Mr. Chair,

1. I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on Agenda Item 138: Proposed Programme Budget 2022, PBI for Marine Bio Diversity on the General Assembly draft decision A/76/L.46.

2. Our Group would like to thank the Secretariat for the presentation of the programme budget implications for the fifth session of the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) in August 2022. We also thank the Chair of the Advisory Committee, for introducing the Committee’s related report.

Mr. Chair,

3. We fully recognize the need for protecting the oceans for the benefit of our future generations. We also recognize the importance of our oceans and the benefits of their contents to mankind, which makes their conservation and sustainable use a shared responsibility and desired objective. Our group also emphasizes that access to marine resources should be in a fair and equitable manner.

4. Our Group is fully committed to take the BBNJ negotiations forward, and join hands to work towards a treaty that takes into account our shared goals and values. We look forward to the convening of the fifth session of the intergovernmental conference on BBNJ in August 2022, with adequate allocation of resources for support services during the session to ensure that it is a success. We also wish to underscore the importance of having sufficient resources to support the participation of our experts from respective capitals for the upcoming negotiations to make the process more effective.

Mr. Chair,

5. Our Group is committed to working constructively with all delegations on this important agenda item. We stand ready to engage constructively with a spirit of flexibility to arrive at consensus in a timely fashion and to conclude this item.

I thank you, Mr. Chair.