Session 1: Statement by South Africa: Delivered by The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy at The G20 Environment And Climate Sustainability Ministers Meeting, Chennai, India

28 JULY 2023

Minister Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India, 
Your Excellencies and fellow Ministers, 
Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, I would like to congratulate the Government of the Republic of India for its successful chairing of the G20 this year.  We appreciate the warm hospitality accorded to us.

No single country can on its own address climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. The importance of the G20 is the momentum it can create for common ambition in tackling these existential challenges for humanity. However, as we sit here today, we must maintain momentum behind the United Nations system and not pre-empt or revisit negotiated outcomes.

As we tackle climate change we must continue to strive for greater balance and ambition and action on all three aspects of the Paris Agreement, namely mitigation, adaptation and the means of implementation. We must also adhere to the Rio Principles, in particular equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, which are also applicable within the G20 context.

One of the main outcomes of CoP 28 will be on the Global Stocktake which I am honoured to co-facilitate with my Danish counterpart, Minister Dan Jørgensen. We hope for positive of outcomes from this process which will be both retrospective and forward looking.

South Africa has jurisdiction over one of the world’s largest exclusive marine economic zones in the world. This represents a significant asset for current and future generations, with enormous environmental significance and socio- economic potential.

Our country is currently engaged in a marine spatial planning process to guide future marine conservation and sustainable use of our ocean resources. South Africa remains committed to the sustainable regulated use of our fishing resources; the active prevention of illegal and unregulated fishing and the incorporation of traditional small-scale fishers into the fishing sector through the allocation of fifteen-year rights to qualifying applicants.

We remain committed to the international agreement of a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. To counteract marine plastic pollution, we are actively engaged in supporting municipalities to improve household waste collection and landfill compliance as well as building an active waste reclaiming and recycling industry.

In conclusion, allow me to reaffirm that South Africa will continue to contribute its best effort to address these global challenges.

I thank you.