Minister Barbara Creecy: national stakeholder consultations on the UNFCCC's COP28

26 October 2023
 

Ms Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (attending virtually)
Presidential climate commissioners
Mr Maesela Kekana, Deputy Director General Climate Change and Air Quality
Dr Crispin Olver, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Commission  
Ms Lebogang Mulaisi, COO of the PCC 
Ms Reitumetse Molotsoane, Head of Environment: National Business Initiative 
Social Partners
Stakeholders present here
Members of the media

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

It is my honour to deliver these opening remarks at our National Stakeholder Consultations for the UNFCCC's COP 28, which takes place in the United Arab Emirates in December. 

Firstly, I wish to thank all participants for attending this important meeting. We value the contributions of all stakeholders to the formulation of South Africa's negotiating position at COP28.

Ladies and gentlemen,

COP28 represents a milestone in global efforts to combat climate change, in the context of achieving sustainable development. The conference takes place at a pivotal juncture because it is halfway between the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, in 2016, and the end of the decade of implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. 2030 also marks the end of the period during which countries will be implementing their first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Therefore, the 2020s have been identified by the IPCC's 6th Assessment Report as a critical decade for climate action.

COP28 will serve as a platform for the global community to take stock of progress and challenges, reaffirm its commitment to the Paris Agreement and to take collective decisions to accelerate climate action, respecting the right of every country to determine its own development pathway. Building on the momentum gained at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh last year, COP 28 needs to respond to the urgent need to scale-up climate action in this critical decade and move towards achieving the goals of the Convention and its Paris Agreement.

Ladies and gentlemen,

COP28 convenes at a time when all regions of the world are struggling to cope with a rapidly changing climate, whilst facing other serious challenges, including geopolitical tensions and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate impacts are increasing, with Africa facing a disproportionate burden of impacts while not being responsible for causing climate change. It is clear that all countries need to confront the realities of having to adapt to climate change, and respond to loss and damage caused by its effects.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Although COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh was successful in that agreement was reached on the need for a fund for loss and damage, the conference fell short on delivering more ambition and clarity on the three central aspects of the Paris agreement namely mitigation, adaptation and means of implementation.
COP 28 therefore takes place in a context where we cannot simply congratulate ourselves for the apparent progress we have made whilst key issues still need to be addressed.

Firstly, whilst the establishment of a global fund for loss and damage is indeed a milestone, the difficult task of working out the details of the fund – how it will be financed, where finance will come from, and the form of such finance – will be one of key agenda items in Dubai.

As with all COPs, finance will remain a key issue. Developing nations have continually called for more support for the financing of our nations' fight against climate change, yet the funding targets pledged by developed countries are still not being met. At COP 28 there will be a renewed call for a scaled-up and predictable goal for climate finance. The deadline for agreeing upon this goal is 2024, and the success of this COP, and perhaps future climate talks, will depend on the outcome.

At COP 27 South Africa and the Africa Group put forward the proposal to include the special needs and circumstances of the continent on the conference agenda, but this did not enjoy consensus. This proposal will be made again at COP 28. Acknowledging the special circumstances of the African continent will be an important step in upholding the principle of differentiated responsibility, and would recognise the continent's vulnerability to climate change, but also the need for mitigation and adaptation support.

Significantly, the first global stocktake (GST) will be completed at COP28, where the world will take stock of our collective progress since adopting the Paris Agreement, and make recommendations where implementation of the Agreement is not on course to achieve its long-term goals. We already know we are not on track, based on the detailed evidence presented by Parties and other stakeholders during the technical dialogues of the GST over the last year. The outcome of the GST will be the central outcome of COP28, and this outcome must increase collective action on mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and the provision of support to developing countries to achieve this, commensurate with the challenges we face.

The technical phase of the GST (in a series of technical dialogues) has made clear that, while action is proceeding under the Paris Agreement, much more is needed now on all fronts. The world is far better off than it would have been without the Paris Agreement and multilateral cooperation, but we are not on track to achieve the global goals we agreed to in Paris in 2015. The discussions on the outcome of the GST have started, and focus on key political messages, and more importantly, multilateral and national measures that need to be put in place to accelerate our journey towards a more sustainable and equitable world.

As the co-facilitator of the consultations on the outcome of the political phase of the GST, together with Demark, South Africa is supporting the incoming Emirati COP Presidency to help identify areas of convergence and divergence between Parties in the run-up to and during COP28.

At the past three COPs the South African delegation has joined delegations from other developing countries in calling for a clear adaptation work programme with clear targets for building the resilience of developing countries and clear financial mechanisms to achieve this. To date there has been little or no progress on this matter.

Ladies and gentlemen,

South Africa is fully committed to addressing climate change based on science, equity and in the context of sustainable development. Hence, our updated NDC seeks to balance the three structural components of mitigation, adaptation and the need for international support for implementation.

Our Climate Change Bill, which was adopted by the National Assembly on Tuesday, will lay a strong legal basis for climate action, and the regulatory framework for the whole of government, business, organised labour and civil society to implement our country's climate commitments.

COP28 provides a key platform for broader conversations, including:  

• how developing countries in Africa can take advantage of their abundant renewable resources and strategic minerals to build shared prosperity and sustainable development on the continent;

• the threat to sustainable development posed by unilateral trade measures imposed outside the Paris Agreement and in violation of its key principles; and

• the pressing need for transformation of the global financial architecture to make the global financial system fit for purpose, in assisting countries to combat climate change and achieve their sustainable development goals.

With these few remarks, I look forward to fruitful discussions that will enhance our position for COP28 and support a people-centered just and equitable transition.

I thank you.