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Statement by H.E. Mr. Anouparb VONGNORKEO, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR to the UN, at the Forty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 and China NY, 12 November 2020

Thursday, 12 November 2020
Presenter: 
H.E. Mr. Anouparb VONGNORKEO
Location: 
New York

Statement by H.E. Mr. Anouparb VONGNORKEO, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to the United Nations

at the Forty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 and China

New York, 12 November 2020

Mr. Chair,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,

        At the outset, I wish to congratulate you, Mr. Chair as well as your team for the outstanding chairmanship and leadership of our group especially during this unprecedented crisis. I would also like to congratulate the Republic of Guinea for its election as the Chair of the Group of 77 and China for the year 2021 and I look forward to continue engaging with the newly-elected Chair with my firm confidence that through your leadership and guidance, the unity and solidarity of our group would be further strengthened. Please be assured of our full support and cooperation.

        My delegation welcomes the theme of this Meeting, “Global Response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the obstacles it poses to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the SDGs”, which is of great relevance.

Mr. Chair,
Since its inception more than half a century ago, our group has been firmly committed and adhered to the founding principles of unity, complementarity, cooperation and solidarity, which have guided us towards attaining remarkable achievements over the years. As we are commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in this decade of action, the current global health crisis has exacerbated the vulnerability, inequality and threatened to reverse our decade-long economic and social progress made in the implementation of the SDGs. Therefore, it is high time for the group, which represents two third of the members of the United Nations, to reaffirm and underline our critical role in safeguarding the progress made in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development while promoting our shared value, vision and interests in building back better, sustainable recovery as well as strengthening our collective negotiating capacity within the United Nations.
        At this important juncture, it is crucial for the group to stand firm together and collectively respond to the pandemic, especially to social-economic ramifications it has posed on the livelihoods of our people, as well as the severe disruptions to the society and economies, especially in the group of countries in special situations, where the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit. In this light, it is more crucial than ever for us to engage constructively in the negotiations of all the important documents and resolutions related to Covid-19 responses and address its impacts on the 2030 Agenda and SDG implementation, in view of ensuring fruitful and consensus-based outcome documents that serve our common interests, based on unity, solidarity, and people-centered approach.

Mr. Chair,
        My delegation reaffirms our common aspiration on poverty eradication in all its forms and dimensions as an overarching goal of the 2030 Agenda as an indispensable prerequisite for developing countries to attain the SDGs. Towards this end, we have to remind ourselves of the scourge of this greatest global health crisis and the need to further advance the agenda on eradicating poverty as the highest priority of the group, in particular, for the most vulnerable countries to overcome their specific challenges.
        We highly appreciate the central role of the group in promoting South-South cooperation, as complementarity to but not as a substitute to the North-South and triangular cooperation, especially at this time of global health challenge as well as the vital role of the international community to promote a multilateral partnership and scale up international support to mitigate the devastating socio-economic impact caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr. Chair,
        I wish to conclude by reassuring you that the Lao PDR remains committed to working proactively with the group in order to further promote our common interests, shared vision and mutually beneficial cooperation.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman.