Mr. President, Excellencies, Dear colleagues,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the G77 and China. It will be short: the Group and its delegates are eager commence discussion on the vital aspects that must be agreed upon in this Organizational Meeting.

The Group of 77 and China welcomes the convening of the organizational meeting, and congratulates both co-chairs for their appointment as Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Commission. The Co-Chairs have the full support of the Group, and we have complete trust in their ability to lead us all effectively and efficiently through the many items that we will be discussing.

The work of the Preparatory Commission will be vital to ensuring the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement; its future implementation; and, perhaps most importantly, ensuring that all the substantive rights and obligations laid out in the Agreement can become a true reality with all due haste.

At this initial juncture, allow me to highlight three points.

First, the Group reiterates and underlines the vital importance of ensuring the attendance of delegates from all Member States at each stage of the Preparatory Commission. Each and every delegation plays a key role for coordination and future implementation of the Agreement. The Group thanks all contributors to the voluntary trust fund. The Group also encourages further contributions to the Trust Fund to ensure the utmost inclusivity and support for developing countries, and to facilitate the attendance of delegations of these developing countries at the Preparatory Commission. Without the presence of delegations from the Group, the goals of the Commission cannot be fulfilled.

Second, the Group reiterates that any and all capacity building and technical assistance activities that are to be provided by the United Nations relating to the entry into force and implementation of the Agreement must be based on and responsive to the needs of developing States. Member States are best placed to know the most applicable approaches and activities that would best support these goals. The Group will seek this issue to be discussed within the agenda of the Organizational Meeting.

Finally, the Group reminds delegations that the rationale for the creation of the Preparatory Commission - namely to prepare for the entry into force of the Agreement and to prepare for the convening of the first Conference of the Parties - is important for ensuring the effective implementation of the Agreement in the future. This rationale must remain at the forefront of our discussions both throughout this Organizational Meeting and also throughout the Commission itself.

The Group wishes to reiterate its thanks to all delegations for their continued constructive engagement on the path to the fullest achievements that we all worked so hard on in this Agreement.

I thank you.