23 January 2009: In his statement at the assumption of the chairmanship of the Group of 77 (G77) for 2009, Altigani Salih Fidail, Sudan’s Minister of International Cooperation, said the Group will tackle multiple and inter-related crises in 2009, including climate change, drought, desertification and the loss of biological diversity, and stressed that the lack of implementation of internationally agreed goals remains the “Achilles heel of the UN development agenda.”

On climate change, he said this challenge requires “the widest cooperation and commitment within the framework of common but differentiated responsibilities,” and underlined that the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol remain the central multilateral framework for cooperative action to address it. He noted that 2009 would be “the most critical year for climate change,” and stressed the need for “the continued vigilance and unity” of the G77 in the lead up to Copenhagen in December.
In a statement delivered on his behalf by Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro, the UN Secretary-General underscored that Sudan’s leadership of the Group comes at a critical time that illustrates the importance of multilateralism. He listed the four key challenges that have to be tackled jointly, namely: the global financial crisis; climate change; achieving the Millennium Development Goals; and global health. He stressed the need to intensify efforts to address climate change and called for building on the outcome of the Poznan Climate Change Conference of December 2008, to make 2009 “the year of climate change.” Noting that little time remains until the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, he urged the Group’s continued engagement. [UN Secretary-General’s Statement] [G77 Chairman’s Statement]