Minister Creecy attends Petersberg climate dialogue in Berlin, Germany
Minister Creecy attends Petersberg climate dialogue in Berlin, Germany
16 July 2022
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Ms Barbara Creecy will travel to Germany to attend the high-level political discussion at the 13th Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, Germany.
The Dialogue is scheduled to take place from 17th to 19th July 2022.
This is the first time gathering has met in person, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister Creecy will use the opportunity to brief the international community on progress our country has made in advancing our climate objectives since COP 26 in Glasgow. She will also use the opportunity to engage in a number of bilateral discussions with her counterparts on climate -related matters.
Matters for discussion will include the Framework for a Just Transition in South Africa, which was finalised by the Presidential Climate Change Commission and submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this month. The Framework will be submitted to Cabinet for consideration in the near future.
Minister Creecy will also brief colleagues that our Climate Bill which provides the regulatory framework to govern implementation of our country’s climate commitments across all aspects of our society and economy, is now in the National Assembly.
The Minister will use the opportunity once again to highlight the devastating impact climate change is having on the African continent. This includes the devastating floods in three provinces in April this year, and the drought in the Horn of Africa is impacting millions of people.
The need for the full activation of the adaptation provisions in the Paris Agreement to meet the needs of developing countries, and the adoption of roadmaps on how climate finance is to be delivered to help these countries mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as the key issue of loss and damage, are among the matters to be highlighted by the Minister.
In this regard, developing countries are likely to use the dialogue to address the failed financial pledge by developed countries to provide $100 billion per annum by 2020 to assist developing countries to meet their climate commitments and the urgency of a new quantified climate finance goal. Minister Creecy will stress once again the importance of adequate finance from developed to developing countries to support their Just Energy Transitions towards climate resilient societies and net zero emission futures.
The Petersberg Dialogue, which is taking place in the run-up to the formal international climate change negotiations, COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, later this year presents ministers with the chance to discuss issues of importance in addressing the climate crisis. Other issues to be addressed include the global goal on adaptation, enhanced ambition on mitigation, finance for loss and damage associated with climate change impacts, and funding required by developing and least developed countries to address the causes and effects of climate change. South Africa will use the Dialogue to offer support to strengthen international cooperation and global solidarity in tackling the climate crisis.
The Dialogue will be co-chaired by the in-coming COP 27 President, Mr. Sameh Hassan Shoukry, and the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Annalena Baerbock.
For audio visual download the following link: https://youtu.be/l38uGNWYh9c
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