Mme. Chair,

 The Chinese delegation would like to thank Executive Director Osotimehin for his comprehensive report. We commend UNFPA for the progress made in 2012 under his leadership.

The global context during the period of 2008-2013 strategic plan was marked by difficulties and challenges posed by the global economic and financial crisis, rapid population growth and multiple demographic problems, and grave humanitarian situations caused by natural disasters. UNFPA responded by repositioning its mandate through the mid-term review of its strategic plan and adopting a series of measures to focus on its strategic priorities and the improvement of its development results framework and management results framework. It has enhanced internal management and the quality and effectiveness of its programs while keeping program result firmly in mind. UNFPA works energetically to lead the ICPD Beyond 2014 Review and has engaged closely in the discussions on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda, thus making unremitting efforts towards the goals of the ICPD Program of Action.

Mme. Chair,

At present, the world is confronted with multiple challenges in its endeavor to achieve the goals of the ICPD Program of Action and the MDG goal on improving maternal health, advance equitable and balanced development, and manage population dynamics including the youth and ageing. Developing countries urgently need UNFPA to maintain its focus on its strategic priorities, work within the integrated results-based framework, keep its attention on program results, strengthen internal management, scale up capacity building so as to better support program countries in their development efforts. Against such a backdrop, the ICPD Beyond 2014 Review led by UNFPA and the scheduled GA Special Session in 2014 will greatly contribute to the rebuilding of global consensus in this field and the identification of the global policy direction for population and development issues.

With respect to the Strategic Plan 2014-2017 of UNFPA, the Chinese delegation believes that the plan will serve as the guideline for its work in the years to come. It will define, in principle, the Fund's strategic priorities, business model, resource allocation, institutional functioning and staffing structure. As such, it will have a direct bearing on the positioning of the Fund, the design and implementation of its programs and its development results. China appreciates the openness, transparency and inclusiveness of the drafting process of the strategic plan as well as the Fund's commitment to abide by the principle of national ownership of program countries. We would like to make the following proposals in this respect,

First, we encourage UNFPA to continue to revise its draft strategic plan based on input and proposals from member states. We hope that the Fund will actively implement the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) of UN operational activities for development while adhering to the universal principles guiding UN development assistance. We also hope that by capitalizing on its comparative advantages in reproductive health and family planning, the UNFPA will continue to lead the global efforts to comprehensively and effectively tackle the challenges in the area of population and development.

Second, the Chinese delegation is in favor of scaling up UNFPA's support to the LDCs and expects the Fund to pay close attention to the development needs of the poorest and most vulnerable groups in each society and ensure the relevance, effectiveness and continuity of its programs as well as the sustainability of program results.

Third, we hope the Fund will promptly produce an analysis of the impact of its new business model and resource allocation mechanism on program countries so as to help the latter understand the implications of the new strategic plan. The Fund should also provide support, guidance and oversight in this respect to its regional and country teams.

Regarding resource situation, the Chinese delegation has noted that UNFPA achieved impressive funding results in 2012 which surpassed its target. However, it is worrying that its core resources registered a decline and for the first time dropped below 50% of the total resources. China supports the efforts of UNFPA to continue to diversity its funding sources and mechanisms, encourage traditional donors to increase their contribution to core resources and strengthen partnerships in this field.

Mme. Chair,

China always attaches great importance to the cooperation with UNFPA. We appreciate the positive role of the Fund in supporting the development of the Chinese women and children. China will, as in the past, continue to enhance bilateral cooperation with UNFPA under the leadership of Executive Director Osotimehin and explore possibilities for triangular cooperation in order to make joint efforts to advance our national and global endeavors in the field of population and development.

Thank you, Mme. Chair.