Statement by the Chairmen/Coordinators of the Group of 77, Chapters on UN Reform, Paris, 28 February 2006

1. We the Chairmen/Coordinators of the Chapters of the Group of 77, meeting in Paris from 27 to 28 February 2006, under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, Permanent Representative of south Africa to the United Nations and Chairman of the Group 77 in New York, have reviewed the ongoing UN reform process and declare the following :
   
   
2. On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, we attach high priority to the reform of the UN as an on going process and not an end in itself in accordance with the parameters for the objective and scope of the review exercise set out by the World Summit Outcome Document.
   
   
3. We see the objective of the reform as a means to strengthen the Organization, so that it can efficiently respond to the current and future challenges affecting the international community, in particular those concerns and interests of developing countries which constitute the vast majority of its membership.
   
   
4. We reaffirm that this process should be aimed at strengthening multilateralism, providing the Organization with a substantive capacity to fully and effectively meet the purposes and principles enshrined in the UN Charter, and at consolidating its democratic character and its transparency in the discussion and implementation of decisions of Member States.
   
   
5. We will strive in the United Nations (UN) to develop its full potential and address urgent and serious economic and social problems facing developing countries. We reiterate the importance of the UN as the central forum for dialogue and negotiations on issues relating to international cooperation for development. We attach great political importance to the strengthening of the role of the United Nations in promoting international cooperation for economic and social development. We strongly believe that the UN should be allowed to develop its full potential in the field of international economic cooperation. To that end, the realization of the right to development should be given utmost priority by the UN.
   
   
6. We stress the importance of mainstreaming development dimension in the ongoing process of reform of the UN, bearing in mind the aim of enabling the full participation of peoples from the south in the international decision and rule-making economic processes and ensuring their access to and enjoyment of the benefits of international economy.
   
   
7. We reiterate the need to enhance the global partnership for development that is necessary to fully realize the outcomes of all major United Nations summits and conferences in the economic, social and related fields. We reaffirm the role of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as a principal body for the promotion of development cooperation, coordination, policy making, review and dialogue on international economic issues and for making recommendations on issues of economic and social development.
   
   
8. We emphasize that the objective of the UN reform is to strengthen and update the work of the Organization so that it responds to the contemporary requirements of Member States. The work of the Organization is geared towards implementing the legislative decision and mandates adopted by the inter-governmental bodies of the UN.
   
   
9. We believe that it is imperative to stress that the final result of the exercise should be to ensure that the organization is able to implement the entire range of its mandates more effectively and efficiently. We do not accept that the exercise is intended to change the inter-governmental nature of our decision-making, oversight and monitoring processes. Neither is it to reduce the budget levels of the Organization or to fund more activities from within the existing pool of resources, nor is it meant to redefine the roles and responsibilities assigned to the various Organs of the United Nations by the Charter.
   
   
10. We reiterate our support for the reform of the United Nations. Reform of the United Nations is a collective agenda and serves our common interests. We believe that the voice of every Member State must be heard and respected during this reform process irrespective of the contributions made to the budget of the organization.
    
    
11. We have always supported the efforts of the Secretary-General to ensure greater accountability of staff and our Group has called for the strengthening of the accountability framework of the United Nations and reforms to the systems of administration of justice and human resources management of the Organization.
    
    
12. We are committed to working with the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly to achieve the reform of the United Nations within the inter-governmental framework that the Organization provides. We believe that reform should be meaningful, strengthen the ability of the Organization to implement its mandates effectively and enable it to serve the interests of the collective membership. A stronger United Nations that responds more effectively to our collective needs is in our common interest.
    
    
13. We reaffirm the roles and mandates of UN institutions and agencies (UNCTAD, FAO, UNIDO, UNESCO, IFAD, UNHABITAT and UNEP) and we particularly reiterate the importance of UNCTAD as the principal organization within the UN system for an integrated treatment of trade and development, and we commit ourselves to ensure that the UN reform process shall not dilute its mandate, supplant or subsume it.
    
    
14. We attach importance for consultations aimed at developing a more coherent institutional framework for environment and human settlement activities in the UN system and express our determination that his process should result in strengthening or existing institutions and enhance the interest of developing countries.
    
    
15. We stand in full support of the position of the Group of 77 and China under the able leadership of Ambassador Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN, Chairman of the Group 77, on UN Reform , in defending the interests of developing countries and ensuring the successful outcome of the reform process as well as safeguarding the integrity and Charter role of the General Assembly in this important process in accordance with decisions and guidance by the Heads of State or Government of the Group of 77 at the Second South Summit held in Doha, Qatar, from 12 to 16 June 2005.