.   It is pleasing to note that, total expenditures on national, regional and interregional projects in support of Africa in 2016 increased by 17.65% compared to such expenditures in 2015. The Group would like to thank Development partners for their support to the technical cooperation programmes of UNCTAD, and encourage them to increase and sustain the support.

Mr. President,

We appreciate the efforts of the UNCTAD secretariat through the technical cooperation pillar, and we look forward to continuity as it implements the Nairobi Maafikiano. The Group expect an important shift, taking into account what was agreed in UNCTAD XIV. A key step forward will be to enhance efforts in building productive capacities for Africa and exchanging best practices to assist the implementation of SDGs as part of a broader effort to bring-about inclusive and sustainable development.

5.   We would like to emphasize the importance of improving domestic conditions so as to have sustainability. Consequently, it is critical to ensure a conducive and supportive global economic environment and architecture. We, therefore, look forward to UNCTAD Secretariat continuing its important work on how all levels of the development equation, global, regional including in Africa, can best be nurtured and accelerated.

Mr. President,

6.   Illicit financial flows are impacting developing countries, particularly in Africa, and require urgent actions by the international community. In the past 50 years, Africa is estimated to have lost in excess of $1 Trillion in illicit financial flows. It is important to note that this sum is roughly equivalent to all of the Official Development Assistances received by Africa during the same timeframe. Currently, Africa is estimated to be losing more than $50 Billion annually in Illicit flows. But these estimates may well fall short of reality because accurate data do not exist for all African countries.

Mr. President, we call upon UNCTAD as UN focal point for the integrated treatment of development topics, to contribute effectively in providing pragmatic solutions at all levels on illicit financial flows.

Mr. President,

7.   We recognize the fundamental importance of UNCTAD’s analytical work, and the invaluable contributions it continues to make. Yet, the single factor that makes UNCTAD special is the Intergovernmental Machinery, which brings the analytical work to life. Mr. President, I wish to express the Group’s concern on the slow progress so far on phase two of the revitalisation of the UNCTAD Intergovernmental Machinery. The Group will appreciate to receive a road map and a clear timeframe on Phase two, and clarity on the process going forward.

Mr. President,

8.   Let me conclude by reiterating the Group’s appreciation of the role that UNCTAD continues to play in the Development Agenda. The G77 & China would like to express its willingness to engage constructively on ways and means of enhancing the consideration of these important matters, bearing in mind the important link between these issues and the sustainable development agenda.

I thank you.