Mme. Chair,

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

2. Let me first congratulate you on your election as Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Kyoto Protocol. The Group of 77 and China assures you of his support to ensure that this session of AWG-KP will be a fruitful and proactive one as well as a positive session in order to reinforce the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol which was defined and decided by the Durban Decision.

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. The Group of the G77 and China expresses its readiness to work with you in a constructive manner taking into account the concerns and interests of all members of our group in a Party-driven process in order to achieve a real progress during this session.

Mme. Chair,
 
5. The second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol which will starts from the 1st January of 2013 is central for a successful outcome of the 18th Meeting of the Parties which will be held in Doha and it's essential condition to preserve the international, rules-based and legally binding regime to fight climate change under the top-down, equity and science-based framework of the Convention.

6. According to the Durban decision (1/CMP.7), the Parties listed in Annex 1 to the Kyoto Protocol were invited to submit information on their QELROs for the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol by 1 May 2012 for consideration by the AWG-KP at its seventeenth session in order to enable the adoption of amendments to Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol at CMP8. We are concerned by the fact that this process is voluntary and not mandatory, especially with regard to conditionnalities imposed by some countries to increase the level of ambition and even to submit their QERLO's. We are surprised by the fact that certain Parties have failed to bring forward information on their QELROs and we encourage these Parties to commit at this session to participation in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

Mme. Chair,
   
7. The Group considers the raising of the level of ambition of the Parties listed on Annex I of the Kyoto Protocol in reducing their GHG emissions as a priority;

8. The G77 and China calls on the parties listed in Annex I to the Kyoto Protocol to intensify their efforts in reducing their GHG emissions in accordance with the principles and provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention.

Mme. Chair,

9. The Group calls those Parties to avoid a situation which is liable to creates à gap between the first and the second commitment period. It reminds that this is the main mandate of the AWG-KP and it's one of the most important conditions to preserve the Kyoto Protocol and its flexible mechanisms.

Mme. Chair,

10. The G77 and China think that despite the fact that technical issues are important to be resolved during this session, they should not be used to the detriment of the main goal of the AWG-KP, which is avoiding the gap between the first and the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

Finally, Mme. Chair,

11. The Group of 77 and China is fully committed to achieve a success of the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties which will be held in Doha, particularly concerning the Kyoto Protocol.

I thank you.