Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the organization of work of the Fifth Committee for the main part of the 77th Session of the General Assembly.

2. At the outset, the Group extends congratulations to you and the members of your Bureau on your election. We trust that under your able leadership and guidance, the Committee will conclude this session in a timely manner and with a positive outcome. We also would like to record our sincere appreciation to the outgoing Bureau members for a phenomenal disposal of work during closing part of 76th Session.

2. The Group further thanks the Bureau and the Secretariat for providing the draft Programme of work and the status of preparedness of documentation, both of which, we know, will be reviewed and adjusted during the course of the session to reflect the progress of the work and priorities of the Committee.

3. We reiterate our deep gratitude for the work of the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee led by Mr. Lionelito Berridge, in facilitating the work of the Committee, Ms Sara Muller for her continuous engagements and also welcome the new member Ms Lourdes Quogue to the fifth Committee Secretariat.

4. The Group also wishes to thank the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for its invaluable support and assistance to our work. The Group recognizes the challenges of the Secretariat and the ACABQ have had to overcome in carrying out their work. We thank you for your efforts.

Mr. Chair,

5. We are committed to a thorough consideration of the agenda items allocated to the Committee. In reports preparedness, we note that significant percentage of the reports is now available for detailed deliberations but we urge the Secretariat to finalize the pending reports as early as possible. We realize that delay in timely provision of reports deprive the group of the opportunity to have a thorough consideration of agenda items.

6. The Group wishes to reiterate that adequate time should be given to each agenda item and that practical steps must be taken to ensure that reports from the Secretariat and the ACABQ are issued in all official languages in a timely fashion, in line with the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly and relevant resolutions to this effect.

7. We note that the Fifth Committee will address issues of crucial importance to the General Assembly and the Organization in upcoming weeks. The Group will actively engage in the deliberations of this session on issues such as the Proposed Programmed Budget for 2023; the Scales of Assessment, Construction and Property Management; Review of budgetary cycle involving CPC and Sequencing; the United Nations Common System; Pension System, Umoja, Conditions of Service for ICSC and ACABQ and Administration of Justice. Close attention will also be paid to deliberations on the Capital Master Plan, all programme budget implications and revised estimates, Administrative and budgetary coordination of the United Nations with the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as the reports of the Board of Auditors and the OIOS. For the group, each agenda item is equally important and we will consider it in full detail.

8. Regarding the Proposed Programme Budget for 2023, the Group wishes to reiterate its long-standing position that mandates as translated into the strategic framework and approved by the General Assembly, must determine budget proposals and not the other way around. Further, the level of resources to be approved by the General Assembly must be commensurate with all mandated programmes and activities in order to ensure their full and effective implementation.

9. Mr. Chair, the Group reaffirms the critical role of the CPC, which should only be strengthened, rather than weakened and wishes to remind the Committee that implementation of resolution 76/236, paragraph 16, is vital to ensure an effective and efficient outcome of the overarching Programme Budget negotiation. The five programmes of the proposed Programme budget for 2023 do not have conclusions and recommendations from the Committee on Programme and Coordination, should be reviewed by the plenary or the relevant Main Committee responsible for those mandates. This must be done in a timely manner, so that the Fifth Committee can discuss and approve the related budget.

Mr. Chair,

10. The Group reiterates its belief that the consideration of the budget on a yearly basis imposes additional time constraints for thorough discussion of other agenda items. We trust that the Committee will devote an adequate level of dedication to all agenda items and that our discussions will be fruitful, and our negotiations will be conducted in an open, transparent and inclusive manner.

11. In the end, the group assures its full cooperation and constructive engagement with you, the Bureau and our partners to reach a successful outcome for this session.

I thank you, Mr Chair.