The Secretary-General met yesterday with representatives of the G77 and China, including Mr. Rene Orellana, the group's Chair, on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Summit.

He expressed his gratitude to the G77 for the progress that has been made on advancing the fight against climate change since the last meeting of the Conference of Parties in Warsaw last year.

The Secretary-General also thanked the group for its tireless efforts to help reach an ambitious agreement in 2015, which he said is also fundamental to forging a transformative post-2015 sustainable development agenda.

He stressed the need for progress to be made in the area of climate finance.

The Secretary-General also highlighted the importance of adaptation and resilience building, especially among the small island developing states, the least developed countries and countries in Africa.