Mr. President,
Ministers,
Executive Secretary,
Colleagues,
Distinguish delegates.

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We are gathered here in this beautiful city of Nagoya, and would like to express our gratitude to Japan for hosting this important meeting.

Mr. President,

The G77 and China is of the conviction that success in Nagoya is a must, lest it casts negative impact on other relevant meetings. Therefore, the Group is committed to a constructive negotiation with our partners.

Mr. President,

The Group of 77 and China attaches utmost importance to biodiversity. It is an established fact that developing countries are the primary repositories of biodiversity, and are crucially dependent on it for their essential needs. 300 million people, largely in developing countries, are estimated to substantially depend on forest biodiversity, including non-wood forest products, for their survival and livelihood.

Biodiversity, therefore, can no longer be seen as an issue separate from efforts to tackle poverty and improve the health, wealth and security of present and future generations. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stressed last month in New York, at the High-level Meeting on Biodiversity the importance of a rescue package similar to that introduced after the global financial crisis to halt the worldwide loss of biodiversity, which is resulting in a heavy human cost, he said and I quote: "We are bankrupting our natural economy."

Mr. President,

Now more than ever, the Group of 77 and China calls for the urgent implementation of the three objectives of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, in a mutually supportive manner. Indeed, conservation of biological diversity cannot be achieved without the sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefit arising from genetic resources. All three pillars of this convention are not only important to the development of developing countries, but provide important tools in our fight against poverty. In doing so, an effective international framework must be in place to ensure an enhanced implementation of the three objectives of the main multilateral instrument on this matter, the Convention on Biological Diversity - namely, conservation, sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biodiversity.

Mr. President,

The G77 and China takes this opportunity to underscore the need for greater mobilization and political will necessary to adopt the protocol on access and benefit-sharing and (i) implement the Convention as a whole in the light of its three objectives; (ii) ensure that the post-2010 targets are met through new, additional and sufficient financial resources and the transfer of technology to developing countries.

At this meeting, Parties are expected to enhence the implementation of the Convention. The success of our commitments to the cause of biodiversity rests on ensuring a balanced and effective outcome of Nagoya that will provide the tools for addressing the challenges facing biodiversity. In this regard, agreements in two broad areas are key to lead to a successful implementation of the CBD: (i) the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, and (ii) the successful conclusion of the discussions on the post-2010 Strategic Plan of the CBD and a Resource Mobilization Strategy. The level of ambition in establishing targets for reducing biodiversity loss in this plan should be matched with equal targets for the means for implementing such commitments.

Mr. President,

The success of Nagoya's meeting will be the best gift to this year's celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity and a positive indicator to the success of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. However, the challenges of the continued loss of biodiversity compounded by climate change require the full engagement of all stakeholders as well the active engagement of all governments without exception. The Group of 77 and China would like to reiterate its call to the sole remaining country who has yet to accede to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity to do so as soon as possible. Indeed, a universal participation of the convention on life on earth is an idea whose time has come.

Mr. President,

The G77 and China welcomes the agreement reached between Parties to the Biosafety Protocol to adopt a new treaty known as the "Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety". The new treaty provides a good opportunity for us to renew efforts to tackle the global biodiversity challenges.

Mr. President,

The adoption, yesterday, of the Multi-year Plan of Action for South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development constitutes a major development and illustrates the political commitment of our respective Governments to actively and resolutely tackle the challenges ahead in terms of rescuing biodiversity in our countries, in order to promote harmonious development. In this respect, and given that biodiversity is the natural wealth of the developing countries and that biodiversity "capital" constitutes 26 per cent of the total wealth of low-income countries, it is imperative that all measures be taken to enhance the full participation in decisions making process on biodiversity by developing countries. A necessary first step in this regard is support for developing countries to effectively participate in all meetings and processes shaping biodiversity policy under the CBD.

In this context, the G77 and China would urge that availability of resources to fund the participation of developing country delegates in meetings of the CBD be maximized and calls on the UN to take all measures necessary to facilitate this, including putting an end to current expensive, lengthy and unjustified bureaucratic procedures, including the programme support cost levied on financial resources mobilized for this purpose.

The Group of 77 and China is also gravely concerned as to the lack of progress in the implementation of several COP decisions on the revision of administrative arrangements between UNEP and the Convention Secretariat. It is the opinion of the Group that those obsolete administrative arrangements must be revised in the light of new developments and responsibilities. The Group, therefore, calls for a quick solution to this problem, and this COP should address it immediately.

In conclusion, Mr. President, the Group of 77 and China wishes to express its sincere appreciation to the Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf and his staff for the excellent job they are doing, and for Dr. Djoghlaf's, leadership and dedication to the cause of sustainable development in general and to the protection of biodiversity in particular. We are indeed proud of the work that he has accomplished, as he steered one of the most important sustainable development processes. It is clear that since he assumed his position, Mr. Djoghlaf has elevated this Convention to the highest level with a dynamism and enthusiasm. We congratulate him and wish him all the best in pursuing relentlessly his mandate.

I thank you.