Excellencies,

1) It is my honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the G77 and China.

2) There is no doubt that humanity degraded nature and its consequences are becoming clearer by the time. Natural calamities in the form of extreme weather events and climate patterns, such as droughts, floods, desertification, and the emergence of zoonotic diseases are a few of the strong signs of nature’s response.

3) The current unsustainable patterns of consumption and production portends a dooms day scenario. Message from science in this regard is also resounding.

4) Regarding climate change, the most recent IPCC report clearly identifies those actions that are urgently required.

5) We need ambitious and bold actions today to reduce the impacts of climate change and to ensure the protection, conservation, and sustainable use of our environment and natural resources.

Excellencies,

6) The COP26 resulted in positive and ambitious mitigation targets to meet the long-term global goal to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. This requires rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions by the developed countries.

7) Developed countries have been historically responsible for the majority of global emissions and should make an absolute and significant reduction in their emissions. In this context, we also emphasize that, in the transition to global net-zero, developed countries must take the lead and this transition should be based on the “principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”.

8) Moreover, without new, additional, adequate, and predictable financial, technological, and capacity support from developed countries, the developing countries are unable to achieve these goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

9) New and additional public climate finance must be urgently mobilized with greater balance between financing for mitigation and adaptation. It is essential to avoid double counting in the provision of development assistance and climate finance.

Excellencies,

10) Developed countries must fully deliver on the long overdue and as yet unrealized goal to mobilize $100bn per year for climate finance for developing countries.

11) We also welcome the agreement at COP26 in Glasgow to initiate further discussions on enhanced commitments for a new collective, quantified goal on climate finance from the floor of $100bn and prior to 2025.

12) We need to ensure concrete and meaningful progress in these deliberations, in a way to significantly boost the provision and mobilization of climate finance in accordance with future requirements and considering the needs and priorities of developing countries.

13) We also highlight the need for long-term and affordable financing for biodiversity and the need to exponentially increase financial flows with biodiversity objectives, including measurable, predictable, and effective, financial resources and institutional arrangements for the provision of finance, capacity building, scientific and technical cooperation, and technology transfer for the benefit of the developing countries.

14) Such resources should be new and additional to funding already provided under other multilateral environment regimes.

Excellencies,

15) Increased action to address loss and damage is a legitimate demand of the developing countries especially those, which have emitted the least but suffered the most from climate change. No financing has been committed so far for loss and damage.

16) In this sense, we call for the provision of new financial support to developing countries to address loss and damage, in addition to adaptation and mitigation finance.

17) Furthermore, developing countries would also need financial and technical support to build the capacity for the planning and implementation of adaptation and mitigation projects, as well as to enable their access to climate finance, including concessional finance.

18) The simplification of the procedures of funding entities and mechanisms for accessing climate finance is particularly important for the poorest and most vulnerable developing countries.

Excellencies,

19) Deep and persistent imbalance in the geographic representation within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) must be addressed and the underrepresentation of the Global South.

20) The Group believes that due regard should be paid to the principle of equitable geographical distribution in the recruitment strategy of the United Nations Environment Programme at all levels.

21) Moreover, we take note of the progress made in the development by the Board of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP) of a global strategy for sustainable consumption and production beyond 2022, and we highlight the importance of an inclusive and transparent process for the ongoing development of the strategy that is fully responsive to the specific challenges faced by developing countries and consistent with the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, and invite all stakeholders of United Nation system for strengthening the implementation of the 10YFP through 2030 through enabling partnerships and commitments for action.

22) We also welcome the holding of the first “One Planet Network Forum” to promote a global and inclusive dialogue for the implementation of SDG12 and sustainable consumption and production.

Excellencies,

23) In conclusion, allow me once again to reiterate that the Group of 77 and China stresses the need to ensure adherence to the core principles of our multilateral environment agreements, such as equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

24) The Group also believes that discussions outside the existing multilaterally agreed frameworks and conventions must not prejudge ongoing negotiations under these frameworks.

I thank you.