Co-Chairs,

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. At the outset, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Co-Chairpersons of the thirteenth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP). The Group of 77 and China assures the Co-Chairpersons of its support as they undertake to lead the ICP in its work for this session. We are confident in their ability to lead us in meaningful and informative deliberations.

3. The Group of 77 would like to express to the Co-Chairs its gratitude for the way in which the preparatory consultations to this process were conducted in last April, and for taking into consideration the views expressed by different delegations during the preparatory meeting, in particular in the proposed program and framework for discussion.

Co-Chairs,

4. The Group of 77 and China has been supportive of the ICP as a process established by the General Assembly in 1999 to facilitate its annual review, in an effective and constructive manner, of developments in ocean affairs.

5. The Group of 77 and China recalls that the General Assembly decided, in paragraph 231 of resolution 65/37-A, that the consultative process at its thirteenth meeting would focus its discussions on the topic: "marine renewable energies". In this regard, the Group welcomes the opportunity to focus on this issue as it is relevant for sustainable development.

6. In that regard, in order to achieve inclusive deliberations, the Group of 77 and China had urged the Co Chairpersons to ensure the participation of panelists from developing countries since their presence will result in comprehensive discussions and will reflect the perspectives of developing countries on this topic. In this, regard, the Group would like to express its satisfaction for the balanced participation of panelists, in the ICP, from different regions, including from developing countries.

7. As this is the first discussion held under the framework of the United Nations on the subject of "marine renewable energies", the Group of 77 and China has no doubts that the panel segments would provide various and enlightening perspectives on the opportunities and challenges related to marine renewable energies, including their economic, commercial, environmental and social impacts."

8. In this regard, the Group of 77 is seeking clarification on what is the scope of marine renewable energy, in particular, what can we define as such
energy? Will we discuss sources of energy based on location? In such a
case, we would consider renewable energy generation that is physically
located in the maritime areas.

Co-Chairs

9. We also need to dedicate some time to deliberate on the selection of topics by means of a transparent and inclusive process that will facilitate the debate within the consultations of the General Assembly in the fall.

10. In conclusion, it is expected that the Consultative Process shall henceforth bring information on the new "marine renewable energies" and contribute to support the enhancement of the development of ocean affairs-related activities in developing countries.
 

11. Finally, I would like to reiterate our best wishes for the success of your work and assure you of the full cooperation of the Group of 77 and China during the process.

Thank you.