President of the Trade and Development Board Ambassador Hasans of Latvia,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

1. The Group of 77 and China would like to take this opportunity to commend you on your leadership and forbearance during this seventy-second Executive Session of the Trade and Development Board (TDB). We would also like to thank the UNCTAD Secretary-General for her inspiring words today.

2. During the last few days for this meeting, we have had an opportunity to meaningfully engage on critical issues and challenges that continued to impinge development of our countries, particularly those among us that are small, vulnerable, poverty-stricken, war-torn, under occupation, underdeveloped, at the vagaries of the ongoing health, food and climate crises that have led them into burgeoning debt levels in the efforts to address them. We believe that a full implementation of the mandate enshrined in the Bridgetown Covenant will be critical in supporting members in their endeavours.

3. Mr. President, while we appreciate for the adoption of the outcomes reached during our deliberations of the seventy-second Executive Session of TDB, we would like also to express our profound disappointment that once again, an attempt for having outcomes in the TDB on some pressing matters emanating from discussion of reports, such as the report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people, the efforts were dismissed by some regional groups. This has been the same outcome in previous TDBs when we propose agreed conclusions in other substantive items, most recently it was the same situation manifested during the seventy-first Executive Session of TDB in February 2022.

4. The Group of 77 and China will continue to remain objective and refrain from politicisation of the work of the TDB. We would like to assure the Board that our focus will always be on the content and intention behind issues and tabled proposals while adhering to the Rules of Procedure of the Trade and Development Board.

5. The Group will continue with its endeavour to revitalize the intergovernmental machinery, including with other Groups, the Secretary-General of UNCTAD and the UNCTAD Secretariat. We will remain open to discuss constructively with other groups, on all important matters including, if necessary, to seek any improvement on rules or procedures meant to ensure that we as Members are in a position to allow UNCTAD to fully execute its mandate.

6. Lastly Mr. President, we would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciations to you, to the Secretary-General of UNCTAD, the Secretariat and with special recognition to the staff of the Group Liaison Section for their hard work. Similarly, we extend our appreciations to the panellists, the regional groups and the entire membership of the Board for the rich discussions held during the session that led to a successful conclusion of this august session.

I thank you Mr. President.