13 January 2012

The South African Government has welcomed the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC’s) unanimous adoption on 12 January 2012 of Resolution 2033, which urges for enhanced cooperation between the UNSC and sub-regional organisations, particularly the African Union (AU), in peace and security matters.

The adoption of the resolution followed an initiative by His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma, during his latest visit to New York to participate in the activities of the UNSC as South Africa holds the Presidency of the Council for the month of January 2012.

Whilst at the UN in New York, President Zuma chaired the UNSC high-level debate on “Strengthening the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African Union, in the maintenance of international peace and security."

Resolution 2033 initiated by South Africa stresses the importance of establishing a more effective relationship between the UNSC and regional bodies in particualr the AU Peace and Security Council, especially in the area of conflict prevention, resolution and management, electoral assistance and regional conflict prevention.

The Resolution also encourages the improvement of regular interaction, consultation and coordination between the two bodies on matters of mutual interest.

President Zuma expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the high-level debate, which saw Member States of the UNSC unanimously supporting calls to strengthen the relations between the UN and regional bodies.

President Zuma said: "While we are pleased with the current relations between the two bodies, we also feel that we can deepen them further for better co-ordination when it comes to dealing with issues affecting our Continent. We want the views of the AU to be respected by the UN."

For further information, please contact Mr. Clayson Monyela, Spokesperson for DIRCO, on 082 884 5974.

Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)

OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Pretoria

22 December 2011

The month of January 2012 will be marked by several high-level events in the international relations calendar. These include, amongst others, South Africa assuming the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and playing an important role in the UN High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, the 18th Ordinary Session of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The South African government will take advantage of the above-mentioned occasions to advance South Africa’s foreign policy objectives, which include supporting the African Agenda, South-South and North-South cooperation with a view to promoting democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights.

1. Presidency of the UNSC

South Africa will assume the presidency of the UNSC for the month of January 2012.  Consistent with the practice of the UNSC, the Office of the President of the Security Council rotates monthly among its members on the basis of the English alphabetical order, and the Council is organized to be able to function continuously. The Permanent Representative of the relevant member state assumes the role of the President of the UNSC and his/her staff form the Presidency for a particular month.

According to the provisional rules of procedure of the Security Council, the role of the Presidency is to “preside over meetings of the Council” (rule 19). However, in practice the Presidency is also responsible for organizing, coordinating and guiding the work of the Council. In addition, the South African delegation is expected to help prepare the agenda of the Council for the month in consultation with other Council members, chair meetings of the Council, guide the UNSC to decisions on a range of issues on its agenda and act as the Council's official contact point for other UN Member States, the media and civil society. The Presidency of the UNSC also offers an opportunity to promote a theme that is of particular regional or national importance.

In this context, South Africa will utilize its Presidency of the Security Council in January 2012 to continue exploring concrete measures for strengthening the relationship between the United Nations (UN) and regional organizations, in particular the African Union (AU), in the maintenance of international peace and security in terms of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.  At the same time, it is expected that the South African delegation will convene a high level thematic debate with the aim of adopting concrete measures to ensure greater coherence between the UN and the AU in the area of conflict prevention, management and resolution of conflicts on the African continent.

2. High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability

Still in January 2012, President Jacob Zuma and President Tarja Halonen of Finland will co-chair UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability at the UN Headquarters in New York. The Secretary-General launched the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) on 09 August 2010 to formulate a new plan for achieving sustainable development and meeting the Millennium Development Goals and other development objectives.

Since its establishment, the Panel has explored approaches to growth that would translate into effective socio-economic development and poverty reduction. The Panel focused mostly on climate change as a sustainable development challenge, addressing the three pillars of sustainable development; namely economic, social and environmental. Moreover, the Panel also reflected on a new vision for sustainable growth and prosperity by assessing strategic solutions to climate change as a key point of departure to the management of global issues and challenges.

It is expected that the GSP will release its final report on 12 January 2012. The recommendations contained in the GSP’s report will feed into inter-governmental processes, including preparations for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio 2012), and the annual meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

3. The 18th Ordinary Session of the AU

At the 18th Ordinary session of the Summit of the African Union (AU), scheduled for 23-30 January 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, South Africa will put forward the candidature of Home Affairs Minister, Dr Nkozasana Dlamini Zuma, for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission. The position will become vacant after the term of the current Chairperson ends in January 2012. The AU Summit takes place twice a year to make policy decisions affecting the Continent. The theme of the upcoming AU Summit will be “Boosting Intra-African Trade.”

4. World Economic Forum

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will take place from 25 to 29 January 2012 in Davos, Switzerland, under the theme: “The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models”. Leaders will share insights on what has changed fundamentally in the world, explore emerging conceptual models and collaborate on the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. As is the tradition of the Annual Meeting of the WEF, the programme will focus on business and economics in order to generate ideas and the collaborative spirit needed to manage the future course of world economic affairs.

For further information, please contact Mr. Clayson Monyela, Spokesperson for DIRCO, on +2782 884 5974.

Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation

OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria

COP17/CMP7 – The Durban Platform

After months of preparation and a marathon two weeks of negotiations that ended in the early morning hours of 11 December 2011, the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference or COP17/CMP7 came to an end at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban.

Parties have delivered a breakthrough on the future of the international community’s response to climate change, whilst recognizing the urgent need to raise their collective level of ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to keep the average global temperature rise below two degrees Celsius.

The Parties thanked the COP17/CMP7 President, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, for her leadership in guiding the conference to produce a positive outcome.

Durban expectations

There were two main tasks that the UN wanted the conference to accomplish. One related to building the institutions that would help support the developing countries response to climate change.

The second pressing task for governments was to answer the question of how they would move forward together to achieve their agreed goal to limit the average global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, and how to review progress towards that goal between 2013 and 2015.

A decision on the future of the Kyoto Protocol was also a central part of the Durban outcomes. The Kyoto Protocol is the only legally binding treaty the world presently has to combat climate change, and it is important that governments safeguard what they had worked on so long to agree and develop, and what has proven effective.

The process

During the first week of the Conference negotiators worked on the technical aspect of the negotiations. The officials were joined by no fewer than 12 Heads of State and Government, as well as 130 ministers, during the High-Level Segment which started on 6 December 2011.

At the opening of the COP17/CMP High-level Segment, President Jacob Zuma said: “We are agreed that this global challenge requires a global solution. However, different positions still prevail on some critical points. It is important that there is common ground on the elements that will remain critical in reaching any agreement. These are multilateralism, environmental integrity, common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities, equity, and honouring of all international commitments and undertakings made in the climate change process.”

 The outcomes in Durban

Speaking at 5:10am at the conclusion of the Conference, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane thanked all Parties for their dedication, hard work and for the spirit of Ubuntu and compromise that prevailed during the Conference.

“I applaud you for what you have been able to accomplish here in Durban. You were prepared to show the required political will to move this process forward. It is without any doubt in my mind that we have ‘worked together to save tomorrow, today!’”. The Minister said the decisions that had been taken were “truly historical”.

Decisions reached at COP17/CMP7

Governments decided to adopt a universal legal agreement on climate change as soon as possible, but not later than 2015. Work will begin on this immediately under a new group called the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action.

Governments, including 35 industrialised countries, agreed to a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol from 01 January 2013. To achieve rapid clarity, Parties to this second period will turn their economy-wide targets into quantified emission limitation or reduction objectives and submit them for review by 01 May 2012. This is highly significant because the Kyoto Protocol’s accounting rules, mechanisms and markets all remain in action as effective tools to leverage global climate action and as models to inform future agreements.

A significantly advanced framework for the reporting of emission reductions for both developed and developing countries was also agreed, taking into consideration the common but differentiated responsibilities of different countries.

In addition to charting the way forward on reducing greenhouse gases in the global context, governments agreed to the full implementation of the package to support developing nations, agreed last year in Cancun, Mexico (COP16/CMP6). This means that urgent support for the developing world, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable to adapt to climate change, will also be launched on time.

The package includes the Green Climate Fund, an Adaptation Committee designed to improve the coordination of adaptation actions on a global scale, and a Technology Mechanism, which are to become fully operational in 2012.

Whilst pledging to make progress in a number of areas, governments acknowledged the urgent concern that the current sum of pledges to cut emissions both from developed and developing countries was not high enough to keep the global average temperature rise below two degrees Celsius. They therefore decided that the UN Climate Change process shall increase ambition to act and will be led by the climate science in the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report and the global Review from 2013-2015. 

Key decisions:

Green Climate Fund:

•Countries have already started to pledge to contribute to start-up costs of the fund, meaning it can be made ready in 2012, and at the same time     can help developing countries get ready to access the fund, boosting their efforts to establish their own clean energy futures and adapt to existing climate change.

•A Standing Committee is to keep an overview of climate finance in the context of the UNFCCC and to assist the Conference of the Parties. It will comprise 20 members, represented equally between the developed and developing world.

•A focussed work programme on long-term finance was agreed, which will contribute to the scaling up of climate change finance going forward and will analyse options for the mobilisation of resources from a variety of sources.

Adaptation

•The Adaptation Committee, composed of 16 members, will report to the COP on its efforts to improve the coordination of adaptation actions at a global scale.

•The adaptive capacities above all of the poorest and most vulnerable countries are to be strengthened. National Adaptation Plans will allow developing countries to assess and reduce their vulnerability to climate change.

•The most vulnerable are to receive better protection against loss and damage caused by extreme weather events related to climate change.

Technology

•The Technology Mechanism will become fully operational in 2012.

•The full terms of reference for the operational arm of the Mechanism - the Climate Technology Centre and Network - are agreed, along with a clear procedure to select the host. The UNFCCC secretariat will issue a call for proposals for hosts on 16 January 2012.

Support of developing country action

•Governments agreed a registry to record developing country mitigation actions that seek financial support and to match these with support. The registry will be a flexible, dynamic, web-based platform.

Other key decisions

•A forum and work programme on unintended consequences of climate change actions and policies were established.

•Under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism, governments adopted procedures to allow carbon-capture and storage projects. These guidelines will be reviewed every five years to ensure environmental integrity.

•Governments agreed to develop a new market-based mechanism to assist developed countries in meeting part of their targets or commitments under the Convention. Details of this will be taken forward in 2012.

 ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF COP17/CMP7

 11 December 2011For further information, please contact Mr Clayson Monyela on +2782 884 5974

1.      INTRODUCTION

1.1. We now have less than a week before the 17^th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 7^th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol begins in Durban. Delegates and officials from relevant UN agencies have started arriving. We have now passed the planning phase of our preparations, and we are at the implementation phase.

1.2. We have a huge responsibility as a country to host an important meeting of the UN whose outcomes will influence how the international community responds to climate change, all in the interest of safeguarding our planet for future generations. 

2.      LOGISTICAL INFORMATION

2.1. The Conference is at ministerial level, and we expect up to 20 000 participants at the conference and related events. This figure includes around 16 000 officials at ministerial, negotiator and officials level to take part in the conference, 1,500 members of media and 20,000 civil society representatives.

2.2. Various climate change, religious, and cultural events will be taking place in Durban during the COP17/CMP7. A Faith Rally will take place at Kings Park Stadium on 27 November 2011. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is both the patron and guest speaker at this event. In my capacity as the incoming President of COP17/CMP7, I will receive a petition by Faith-based organisations during the event.

2.3. Throughout the conference, a Climate Change Response (CCR) Expo will be open and free of charge to all South Africans. The CCR Expo is an initiative of the Department of Environmental Affairs and showcases the efforts of national, provincial and local government as well as the private sector with respect to both climate adaptation and mitigation.

2.4. The African Union and African Development Bank have set up an African Pavilion which will be open to accredited delegates. The African Pavilion will provide a forum for discussions and debates that set the context for African-relevant climate change issues and themes within the larger framework of sustainable development in Africa.

2.5. There will be a free Visa entry for UNFCCC accredited attendees. All other observers and/or delegates will follow normal visa procedures. The Department of Home Affairs, working with other role players within the Justice and Crime Prevention Cluster (JCPS), have helped to pre-screen 11,814 persons on the United Nations database of accredited persons.

2.6. The South African government, in close cooperation with the United Nations, is responsible for the safety and security of the entire event. The Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre and Durban Exhibition Centre will be declared a United Nations Zone for the duration of the Conference with the inner perimeter controlled by the UN Department of Safety and Security. UNFCCC borders will be clearly demarcated as the Blue Zone and will be different from the Red Zone which will be the responsibility of the SAPS. Safety and security priority committees for COP 17/CMP7 at National and Provincial level have been established.

2.7. Security preparations dealing with a broad range of possible threats and disruptions are being implemented. There will be a solid team of dedicated personnel for COP17 that will be deployed around the ICC and exhibition area. SAPS will work closely with the SANDF, Metro Police, fire department, Correctional Services and disaster management.

2.8. COP17/CMP7 transport arrangements in Durban are as follows: Special vehicles and arrangements for Heads of State and Government have been made. Shuttle services from King Shaka International Airport to hotels have been arranged.  Hotel Shuttle Services from hotels to the venue covering the major accommodation zones within and around the eThekwini Municipality with 36 stops en-route.

The services are operational from Monday, 21 November 2011. The fleet consists of 66 buses and 40 minibus taxis. A total of 500 bicycles with electronic bicycle management system will be available free of charge to delegates. There are five mixed-use lanes linking key destinations in Durban which delegates can use with four bike parking areas. There are also identified pedestrian paths in Durban. Other such arrangements are in place to ensure that delegates enjoy smooth movement in and around the city.

2.9. Durban has enough rooms and has identified approximately 20,000 beds within a 50km radius for participating delegates, attendees and UNFCCC staff. These include hotels, B&B establishments and hostel accommodation. The Department of Transport has been working closely with accommodation booking agencies to ensure that all COP17/CMP7 shuttle service routes cover accommodation within the 50km radius.

3. SUBSTANTIAL INFORMATION

3.1. South Africa plays three distinct roles at the Conference. (a) Presidency of the COP17/CMP7, led by myself, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation. (b) State party to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, with my colleague, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa, leading the South African delegation to the negotiations. (c) Co-chair of the committee working on the Green Climate Fund, which is one of the key outcomes of COP16/CMP6 in Cancun, Mexico, last year. National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel is leading this aspect.

3.2. We have said repeatedly that the outcome in Durban should be balanced, fair and credible and that it should seek to preserve and strengthen the multilateral rules-based response to climate change. The approach to reach a balanced, fair and credible outcome in Durban must be informed by the principles that form the basis of UNFCCC climate change negotiations. These principles include multilateralism, environmental integrity, fairness (common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities, equity,) and honouring of all international commitments and undertakings made in the climate change process.

3.3. The Cancun Agreements must be operationalised, including the establishment of the key mechanisms and institutional arrangements agreed to in Cancun. The Green Climate Fund represents a centre piece of a broader set of outcomes for Durban. Developing countries demand a prompt start for the Fund through its early and initial capitalization.

3.4. For Durban to be successful, we have to do more than making the Cancun Agreements operational. We have no option but to deal with the outstanding political issues remaining from the Bali Roadmap. This means finding a resolution to the issue of the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol and agreeing on the legal nature of a future climate change system.

3.5. Adaptation is an essential element of the outcome in Durban as it is a key priority for many developing countries, particularly small island developing states, least developed countries and Africa. The current fragmented approach to adaptation must be addressed in a more coherent manner and give equal priority to adaptation and mitigation.

3.6. Any outcome in Durban has to be adequate enough to adhere to the principle of environmental integrity. In this context the low level of ambition is a serious concern.

4. CONCLUSION

4.1. Throughout all preparations for this conference, I have worked within a supportive and cooperative team comprised of ministers, established, led and guided by President Zuma. Durban is not an end, but the beginning of a long journey as South Africa prepares to assume the role of COP17/CMP7 Presidency. This role we will play until the next COP/CMP President takes over at the next COP/CMP conference.

4.2. We go to Durban without any doubt in as far as logistical preparations are concerned. We are satisfied that all arrangements are in place and that delegates will enjoy their stay in our country and, especially, in the beautiful city of Durban.

4.3. We call on the people of South Africa to join us as we welcome the world to South Africa, and we remain hopeful that the outcomes in Durban will be consistent with what humanity needs to do to arrest climate change. Indeed, we can and should live up to the COP17/CMP7 theme: WORKING TOGETHER, SAVING TOMORROW TODAY.

Thank you.

 23 November 2011, Cape Town