Today in Bonn, the 34th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, finally opened and started formally their work, after prolonged consultations between the parties.

SBSTA was finally able to open formally in the morning of June 9. The agenda of SBI appeared more complex and the formal opening and adoption of the agenda only took place at the end of the afternoon. Since this body is the one that adopts the budget for UNFCCC for the next biennium, among other financial matters, it was indispensable from the legal point of view to adopt the agenda of work so that decisions can be adopted in formal sessions.

The Chair of the Group of 77 and China, which includes 131 developing countries from all regions and different realities in the world, stated that "In some regards, the controversies that have been so difficult to solve this year are nothing new, and had been solved successfully before. But the stakes are high this year, there is a real will at least from the Group of 77 and China, to complete the mandate we have and to extend the international climate regime for the next five years, including a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol with binding obligations of high levels of ambition that can actually move us to our goal. Paradoxically, this sense of urgency can be contributing to the apparently slow progress - it adds to the inflexibility of Delegations who feel this is the last chance to promote interests that are vital to them. We need definitions, people want to know whether the important issues are on the table, or not".

Ambassador Argüello added that "Now we can start formally the work in all four bodies to map out the agreements to be adopted in Durban at the end of the year. At this point, this is a two-track negotiation where the progress in one track necessarily affects progress in the other. We cannot go home empty-handed. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that the political conditions for a meaningful second commitment period are there, and hope all actors are doing the same".