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MULTIMEDIA
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT COP29 & SA PAVILION
ADVISORIES + STATEMENTS
25 November 2024 - SOUTH AFRICA WELCOMES COP29 OUTCOMES AS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Following an intense two weeks of consultations and negotiations, parties adopted Baku Climate Unity Pact consisting of NCQG on climate finance.
19 November 2024 - MINISTER D GEORGE (DR): SOUTH AFRICA COUNTRY STATEMENT AT UNFCCC COP29
18 November 2024 - MINISTER D GEORGE (DR): LAUNCH OF THE SOUTH AFRICA PAVILION AT UNFCCC COP 29
INTRODUCTION
COP29 CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE, BAKU
SCHEDULE OF THE CLIMATE CONFERENCE
The twenty-ninth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the nineteenth meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP19); and the sixth meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA6), are scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11 to 22 November 2024. The upcoming conference will comprise sessions of the three governing bodies, namely: COP29, CMP19, and the CMA6. The sixty-first sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) will convene ahead of these sessions.
NEW ENHANCED CLIMATE PLANS
COP29 will be one of the last major opportunities for countries to signal their intention to put together new and enhanced climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), before submitting the NDCs in 2025 under the next NDC cycle. The COP29 Presidency is committed to finalising the new collective quantified goal on finance and concluding outstanding matters on article 6 of the Paris Agreement which focuses on the cooperative implementation of international market mechanisms among other matters.
FOCUS OF THE CLIMATE CONFERENCE
COP28 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, marked a shift to the implementation of the Paris Agreement. It concluded the first global stocktake on climate efforts, operationalised funding for loss and damage, including a new dedicated fund under the UNFCCC. Parties agreed on targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its framework for resilience against climate impacts. COP29 should focus on intensifying efforts to quantify resources for developing countries to meet ambitious climate targets.
SOUTH AFRICA'S CLIMATE CHANGE BILL
To enable the development of an effective climate change response and a long-term, just transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society for SA in the context of sustainable development; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
SA'S NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION (NDC)
By this communication, South Africa updates and enhances its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement.
EXPECTATIONS
FOR THE CLIMATE CONFERENCE OUTCOMES
LEADERSHIP & POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT
Strong leadership and political engagement is important to deliver the ambitious outcomes required to achieve the goals and objectives of the Convention and the Paris Agreement. It remains critical for developed countries to take the lead, up to 2030 as per the Glasgow, Sharm el Sheikh, and Dubai outcomes.
CLEAR QUANTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to be adopted at COP29 should be a clear quantification of finance that reflects the amount of financial support needed by developing countries to implement their NDCs including National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), low emission development plans, national development plans as well as frameworks and other relevant policy documents.
JUST TRANSITION PATHWAYS
The NCQG to be adopted at COP29 should also be reflective of inclusive just transition pathways, in line with parties’ individual and nationally determined socio-economic development priorities. The recommended overarching approach, aligned to South Africa’s promotion of inclusive multilateralism, is to prioritise the official negotiation process, over parallel and side processes, such as alliances and coalitions of some parties.
DISCUSSIONS
RECOMMENDED KEY POSITIONS FOR SA
MITIGATION
ADAPTATION
JUST TRANSITION
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
LOSS AND DAMAGE
TRANSPARENCY
Adaptation: South Africa supports ways to advance work on GGA- UAE – Belém work programme on indicators; particularly in respect of developing indicators for adaptation dimension’ targets including on impacts, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning. It is worth noting the importance of providing means of implementation through finance as a cross-cutting issue in each of these dimension targets. The implementation of the work programme must be a party-driven process.
The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG):
For South Africa, the NCQG to be adopted at COP29 should be a clear quantification of finance that reflects the amount of financial support needed by developing countries to implement their NDCs, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), low emission development plans, national development plans as well as frameworks and other relevant policy documents.
Just Transitions Work Programme (JTWP):
There can be no-one-size-fits-all approaches or generalisations about which sectors of the economy are more relevant to just transition than others, because circumstances differ amongst parties. In implementing the work programme, this should be done in a non-prescriptive and non-confrontational manner, to assist parties in designing and implementing their own just transition pathways.
Mitigation Work Programme:
For South Africa, it is important to preserve and respect the original mandate and scope of the mitigation work programme as outlined in decision 4/CMA.4 and agreed by all parties. While we do want to make substantive progress, South Africa cautioned against re-opening and renegotiating the original decision (4/CMA.4).
loss and damage finance: Loss and damage finance should be new, additional, predictable, accessible and adequate to support all developing countries that require it in their respective efforts to address loss and damage at the community, national, regional and international levels. It should be separated from finance for adaptation and not increase the debt burden of developing countries. Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIMLD): South Africa believes that the WIMLD requires clear understanding of capacities and coordination needs of all developing countries regarding preparing for, responding to and building resilience against loss and damage associated with extreme and slow onset events, including through recovery and rehabilitation. South Africa’s position on the governance of the mechanism is that it must be governed under the authority and guidance of both COP and CMA.
Transparency:
Support for transparency should be provided through multilateral and bilateral channels that is sufficient and predictable resources to support the building of sustainable institutional capacities and for regular reporting in developing countries.