Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The Group thanks the various Secretariat representatives for the reports presented before us on Sustainable Development under agenda item 19.

2. At the outset, the Group of 77 and China reiterates its strong commitment to the achievement of sustainable development and eradication of poverty, which remain as the Group's overriding priorities and essential requirement for sustainable development. Although the world has undergone far-reaching changes in the past two decades, and significant progress has been made in many important fields, developing countries continue to face serious challenges in advancing their level of development. The many ongoing crises we face, such as the financial, economic, food and energy-access crises, and the challenges relating to limited resources coupled with their unsustainable use, have significant impacts on our countries and undermine our efforts to achieve the internationally agreed development goals. In fact, the number of people living in absolute poverty has increased in many developing countries.

3. The Group of 77 is of the view that it is vital for all Member States to promote sustainable development in accordance with the Rio Principles. The right to development and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, should remain the foundation of the current and future global development efforts. For us, effective international cooperation continues to be an essential factor to enable the full achievement of the development goals. We further emphasize the critical role of the international community in the provision of adequate, predictable, new and additional financial resources, transfer of technology and capacity building to developing countries.

Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

4. It is important that we fully implement Agenda 21 and the Outcomes of other relevant UN Conferences in the economic, environmental and social fields, including the Millennium Development Goals Declaration.

5. To that end, we welcome the establishment of the High-Level Political Forum. The lessons learned from the Commission on Sustainable Development should be the starting point for shaping the work of the HLPF. It should build on the strengths of the CSD and address its shortcomings. It should promote political visibility and effectiveness. By virtue of its broad functions, the high-level political forum has a critical role of providing leadership on sustainable development issues. It should be a dedicated platform for the implementation of sustainable development commitments, maintaining a strong focus on implementation at all levels, including the sharing of experiences.

6. The HLPF should follow up on the outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and bring cohesion and complementarity among the various follow-up processes, especially in the context of the post-2015 development agenda. Moreover, the Forum should enhance the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development by engaging with the economic, social and environmental policymaking communities more intensively, and for developing and implementing integrated policies and activities.

7. The Group welcomes the recommendations in the Secretary-General's report regarding the creation of a technology facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies, to be launched by the HLPF. We call for the swift implementation of those recommendations, and calls in this regard for developing the format and modalities of such technology facilitation mechanism. Technology is key for implementation and was an integral part of the Rio+20 outcome.

8. Developing countries need the appropriate technology if they are to shift to a more sustainable development path. It is essential to bridge the technological divide, to promote sustainable industralisation and inclusive growth across the world, in particular for the developing countries. Progress towards elaborating the sustainable development goals and the post-2015 development agenda will depend on the progress achieved with respect to means of implementation, finance and technology.

Follow-up to and Implementation of Mauritius Strategy

9. In relation to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the G77 recalls that the international community has long recognised the unique and particular vulnerabilities of SIDS. The vagaries of climate change, which pose an existential threat to SIDS, are well-known.

10. While some progress has been made at the international level to address the challenges faced by SIDS, the Group notes with concern that much more remains to be done to address their vulnerabilities and effectively support their sustainable development efforts. We reiterate our call to the international community to make good on its commitments as embodied in the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA) and the Mauritius Strategy for further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (MSI).

11. The G77 welcomes the decision to convene the Third International Conference for the Sustainable Development of SIDS in 2014 in Samoa. In this context, we recognise the efforts already made in the various SIDS regional preparatory meetings and the outcome document of the SIDS inter-regional preparatory meeting held in August in Barbados.

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

12. On the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the Group of 77 expresses its concern that the impacts of natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones, floods and droughts, continue to increase in severity. Sadly, the high and escalating losses associated with those events indicate that most countries and governments have yet to find effective ways of reducing and managing the risks posed. As such, governments need to invest in anticipating, reducing and transferring the various levels of extensive, intensive and emerging risks. While we accept that such efforts may involve political risks as they require acknowledging the real costs and consequences of unmanaged risk, they nevertheless need to be undertaken sooner rather than later if we are to avoid catastrophic damages.

13. The G77 remains committed to the cause of disaster risk reduction. Building on last year's General Assembly resolution, we consider as crucial the preparations for the Third World Conference on Disasters to be held in Japan in 2015. The conference should be the appropriate intergovernmental space to launch the successor of the Hyogo Framework for Action after 2015. The Group's desire is to have a transparent and open preparatory process for the Third World Conference, one that involves the participation of governments as well as relevant stakeholders and the civil society.

Protection of Global Climate for Present and Future Generations of Mankind

14. On climate change, the Group recalls once again that it is one of the most serious global challenges we are facing. We underline the fact that developing countries continue to suffer the most from the adverse impacts of climate change, and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Climate change threatens not only the development prospects and the achievement of sustainable development, but also the very existence and survival of countries and societies. It is therefore important that we proceed with a sense of urgency in the climate change negotiations in accordance with the principles and provisions of the climate change Convention.

15. At the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, we made progress towards addressing climate change through concrete decisions on the remaining work under the Bali Action Plan, a Plan of work under the Durban Platform and a Second Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol with a clear time line. However, the Second Commitment Period of Kyoto Protocol lacks ambition and we hope that this will be increased in 2014.

16. We again call upon developed country Parties to intensify their efforts to fulfill their commitments on the provision of adequate, predictable, new and additional financial resources, enhancing technology development and transfer, meeting costs of adaptation, and strengthening capacity building in developing country Parties, in accordance with the Convention. To this end, the G77 and China calls for the full operationalization of the Green Climate Fund by 2014.

Implementation of UNCCD

17. On the issue of Desertification, land degradation and drought, the Group of 77 stresses that they continue to threaten the sustainable development of all countries, in particular developing countries. In this regard, we reiterate the importance of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as an important tool to achieving food security, poverty eradication and to promoting sustainable land use. Additionally, the Group reaffirms the necessity of highlighting the issues of desertification, land degradation and drought in the elaboration of the development agenda beyond 2015.

18. The Group stresses that emphasis should be given to the mobilization and channeling of adequate and predictable financial resources to help address the effect of desertification and improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people affected by them. The Group supports the resolve to strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development and the establishment of an intergovernmental scientific panel on desertification, land degradation and drought.

Convention on Biological Diversity

19. On the issue of Biodiversity, the G77 expresses its appreciation for the efforts made so far by the Executive Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and other organizations of the UN system in its interaction with the General Assembly, particularly on issues of critical interest for our Group. We express our gratitude for the Joint-briefing held on 30 October by UNEP, WIPO,UNESCO, UNDP UNCTAD and the Secretariat of the CBD, on the implementation of the objectives of the Convention. The Group welcomes the actions undertaken so far to promote access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization and associated traditional knowledge. At the same time, we recognise that more work in this respect remains to be done.

20. In addition, the G77 welcomes the important outcomes of the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD held in Hyderabad in October 2012, especially the commitment to doubling biodiversity-related international financial flows to developing countries by 2015 and at least maintaining this level until 2020 to contribute to achievement of the Convention's three objectives. We call upon Parties to review progress in this context at the twelfth meeting of the COP, for adopting a final target for resource mobilization.

21. The Group emphasises the need for all member States to engage in the discussion of critical and interconnected issues relating to biodiversity, particularly with a view to finding a coherent approach for the benefit of developing countries, which stand to suffer most from the loss of their natural ecosystems and traditional knowledge.

Report of the Governing Council of UNEP

22. In conclusion, the Group takes note of the report of the Governing Council of UNEP on its 27th regular session. We reiterate that concrete measures are needed to ensure the implementation of the Bali Strategic Plan for Capacity Building and Technology Transfer. This is necessary to enhance the ability of developing countries to better address environmental challenges. While we recognize the important role of UNEP, it is even more important for development partners to demonstrate their commitment to the Bali Strategic Plan by providing the necessary resources for its implementation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.