Mme. President,

In 2005, world leaders gathered in New York, jointly reaffirming that development is a central goal by itself. This has reflected the common aspiration of the world people. World leaders have made solemn commitments to implementing the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields and to realizing timely the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. It is the unshirkable responsibility of all countries to maintain this momentum and vigorously promote international development cooperation.

To achieve development involves a multi-level and complex process, and the outcomes of major UN conferences and summits in the economic and social fields cannot be materialized overnight. It is necessary to define key areas and set the order of priorities, so as to mobilize maximum resources, achieve optimum distribution of forces, and get the most desirable result. Thanks to the joint efforts of all countries, the MDGs have received worldwide recognition and extensive support, and their significance has been reaffirmed by the World Summit in 2005. The focus of our attention should now be turned to full implementation of MDGs.

Action at the national level is a pivotal link in integrated and coordinated implementation of the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits. There exists a wide spectrum of national conditions. Only by combining the consensus of international conferences with their specific national conditions, can countries truly claim their "ownership", can actions be made realistically and effectively. National governments have the responsibility to embody various international consensuses into their national development strategies, and make them an organic part of their own development programs. At the regional and international levels, constructive dialogues should be encouraged. These will both help exchange experience and stimulate new thoughts, and also better mobilize resources and technical means to support the national efforts of coordinated implementation of their development strategies.

It is essential for the United Nations to continue to lead discussions on follow-up actions. It is therefore necessary for the relevant UN meetings to be pragmatic and action-oriented in their agenda, and find innovative ways. The related policy discussions should genuinely specify policies, expand consensus, and find shortcomings and weaknesses, so as to better mobilize and coordinate international actions. There should be better communication and coordination among organizations and agencies to ensure policy coherence and avoid contradictions and overlapping. Recent discussions on UN system wide coherence are very helpful. Worldwide attention and extensive involvement by all social sectors are driving forces for international development cooperation. We should continue to encourage private sectors and the civil society to play an important role in implementing the development consensuses.

Effective global action needs corresponding organizational guarantee. ECOSOC, as the main organ within the UN system to promote economic and social development, has its special advantages in pushing for the implementation of the internationally agreed development goals. The World Summit held last year provided ECOSOC with two major new tools -- Annual Ministerial Reviews and Development Cooperation Forum. We hope that ECOSOC and its subordinate agencies will make good use of this opportunity to reinforce their functions and adjust their work, so as to make greater contributions to coordinated follow-up to the outcomes of the major conferences and summits. We are glad to note that the resolution on strengthening of the ECOSOC has just been adopted by the General Assembly and will be put into practice soon.

Integrated and coordinated implementation calls for integrated and coordinated supervision. Currently, many agencies, both within and outside the UN system, have conducted progress evaluation on the related development goals in their own specific field, with different standard and limited influence. The resolution on follow-up to the development outcome of the 2005 World Summit once again emphasized the importance of UN supervision and evaluation on implementing development commitments. It is therefore necessary to establish a unified and comprehensive framework led by the UN for progress evaluation on internationally agreed development goals. This will both appraise national progress, and also supervise and evaluate international cooperation and development aid.

Mme. President,

China has been a vigorous supporter and practitioner in the implementation of the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic and social fields. We have made unswerving efforts to put development at top priority, pursue the people-oriented concept of scientific development, achieve comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable economic and social development, and build harmonious society. We have attached great importance to various international commitments, earnestly learned from the success of other countries, absorbed useful concepts and methods, and persisted in reform and innovation. As a result, the living standard of the Chinese people has been improved by a fairly big margin, which has also contributed to the realization of internationally agreed global development goals.

Mme. President,

Three out of eight MDGs are directly linked with health. The realization of other goals are also closely linked with the cause of public health. We have noted that all countries, especially the developing countries and countries in economic transition are faced with grave challenges in the field of public health. We welcome various strategies on public health capacity building contained in Secretary-General's report (A/61/383), including establishing emergency response system and global surveillance and response system according to International Health Regulations, increasing public awareness, strengthening public health human resources, and offering assistance to Member States by the WHO and related international agencies. The Chinese delegation urges all countries to attach importance to the relevant recommendations in the report and fully implement them on the basis of the GA resolution 60/35.

Mme. President,

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the GA debates on public health. Over the past three years, China initiated for three consecutive years the draft resolution on strengthening capacity building in public health. China supports the work of the WHO in related areas. We have carried out extensive cooperation with WHO, World Bank, and APEC in HIV/AIDS, malaria, SARS and highly pathogenic human pandemic influenza, as well as post-disaster rescue and treatment and disease control.

In recent years, the Chinese government has invested enormously in public health capacity building. In October this year, President Hu Jintao stressed the need to build a basic national medical care network covering both urban and rural residents, including improving public health and medical services, as well as disease prevention and control, public health supervision, and emergency response to the outbreak of public health incidents, accelerating the development of medical undertakings in the western part and rural areas of China, and reinforcing urban community medical services, so as to achieve the goal of everyone enjoying a basic healthcare service. This goal is identical with WHO's purpose of "Health for All". China is willing and ready to work with other Member States to support the work of WHO and other related agencies and enhance capacity building in global public health.

Thank you, Mme. President.