Statement by Mr. Ahmad Naseem Warraich, Minister, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations, New York at the Group of 77 & China Ambassadorial Level Meeting (19 January 2013)

Mr. Chairman,

I join other distinguished colleagues in expressing our sincerest congratulations to the Government of Fiji on assuming the leadership of the Group of 77 and China. It is a pleasure to see you Ambassador chairing the Group’s meeting. We have confidence that with your wisdom and professionalism, you will navigate this Group towards higher standards that have been ably established by Ambassador Mourad Benmehidi and his successive predecessors. We look forward to working closely with you and your team. We assure you of our full support, cooperation and assistance.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to express our deep gratitude to Algeria, in particular Ambassador Mourad Benmehidi and his team for successfully steering the Group of 77 and China in 2012. Under his able guidance, his team competently helped the Group promote its interests. I congratulate them on this excellent work.

Mr. Chairman,

2013 is an important year. During the year, we will review our progress on the Millennium Development Goals. We will deliberate on shaping the post-2015 development agenda. We will also begin a number of significant processes that were agreed at Rio last June. The agenda before us is enormous and important from the point of view of placing the collective interests of the developing countries at the heart of these processes that will shape both institutional and substantive aspect of our work in future. I will, therefore, underscore the imperative of working together with our Group’s characteristic unity.

Furthermore, Pakistan is convinced that in today’s interdependent and interconnected world only strong, inclusive, and accountable multilateral institutions will enable us meet our aspirations. The UN, we believe, is the only institution that guarantees such a setting. It should, therefore, be the centre of our efforts to find solutions to global problems.

Mr. Chairman,

Looking at the year ahead, I will like to make five points.

Mr. Chairman,

The scale of challenge that the developing countries face today clearly demand an extremely robust and sustained partnership amongst the developing countries led ably by the Chair of the Group of 77 and China. My delegation can equally recount several other important areas that would levy significant demand on your leadership. Indeed we stand ready to support you. However, Pakistan also believes that the scale and enormity of task demands that we look for every opportunity to make use of disperse but significant available resources within South. On behalf of my country, I have made some proposal. I would also propose that you undertake consultations at the Ambassadorial level to evaluate these and other proposals being made by other Ambassadors and define ways for implementing them. I am confident that these would help us shape a cohesive, strong and integrated strategy that is need of the hour and for you to led this Group effectively.

Finally, I wish to assure you that under your leadership and in close collaboration with the entire membership, Pakistan will continue contributing to our joint efforts to promote the interest of all developing countries.

I thank you.