Madam President, 

I thank the President of the General Assembly for presiding over today's meeting and Secretary-General António Guterres for his remarks. I wish also to thank the Permanent Representatives of Jamaica and New Zealand, as co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group, for their tireless efforts on this resolution over the past six months. 

At present, the international situation is becoming increasingly turbulent, with mounting global challenges and heavy blows to multilateralism and the United Nations. China supports the UN in reforming and renewing itself, keeping pace with the times, and better fulfilling the mandates entrusted to it by member states. The Resolution just adopted is an important part of the UN80 Initiative. It sets forth important principles and useful actions for improving mandate creation, implementation, and review. We hope these principles and actions will be effectively implemented and provide useful guidance to member states and the Secretariat. I will emphasize three points. 

First, it is important to stay true to the original aspirations of the reform. The purpose of the mandate implementation review reform is to help the UN improve its effectiveness and efficiency and serve the goal of revitalizing its authority and renewing its vitality. The reform should adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, effectively safeguard the leadership and equal participation of all member states, and advance the three pillars in a balanced manner. In this process, the diverse nature and context of mandates should be respected and the authority and mandates of intergovernmental bodies should be maintained.

Second, it is important to address the concerns of developing countries. Developing countries account for two-thirds of the UN membership, and sustainable development is their top priority. At present, progress towards achieving many of the SDGs is lagging behind. The reform should fully consider the urgent needs and common concerns of developing countries, pay particular attention to the impact of the mandate implementation review on the development pillar and development mandates, and prioritize institutional and resource support to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

Third, it is important to be action-oriented. The mandate-related reform should focus on achieving tangible results while steering clear of formalism and bureaucratic practices and avoiding past pitfalls, such as creating redundant and overlapping structures. We call on the Secretariat to conduct its work in accordance with the Resolution by making full use of existing resources and mechanisms, fostering a culture of efficiency, strengthening budgetary discipline, and improving system-wide quality and efficiency in the UN. We hope the Secretariat will uphold the principles of objectivity and neutrality, and provide well-considered, evidence-based analysis and recommendations to help inform the decision-making by member states. 

The Resolution provides for the extension of the Ad Hoc Working Group for one year, with a focus on discussing specific tasks on mandate review. Implementation comes before everything else. We hope that the Working Group will uphold these principles in its subsequent discussions, conclude its work within the prescribed timeframe and scope of the terms of reference, and produce tangible outcomes. In particular, the Working Group must effectively build consensus among member states to ensure that the reform reflects the collective will of the entire membership, and that the results of the reform stand the test of history. 

China will continue working with all countries and the Secretariat to play a constructive role in supporting the UN's long-term development and in reforming and improving global governance.

Thank you, Madam President.