Mr. Chairman,
Honorable Ministers,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

2. Let me begin by expressing, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, our appreciation to you, Mr. Chairman, for your opening remarks and express our confidence on the successful outcome of the session under your guidance. Allow me also, through you, to thank the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs for his welcoming statement on behalf of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, as well as the distinguished keynote speakers for their very impressive presentations.

Mr. Chairman,

3. The 19th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development is a policy session. As such, it should allow us to move our discussions forward in order to take decisions aimed at removing obstacles identified in the five thematic areas during the review cycle at CSD-18, and at providing means of implementation for agreed actions on the ground.

Mr. Chairman,

4. As the G-77 has pointed out in previous CSD meetings, transportation is a central component of sustainable development, economic growth and social development. Adequate, affordable, safe and sustainable transport options and infrastructure are a condition for improving accessibility and connectivity that help integrate developing countries into the world, eliminating poverty and achieving the internationally agreed development goals.

5. However, developing countries still face considerable barriers and challenges in harnessing adequate and affordable transportation means and networks.

6. The objectives of our discussions should be to ensure safe, affordable and efficient transportation, increasing fuel and energy efficiency, reducing pollution, congestion and adverse health effects and limit urban sprawl, as called for in the Johannesburg Plan of Action (JPOI).
 

Mr. Chairman,

7. The benefits of chemicals and derivatives for countries member of G77 and China cannot be overemphasized. It is only through industrial production that developing countries can realize sources of revenue, employment and well-being. However, the main challenge that developing countries face lies in the local capacity to manage production, effective uses of chemicals, prevention of chemical hazards and protection of the environment as well as in promoting corporate, social and environmental responsibility. While investments from developed countries in the chemicals industry are welcome in developing countries, there is need for multinational industries based in developing countries to maintain the same operational practices regarding environment and health worldwide, including cleaner and safer technologies.

Mr. Chairman,

8. On waste management, it is our expectation that international organizations and developed countries provide assistance to developing countries so that they can strengthen their national, human and institutional capacities for the implementation of the Conventions; supporting the sustainable management of waste generation, treatment and disposal; as well as the establishment of inventories of hazardous and radio-active waste and sites, which constitute a basis for developing facilities for cleaning up contaminated sites.

9. The need to promote safe and clean technologies with emphasis on bio remediation of land and water, waste treatment, soil conservation, afforestation and land rehabilitation cannot be overemphasized. Developed countries should transfer technology to developing countries on preferential terms and they should also help strengthen research and development systems and enhance the capacity to develop new technologies.

Mr. Chairman,

10. The G77 and China reiterates its readiness to engage in a 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP), with the developed countries taking the lead, respecting their international commitments, particularly with regard to trade and investment, and taking into account the Rio principles, including, inter alia, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities as set out in principle 7 of the Rio Declaration.

11. The G77 and China is convinced that tackling current unsustainable patterns of consumption and production while strengthening the means of implementation for developing countries to take on SCP initiatives are key. In this connection, the G77 has put forward a proposal on the inception of a Trust Fund, and we request our partners to fully engage in it.

12. On mining, we see the importance of striking a balance between economic, social, and environmental impacts over the mining activities. Policy in mining should be kept in line with the Rio principles and sustainable development.

13. In this regard, in line with Principle 2 of the Rio Declaration as well as the mandates contained in paragraph 46 of the JPOI, the outcome of CSD-19 on mining needs to reflect a strong emphasis on supporting national efforts with regard to mining activities, in accordance with countries' respective national laws and regulations.

14. It is important to note the contribution of mining to the attainment of the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs, and implementation of sustainable development. It is equally important to recognize that broad effective participation of indigenous and local communities in decisions related to mining is necessary in order to maximize the benefits from mining activities while minimizing its environmental and social impacts. Agreeing on the provision of financing, transfer of environmentally sound technologies for the mining activities, as well as strengthening of the principle of Social and Environment Corporate Responsibility for the industry is valuable.

Mr. Chairman,

15. The Commission on Sustainable Development continues to serve as the primary mechanism for addressing the implementation and follow-up to the commitments which the international community has made to Small Island Developing States, most of which are members of the Group of 77 and China. As we are all aware, these commitments include the Barbados Plan of Action (BPoA) and the Mauritius Strategy on Implementation (MSI). It will be recalled that despite some positive findings coming out of the Five-Year Review of the MSI during the last session of the UN General Assembly, many critical implementation gaps which have to be addressed still remain. The CSD provides a key avenue for addressing these gaps through facilitating collaboration among international partners to support SIDS in the definition of specific goals, benchmarks and targets which will make it possible for them to measure their progress in achieving sustainable development.

16. While it is essential to highlight the inextricable link between the CSD and the UN's mandate in respect of Small Island Developing States, it is also important to acknowledge the extent to which the issues which we have addressed during this CSD-19 cycle affect SIDS in specific ways. In the area of transport, for instance, SIDS require significant support in their efforts to put in place infrastructure which both improves access to all of their sub-regions and the outside world, and which is resilient to the range of adverse climatic conditions to which they are acutely susceptible. Similarly focused attention is required to enable SIDS to adopt appropriate and effective approaches to mining, chemicals, waste management and SCP. As such, we maintain that SIDS issues should continue to be accorded an important place on the CSD agenda.

17. The G77 and China reaffirms the importance of taking further effective measures to remove the obstacles to full realization of the rights of peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation in achieving sustainable development goals, particularly with regard to the CSD-19 themes, namely Transport, Chemicals, Waste Management, Mining and SCP.

Mr. Chairman,

18. The CSD-19 themes address challenges to developing countries that require the strengthening of the sustainable development agenda. The multiple and interrelated crises, particularly food security, climate change, the global economic and financial crisis, have seriously challenged our capacity to respond to and to prevent these crises from escalating further. In this regard, we urge development partners to implement their part of the commitments on external debt relief, development assistance, financing, trade and technology transfer.

19. The G77 and China is convinced that tackling the issue of intellectual property rights for technology transfers, an increased capacity building and additional and predictable financial resources are three essential tools for a full implementation of actions on the ground. In building resilience to these interlocking crises, developing countries need a strong UN system capable of delivering not only short-term assistance, but also long-term support that strengthens their national efforts for sustainable development.

Mr. Chairman,

20. The G77 is seriously concerned about the long and uneven pace of negotiations among the CSD-19 themes, especially when it comes to the discussions of Means of Implementation, not only under its specific section on Inter-linkages, Cross-Cutting Issues and Means of Implementation, but also when it comes to the necessary specific reference under each theme. We are also concerned at the attempts to dilute the language regarding Means of Implementation throughout the themes of CSD-19.

21. In this regard, let us not forget that at CSD-11 there was an agreement to have a specific provision for Means of Implementation under each of the themes, and also a provision as a standalone issue given its cross-cutting nature. We expect this agreement to be observed.

22. Means of implementation are very specific for each of the themes. The transfer of technology, the financial resources and the capacity building needed to implement actions for Transport, Mining, Chemicals, Waste, and SCP, are different in nature. Therefore, they should be considered and agreed for each theme as well as under the Inter-Linkage, Cross-Cutting and Means of Implementation Section.

Mr. Chairman,

23. The Group of 77 and China looks forward to continue engaging in fruitful discussions with our partners on all these challenging issues at this 19th Session.

Finally, I would like to commend you and to reiterate to you our support for the conclusion of a successful session of the CSD-19.

I thank you.