Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
At the outset, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Pakistan for organizing this important event, and I commend you, Mr. Chair, on your able stewardship of the Group of 77 and China in promoting the interests of our group in various UN forums. The theme of this Ministerial meeting: “Addressing the food, fuel and finance crises and pathways towards achieving the SDGs”, which is most timely and relevant to the current global challenges.
Mr. Chair,
At this important juncture, it is crucial for the group to collectively respond to multi-faceted crises, we all are facing. Apart from the severe impact caused by the global health crisis, it is evident that addressing the ongoing challenges such as climate change, food and energy insecurity, debt distress, among others, must be our top priorities. Against this backdrop, groups of countries in special situations remain the most vulnerable and are hit the hardest. In this connection, it is undeniable that the Lao PDR, being both LDC and LLDC, has unavoidably been heavily affected by a variety of systemic shocks, including the global financial and economic turbulence, excessive commodity price volatility further compounded by natural disasters. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing situations by causing worldwide inflationary pressures due to supply chain disruptions and increased food and fuel prices.
These shocks not only halt the pace of economic progress and worsen poverty, but also undermine our capacity to achieve the 2030 Agenda. While going full stream for pandemic recovery, newly emerging challenges disproportionately impacted the recovery efforts of vulnerable countries. . In this light, it is more crucial than ever for the G77 and China, , to engage actively and constructively in the negotiations of all the important documents and resolutions during this 77th Session of UNGA to address the impacts of the current crisis and move forward the 2030 Agenda and SDG implementation.
Mr. Chair,
My delegation reaffirms our common aspiration on eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions as an overarching goal of the 2030 Agenda. We are of the view that this effort forms indispensable prerequisites for developing countries to attain the SDGs. As such, we have to remind ourselves of the scourge of the current global 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 development challenges. In this regard, the Lao PDR continues to support the commitment and efforts of the Group of 77 and China in the mobilization of resources to support the implementation of their respective national development plans and the SDGs while ensuring enhanced global partnership in response to the unprecedented impact of various systemic shocks and adopt the most effective solutions for sustainable recovery.
Mr. Chair,
My delegation is of the view that the Ministerial Declaration to be adopted today represents the collective interests and concerns of the Group’s members, notably the emphasis given to ending poverty in all its forms.. Therefore, I urge development partners, international organizations, private sector, and other stakeholders to provide the necessary support to developing countries in accelerating the 2030 agenda for sustainable development to ensure that no one is left behind.
I wish to conclude by reaffirming our commitment to further enhancing the Group’s unity and solidarity in working towards achieving our collective objectives for the benefit of our people.
Thank you.
