Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. The Group thanks the Secretary-General for his report on the activities of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, as per the request of General Assembly decisions 52/466 and 53/475.

Mr. Chair,

3. The Group commends the United Nations Office for Partnerships for its outstanding work in advancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and for providing partnership advisory and outreach services in response to the demands of the United Nations system and its Member States.

4. The Group emphasizes that the year 2023 marks the halfway point for the achievement of the SDGs and it is clear that we are far off track. Against this challenging backdrop, we appreciate the initiatives undertaken by UNOP to advance the 2030 Agenda, through addressing many of our global challenges, among them post COVID19 pandemic recovery, other health issues and climate change.

5. The Group notes the effective use of social media platforms for public through SDG’s advocates. The annual meeting of the Advocates with the Secretary-General in 2022 raised issues of the utmost importance for developing countries that need to be addressed holistically if we truly want to achieve the SDG by 2030, namely, the reform of the global financial architecture, debt relief and a sophisticated data system to accurately measure global progress on the Goals.

6. We further note that the United Nations Foundation has been acting as fiscal agent for various UN entities. In 2022, the Foundation disbursed $27.3 million in funding through the UN Fund for International Partnership (UNFIP) for various United Nations initiatives. The Group may want to know more about it in later consultations.

Mr. Chair,

7. The Group recalls Goal 17 of the SDGs which underlines the need to revitalize global partnerships, including through multi-stakeholder partnerships, and urges UNOP to continue engaging with partners and to explore opportunities for collaboration within the United Nations system in support of developing countries in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development. We also urge UNOP to strengthen partnerships with regional and sub-regional organizations.

8. Finally, the Group encourages UNOP to enhance accountability and transparency in the future and to embark on a comprehensive evaluation of its activities with a view to sustaining impactful partnerships and exploring innovative approaches that can catalyze resources and accelerate solutions to keep the promises of the SDGs, paying special attention to the needs of developing countries.

I thank you.