Excellencies Heads of State and Government,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Distinguished Delegates,

It is indeed a great honour for us to speak at the conclusion of this Summit on the global challenge of climate change, which is taking place at a very critical time of the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations under the UNFCCC.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to His Excellency the Secretary-General for his initiative of convening this Summit, his personal commitment and leadership in galvanizing the necessary impetus and the political support to address this global challenge facing humanity and threatening our planet.

We reiterate the need to ensure that all countries, large and small, rich and poor, are included in such initiatives, in a manner that is transparent and inclusive, if we are to move forward and build on the momentum created at this Summit, and send a strong collective message of political support to guide the negotiations leading up to the Fifteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties in December of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the Fifth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP-5)

We re-affirm that the sole forum for negotiations on climate change in preparation for the Copenhagen Conference is the UNFCCC, and that the Summit should in no way pre-empt negotiations taking place under the UNFCCC.

It is our conviction that the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation by all countries and their participation in an effective and appropriate international response, in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, and national circumstances.

In this regard, we reiterate that UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol remains the central multilateral framework for cooperative action to address climate change.

Excellencies Heads of State and Government,
Mr. Secretary-General,
Distinguished Delegates,

Developing countries that are the least responsible for climate change, suffer the most from its adverse impacts, but are the least able and equipped to cope with them. We are therefore the most concerned about success in Copenhagen, and believe that success must be measured mainly in three ways;

Firstly by the extent to which all Parties to the UNFCCC in this almost universally-agreed, science-based, legally-binding agreement will fulfill their commitments in accordance with the principles and obligations we have all agreed upon.

Secondly, success will be measured by the willingness of all developed countries to undertake ambitious targets, in the second and subsequent commitment periods, given their historical responsibilities.

Thirdly, by the level of assistance given by the international community to developing countries to address the consequences of climate change, particularly through new, additional and predictable financial resources, capacity building, and access to, development and transfer of technology.

The Group of 77 reaffirms that responses to climate change should be coordinated with social and economic development, the first and overriding priorities of developing countries, in an integrated manner, with a view to avoiding adverse impact on the latter, taking into account the legitimate priority needs of developing countries for the achievement of sustained economic growth and the eradication of poverty, in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

The Group urges Annex I countries to undertake serious steps to show their willingness in addressing the root causes of climate change. They  must particularly change their unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and  meet the cost of adaptation of the developing countries, particularly the urgent and medium term needs to adapt to the unavoidable level of climate change described in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change  (IPCC) fourth assessment report.

The Group of 77 is seriously concerned by the slow progress in deciding the second and subsequent commitment periods under the Kyoto Protocol and the delay shown by Annex I countries in pledging their individual and aggregated GHG reduction targets. We are concerned by the fact that the current targets proposed by Annex I countries are far below the level of ambition required to adequately address the unequivocal climate change and its devastating impacts on developing countries. What we have seen so far from developed countries does not bode well for Copenhagen, a situation that must be rectified, if a successful conclusion is to ever be reached.

Developed countries should step up to their responsibilities and adopt more ambitious commitments to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, and provide the necessary financial and technological support for developing countries.

We sincerely hope that today's events will help in generating the sort of political will from Annex 1 countries that is required for agreement to be reached in Copenhagen.

We are committed to the Convention and the Bali Action Plan, and will further undertake nationally appropriate mitigation actions in the context of sustainable development, supported and enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building from developed countries, in a measurable, reportable, and verifiable manner, as stipulated in the Bali Action Plan.

The Group strongly urge the Annex I parties under the UNFCCC to fulfill their clearly stated commitments and obligations. From our side, we are committed to making all necessary efforts to ensure that a comprehensive and equitable outcome that is consistent with the Convention and its principles is reached in COP15 of the UNFCCC and CMP-5 of the Kyoto Protocol, to ensure the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention, now up to and beyond 2012.

Thank you very much,