Madam Chairperson,

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

2. Allow me at the outset to express our appreciations to the Government of Germany for hosting this session, and for the Convention's Secretariat for their excellent arrangements.

3. We are faced today with a global phenomenon whose impact and rigor are both destructive and recognize no traditional boundaries either in space or time. It threatens not only our societies' developmental prospects but also their very existence and our Mother Earth. Climate Change is indeed the most serious challenge of our times!

Madam Chairperson,

4. In our last meeting, we stressed the fact that time is running short and that the need to progress is more urgent than ever. While appreciating your efforts in producing a new text to facilitate our negotiation, the Group of 77 and China notes that there remains the need to have a more balanced and equitable treatment of many issues therein. Nevertheless, with only two weeks of negotiating time left before the sixteenth Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cancun later this year, and conscious of the fact that our process of work must be party-driven, the Group of 77 and China stands ready to immediately fully engage in the process of negotiation on the basis of the "text to facilitate negotiations among Parties" you produced on the 9th of July 2010. We simply can't afford to lose more time! And thus, urge our partners to likewise engage constructively with an equal sense of urgency, and start working with concrete text proposals drafted and reflected on the screen where all Parties can start negotiating. We look forward to a shared understanding on the modalities of engagement for the negotiations. We are confident that you will guide us in this respect.

5. Daily, developing countries are experiencing the adverse effects of climate change. The ongoing torrential rains in Pakistan, which has led to a massive loss of life and assets is a case in point. It is incumbent upon all of us, Parties to the UNFCCC, to act and fulfill the mandate of the process that we have launched in Bali, for the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention, through long-term cooperative action NOW, and not only up to and beyond 2012.

6. The G77 and China is determined to move the process forward. Much work needs to be done in order to achieve a concrete, comprehensive and equitable agreed outcome in Cancun, which centers around the implementation of the Bali Action Plan, and is concordant with the provisions and principles of the Convention, in particular the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

Madam Chairperson,

7. The Group of 77 and China reaffirms the centrality of the UNFCCC in addressing climate change, and once again stresses that our process of work must be open, party-driven, inclusive and transparent. This would include open and transparent consultations on issues involving all ongoing processes of negotiations and consultations to reach an agreed outcome envisaged under the Bali Action Plan.

8. While recognizing that negotiations on the main elements of the Bali Action Plan are at different levels of maturity, we are likewise cognizant of the close linkages of these issues. We would therefore continue to work in a comprehensive and integrated manner, so that progress is achieved on all issues, moving forward to an agreed outcome for Cancun.

9. In conclusion, allow me to assure you of our full support and continued active and constructive engagement in this process. We are confident that, under your guidance, we will indeed attain an outcome that will serve the interests of humanity and make Cancun a success.

I thank you.