Mr. President of the COP
Executive Secretary
Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure and honour that Antigua and Barbuda takes the floor on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.   The Group of G77 and China would first like to thank the Government and people of the Republic of Poland for their warm hospitality and excellent organization.  These facilites are truly spectacular and we see why Poland is considered the crossroad of this continent.  We would also like to thank the Executive Secretary and the Secretariat for the excellent arrangements and support they have given my group and with their continued support we anticipate that the Group of 77 and China will participate fully in this conference.

Mr. President we would like to congratulate you on your presidency and we trust that under your leadership we will achieve substantial progress in 2009.  We are heartened by the words of your Prime Minister, and as you pointed out his presence here today is an important indication to all of us that climate change has finally reached the level of consideration that is consistence with the seriousness of this issue.   Your attention to this matter is further heartening since as you have heard from the Dr. Pauchauri, Chair of the IPCC, it is the poor and disadvantage that will be affected most.  A greated percentage of the reponses to climate change will therefore be in developing countries since this is where most of the poor reside.  We are therefore happy to hear the honourable Prime Minister of Denmark has strongly indicated that funding to developing countries is a priority since it is the countries of the G77 and China that will need it.    

 Mr. President 2009 is a very important year for this Convention since it marks the turning point for all of our countries.  I would like to assure you as well as our negotiating partners of the Group of 77 & China's resolve and commitment to engage constructively so as to ensure substantive progress on the issues that will be discussed at this important meeting.

Mr. President, the Group of 77 and China would also like to acknowledge the outstanding leadership that has been shown by all the Chairs of the various bodies of the UNFCCC in our sessions and important discussions over the past year.  We have strived to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action now, up to and beyond 2012. The discussions on has thus far have allowed us to explore the issues in a thorough manner and we look forward to finalising our work on time in 2009.  

Further, Mr. President, our meeting here in Poznan, is a significant milestone in the Bali Roadmap to reaching agreement on the future commitments for Annex 1 Parties beyond 2012 by the end of 2009. In this regard, we are extremely concerned that the agenda for COP 14 and COP MOP 4 is already extremely congested, which gives little time to the AWG-KP to complete its' work in accordance with our agreed work programme.  

The Group is disappointed that a clear understanding of what action will be taken now has not been achieved and are concerned that the sense of urgency that we have identified in the various opening remarks has not been reflected in the negotiations thus far.

In this regard, Mr. President, the Group is anxious to participate in the discussions on a work program for 2009. The schedule for climate change meetings is overwhelming to many delegations from developing countries and we will be challenged to organise its work in 2009 in a manner that allows effective participation of all members.  We however realise that we do not have the luxury of time, our work in 2009 should therefore be focus and we must use the time before us effectively.

Globally, the expectations of the public on the outcome of these negotiations are high; we must endeavour to achieve a result that respects the intra-generational and inter-generational equity of all human beings and the earth we live on. The scientific evidence is daunting and the economic implications are considerable. History has proved humans to be an innovative and ingenious group of living beings. The research indicates that a result that guarantees sustainable development sustainable, livelihoods and the very existence and survival of the most vulnerable is within our reach. But we need to act now.

The Group of 77 and China has always emphasized and will continue to reiterate that climate change poses serious risks and challenges particularly to developing countries and therefore demands urgent global cooperative action and response. The Group of 77 and China member states share a common vision of reversing climate change, protecting our economies, the environment and the cultures of all countries from the effects of climate change. We hope that all of us in this room are committed to do so as well.

Developed countries have committed, and should deliver on their commitment, to take action on climate change; the delivery of that action is past due.  The world demands a clear plan of action on how developed countries intend to meet their commitments and how developing countries will be assisted in meeting the adaptation needs and undertaking voluntary mitigation aspirations and access the required technology and finance to do so.

The Group of 77 and China is looking forward to working with our fellow parties and partners over the next two weeks.  We are looking forward to not only a positive response but also a response that matches the scale and importance of the issue of climate change to all of our countries.

Thank you Mr. President.