Minister Dion George attends the Petersberg Climate Dialogue

24 March 2025

The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Dr Dion George, will represent South Africa at the 15th Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD), co-hosted by Germany and Brazil, in Berlin, Germany, from 25-26 March 2025. This annual high-level conference serves as a crucial bridge between successive United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COPs), providing a platform for international dialogue on climate action and cooperation.

Established in 2010 by former German Chancellor, Dr Angela Merkel, the Dialogue convenes selected nations to pave the way for successful negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The ministerial meeting provides an informal yet strategic space for countries to deliberate on key issues under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, including the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), mitigation ambition, loss and damage from climate impacts, and the provision of international climate finance.

Dr. George will use this platform as an opportunity to provide an overview of South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG). “I look forward to sharing highlights about our five inter-related key priorities, including Climate Change and Air Quality, Biodiversity and Conservation, and Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought,” said Dr George.

This year’s discussions will be framed around a set of key questions: How do we ensure that we deliver on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Global Stocktake? How do we create the global momentum to move from promise to practice in the just transition to net-zero societies in this critical decade while addressing the rapidly increasing adaptation needs for resilient societies and economies? How do we urgently unlock the necessary finance and pave the way for reaching 1.3 trillion US dollars by 2035, as called for at COP29, and align financial flows to low-carbon and climate-resilient development? And how do we enhance global governance and improve the efficiency of the COP process to effectively address the climate crisis?

The Dialogue will provide a strategic opportunity for South Africa to reinforce its commitment to climate action, advocate for equitable solutions that address the unique challenges faced by developing nations, and foster stronger international cooperation.

For media enquiries please contact:

Thobile Zulu-Molobi
Mobile: +27 82 513 7154 
E-mail: tmolobi@dffe.gov.za

or

Peter Mbelengwa: 
Mobile: +27 82 611 8197
E-mail: pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za