M. Chairman,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. The Group of 77 and China assures you of his support to ensure that this session of the SBSTA will be a fruitful and proactive one.

3. The G77 and China would like to congratulate the State of Qatar for hosting the COP18 and providing its support to enable the organization of the activities of this important event.

4. Adaptation is an issue of central concern to the Group of 77 and China. Therefore, we welcome the opportunity we will have to discuss potential future areas of work of the Nairobi work program at upcoming sessions of the SBSTA. Any future work carried out under the Nairobi work program should be aimed at enhancing the capacities of developing countries. In this context, we look forward to the workshops on water and ecosystem-based adaptation scheduled for later this year.

5. There is a need to continue to raise awareness and build capacity on climate change and its impacts as well as to carry out research and systematic observation. Therefore, we welcome the research dialogue that will be taking place during this session.

M. Chairman,

6. The G77 and China looks forward to engaging constructively in the forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures at the Subsidiary Bodies as well as to the work program to address these impacts. It is important for the G77 and China to give a great attention to this issue given the diversity of economies which are affected by the mitigation actions of developed countries.

M. Chairman,

7. The G77 and China welcomes the efforts made by the Technology Executive Committee during its latest meeting. A valuable progress was made but there are two serious hurdles facing this process: the first one is the intellectual property rights issue. The other issue is relating to the hosting of the Technology Mechanism.

8. The work of SBSTA will be important in view of the decision in paragraph 6 of the Durban Platform. SBSTA will play a very important role in formally assessing and conveying its views on the scientific inputs to the ADP. Therefore, the Group calls for an interaction and collaboration between various subsidiary bodies of the Convention as well as other working groups of the UNFCCC in order to create synergies on areas of common interest.

M. Chairman,

9. We note the new item on the agenda of this group on agriculture and we look forward to an exchange of views on this matter. We underscore in this context that adaptation in agriculture sector is a key priority for developing countries and we hope to exchange views with a view to supporting developing countries.

10. We would like to have a balanced discussion and outcome on the implementation of market and non-market based approaches regarding the drivers of deforestation, forest degradation as well as on forest monitoring systems.

M. Chairman,

11. Finally, I would like to reiterate the full commitment of the G77 and China to foster our work to achieve the objectives of this session of SBSTA.

I thank you