The road to 2020: Sustainable development and international co-operation
SOUTH Africa remains committed to the fight against climate change, be it domestically through sound policies, programmes and actions or in the internationally arena through international cooperation and dialogue.
Minister, Dr Edna Molewa, said the leading role played by South Africa during the international climate change talks in France in 2015 that resulted in the Paris Agreement on climate change is a prime example of that commitment. It was in those negotiations that South Africa was the chair of the Group of 77 plus China.
During her visit to China in September 2018, Dr Molewa became the first woman and first African leader to deliver the annual Climate Lecture at the prestigious Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Addressing students, faculty and the international community in the lecture that was broadcast live, she highlighted entitled South Africa’s efforts at both a domestic and international level to transition the country to a low-carbon, inclusive, climate change resilient future as the world moved towards implementation in 2020 of the Paris Agreement.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of international co-operation and dialogue in ensuring that the countries of the world meet their obligations in terms of the Paris Agreement.
Climate change, she said, was one of the most pressing issues of our time.
“It is a subject that is inextricably linked to the global Sustainable Development Agenda and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). It is a subject that touches the very heart of our existence as we witness that impact across the world,” she said.
The Paris Agreement, she said, truly represents a turning point in global climate change governance and strengthens rules-based multilateralism. It signals a rapid change in pace towards low carbon development and growth from 2020 onwards. 2
Minister Molewa hoped that the fragilities and sometimes deep fault-lines that existed at the negotiating table would be considered when Parties meet at the 24th Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Katowice, Poland, in December, to finalise a work plan for implementation of the Paris Agreement from 2020.
“We should always guard against the possibility of sliding back on the commitments we made at Paris both collectively and individually,” she said. “We have come a long, long way, and the only way to achieve the global goal we have set is through maximum commitment and maximum ambition.”
Climate change, she said, was one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Climate change is a global challenge requiring a global effort and global solutions. It necessitates international collaboration and cooperation under the broad umbrella of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in the field of Climate Change.
Dr Molewa pointed out that the strategic partnership with China is predated by a long history of fraternal and political ties between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Communist Party of China (CPC), which had contributed to the fight against apartheid.
“It is solidarity and international collaboration that is our compass today, as the nations of the world, we collectively mobilise to combat climate change and transition our respective countries along lowcarbon, inclusive, climate resilient pathways.”
Referring to the upcoming international climate talks, Dr Molewa said South Africa, like many other developing countries, looks forward to the full implementation of the Paris Agreement.
“The time to act on climate change is now. As nations of the world we owe it to not just ourselves, but to future generations, to bequeath them a legacy for eternity,” said Dr Molewa.