Madam President, Madam Executive Secretary,

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

2. At the outset, allow me to congratulate you upon your appointment as the President of COP21 and express our appreciation for the work you have already done. The Group of 77 and China stands ready to commence our work and to work closely with you and the incoming COP 22 Presidency at this session as well as in the upcoming months.

3. The Paris Agreement is a result of collective and tireless efforts of all Parties working constructively in a spirit of compromise for our efforts on climate change, through enhancing the implementation of the Convention, including its provisions and principles, in particular equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, As we move into the implementation phase, the delicate balance of all issues which we have achieved in Paris as well as the principles and provisions of the Convention must be preserved. We also expect developed countries to continue taking the lead role by developed countries in addressing climate change, particularly in the implementation of the Paris Agreement in accordance with historical responsibilities and their respective capabilities.

4. As we move forward, we reiterate the urgent need to enhance the pre-2020 ambition, including the ratification of the Doha amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, which will provide a strong basis for post-2020 efforts under Paris Agreement. We also need to address the significant gap between the aggregate effect of Parties' mitigation pledges by 2020 and aggregate emission pathways consistent with holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2ºC above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5º C. The focus now should be on delivering major tasks to enhance pre-2020 implementation including action on adaptation, which is an urgent priority for developing countries. We would like to underline that any deficiency in fulfilling such commitments or in closure of emissions reduction gap shall not be deferred to commitments under the Paris Agreement post-2020.

5. While the Group of 77 and China remains committed to addressing climate change, the group has been the most affected by the adverse impacts of climate change which are eroding our development gains and undermining and delaying the achievement of the goals under the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. We are already taking ambitious measures in line with our capacities. Nonetheless, for our endeavors to be achieved, enhanced and adequate financial and technology support as well as capacity building must be provided to allow for effective action both pre-2020 and beyond. In the context of implementation, we believe Parties should respect, promote and consider their respective obligations including the right of people in vulnerable situations.

Madam President,

6. We appreciate the efforts of the COP21 President and the incoming COP22 President for their reflections note and do agree that our work program must move forward in a comprehensive, coherent and balanced manner. Last year, the COP requested its subsidiary bodies to take forward different parts of the work. The Group of 77 and China would like to stress the need for coherence between the SBI, SBSTA and APA. Due attention, in both time allocation and facilitation support, should be equally given to the long standing agenda items and the new mandates coming from Paris. In this regard, we welcome the initiative of the COP President to convene two special stocktaking events. We believe that they could be useful to ensure progress under each body, ensure balance across different bodies and among cross-cutting issues.

7. In order to prepare for our work at COP22, in particular for the facilitative dialogue to assess the progress in implementing decision 1/CP.19 paragraphs 3 and 4, and identify relevant opportunities to enhance the provision of financial resources, including for technology development and transfer, and capacity-building support, the Group believes that we could benefit from an early consultation at this session on the modality and scope of work of the said dialogue.

Madam President,

8. As I have already stated, the Group stands ready and eager to commence our work as soon as possible. Nonetheless, in order to ensure balance among all issues and stay true to the mandates given to us at Paris, we would like to propose some concise surgical amendment to the agendas of SBI, SBSTA and APA. We will submit our amendment proposals, and look forward to our suggestion be taken into account by the Chairs and Co-Chairs of the respective bodies.

Thank you.