Mr. Chairman,

I would like to thank the CSD 18 Chair, Dr. Luis Ferraté, Minister for Environment from Guatemala and all the members of the Bureau for their hard work and dedication. In our opinion, the Chair's summary captures key points that emerged in the discussions during last week. The text reflects globally the position of G-77 and China expressed for the five clusters of CSD 18.

Mr. Chairman,

I wish to emphasize that the Group of 77 will return to you later with its comments on the Chair's summary. At this stage, we can be give general comments.

Of course, the summary is not perfect and there are concepts that need further clarification and there are also omissions that we would like to add. In the coming days we will be working with you and your team for a successful CSD 18. There are some overlaps between discussions here in CSD 18 and those that will take place in the upcoming prep com for the UNCSD. It has been the long-standing position of the G-77 to keep both processes parallel and keep the integrity of both the CSD cycles and the UNCSD.

Mr. Chair,

Finally, we don't have much time to express or go into the details of the summary. We would like to reiterate the importance that the G-77 and China attaches to the CSD 18 and to the themes under review. For developing countries, implementation remains the cornerstone and for that, financial resources need to be secured, technology transfer and capacity building are essential components. Access to a fair and equitable multilateral trade system is also of paramount importance.

I thank you.