Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In my capacity as the Chair of the Group of 77, I am pleased to welcome you to the First South-South Cooperation Forum on Biodiversity for Development and to thank you for your attendance today.

Before speaking on the substance of the First South-South Cooperation Forum on Biodiversity for Development, allow me, at the outset, to congratulate the Delegation of Argentina, the incoming Chair Country of the G77 and China. We are confident that Argentina will spare no efforts to enhance the work of the Group and promote the interests of developing countries.

1. As you know, this First South-South Cooperation Forum on Biodiversity for Development is the outcome of a joint initiative by our Group and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat to support the implementation of the Convention through the modality of South-South cooperation as a complement to the traditional North-South cooperation in the field of biodiversity and sustainable development.

2. In November 2006, a brainstorming session on South-South cooperation on biodiversity was held, in partnership with the CBD Executive Secretariat, to launch a framework for the development of a plan of action for South-South cooperation on biodiversity for development. The follow-up process resulted in the elaboration of a draft Multi-Year Plan of Action and its review and consideration during the Thirty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Group of 77 held in New York on 28 September 2010.

3. The Multi-Year Plan of Action would contribute to bringing the South one step closer to forming the partnerships much needed to accomplish the goals set by our countries under the Convention. The MYPA builds upon many other programmes, plans and frameworks by the three Rio conventions (UNFCCC, UNCCD and CBD).

4. Our presence here today sets the stage for the validation and endorsement of the Multi-Year Plan of Action in order to submit it for consideration and adoption by the Conference of the Parties. As you all know, South-South cooperation is included in articles 5 and 18 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which state that Parties shall, as far as possible and as appropriate, cooperate with other Contracting Parties, directly or, where appropriate, through competent international organizations, to promote international technical and scientific exchanges and capacity building. As such, South-South cooperation cuts across all thematic programmes and cross-cutting issues of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

5. The Multi-Year Plan of Action provides a set of measures and mechanisms to support the goal of conservation of biodiversity taking into account progress made in achieving the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We, therefore, believe that it is a valuable tool for facilitating South-South cooperation and determining our own national strategies, sharing information and technology on issues related to biodiversity, its preservation and its relation to sustainable development. This is clearly an effort by our countries to complement North-South cooperation.

6. The Plan defines targets and South-South cooperative strategies, including triangular cooperation, and programmes, to the year 2020. We believe that together we will contribute to a significant reduction in the speed at which biodiversity is currently being lost. The preservation of biodiversity becomes even more relevant for the member states of the G-77 and China in that it is essential to our continuous development.

7. Besides the establishment of such South-South and Triangular Cooperation agreements towards the biodiversity preservation goals, the Multi-Year Plan of Action also reflects the need to include consideration of the loss of biodiversity in other types of South-South and triangular agreements, as is the case in trade agreements and, therefore, calls for further exchanges of knowledge and technology among Member States.

8. The Plan, we believe, is correct in calling for the collaboration of all the UN agencies as well as Member States in pulling the necessary resources, technology and knowledge to accomplish the goals proposed to hold back the rate of biodiversity loss. A good tool to achieve this is through the creation of joint programmes in addition to cross-cutting initiatives that combine all fields of relevance to the United Nations.

9. We believe that this First South-South Cooperation Forum on Biodiversity for Development was necessary and we are happy that it is now a reality. We hope that, through this initiative, new and updated targets and goals can be formulated which are consistent with the needs of the South and thus do not conflict with our countries' development agendas. In addition, South-South cooperation is essential in working towards the preservation of biodiversity and its link to sustainable development.

10. In conclusion, I would like to seize this opportunity to commend Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the CBD for his continued support and cooperation. I would like also to thank all our development partners, particularly Japan and the Republic of Korea for their pledge to support the implementation of MYPA.

11. We are confident that this strategic partnership will further enhance the implementation of the vital convention on biodiversity and ultimately strengthen South-South cooperation including triangular cooperation. We look forward to its adoption by the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and we call on our partners to provide necessary support for its implementation.

Thank you.