Mr. Chairman,

The Group 77 and China continued, at this session, its active engagement in the ongoing negotiations - in all the elements of the Bali Action Plan in an equal and balanced manner aiming to advance the work of the AWG-LCA towards completing its mandate and reaching an agreed outcome in Copenhagen that effectively respond to climate change and its devastating impacts on developing countries

At this critical stage of the climate change negotiations the Group strongly feels the need to reiterating its standing position that the AWG-LCA process must be and continue to be an open, party-driven, transparent, and inclusive process. As we move closely towards Copenhagen we would like you and the secretariat to ensure the full  participation of all developing countries in a way that enables them to adequately represent the concerns and interests of their vulnerable people and communities and achieve an outcome that is just and equitable

We are at a very critical phase of our negotiations.  We are greatly concerned at this point for the introduction of elements that are outside the mandate contained in the Bali Action Plan, and completely inconsistent with the Convention. Such moves at this time cause great concern for our work and compromise the goal of reaching an agreed outcome in Copenhagen.

The Convention, as you have said Mr. Chairman, is our home. It creates the space of understanding which allows us to move forward together and  the Kyoto Protocol is the standard for the mitigation contribution of all Annex I countries. Be it in the magnitude and legal nature of commitments, be it in measuring, reporting, and verifying, be it in rules of compliance, the Kyoto Protocol is the established reference, now and in the future, in this field. In its work, the G77 and China does not consider options which are not based on the continued legal existence and effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol.

We are the defenders of the only legal instruments addressing climate change and their adverse effects. If these are redefined, or worse, rejected by developed countries, we would have no indication of where we will be without these instruments to address the increasingly urgent problem of climate change and its adverse effects. The rejection of these instruments imply rejection of historical responsibilities for the problem of climate change. Denial of historical responsibilities implies denial of the commitment to provide developing countries with the new and additional financial resources, of meeting costs of adaptation and of facilitating and promoting access to and transfer of technology.

Our partners claim that they are taking the lead. Saying it, however, is not doing it, and all we are hearing and seeing as proposals from developed country Parties in these negotiations point to the contrary. In mitigation, in adaptation, in financing and in technology transfer, there are proposals shifting responsibilities to developing countries themselves, to failed markets, to private sector.

we have managed to advance in Bangkok on many specific issues. On some essential elements, however, we seem to be drifting apart from each other. The G77 and China reiterates its strong concern regarding proposals, including the proposals presented by our partners on frameworks for mitigation actions by all parties, that are incompatible with the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Action Plan. No amount of selective reading or creative interpretation will be sufficient to hide the fact that these proposals constitute renegotiations of the Convention with a view to generating new commitments that are entirely inappropriate for developing countries and also eliminate or diminish the appropriate commitments of developed countries. We oppose them directly and emphatically.

Adaptation remains the major concern for developing countries. Delayed or inadequate mitigation actions will only increase the costs and impacts borne by developing countries. Technology transfer and the provision of adequate financial resources are also a continuing concern in this process as we move to a low carbon economies. In addition, the social and economic consequences of response measures are of fundamental importance for developing countries. Response measures by developed countries could hinder the achievement of sustainable development, and hence, there is need to make progress in avoiding and minimizing negative consequences on developing countries and to ensure a gradual and just transition.

I would like to assure you that the Group will continue to support the LCA process and engage constructively in its upcoming sessions to achieve the aspired outcomes in Copenhagen. The G77 and China is committed to the climate change regime, committed to the negotiations underway and committed to a positive result. We are not demanding that our partners accept our terms, but calling on them to respect and accept the terms we have all agreed to, which is the Bali Action Plan, within the climate change regime. We are not refusing to engage, but hoping that we all might engage in a common effort that is constructive, not in a collective tearing down of what we have built since the Rio Summit in 1992. It is with this spirit that we will participate in the Barcelona discussions.