12
June 2008 - Media Statement - Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism - THURSDAY,
12 JUNE 2008: South Africa’s bid to host
the seventeenth session of the Conference
of Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
the seventh session of the meeting of the
Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change in 2011 was today supported at the
closing of the 12th session of the African
Ministers Conference on Environment (AMCEN).
The development of Africa’s
Climate Roadmap: from Johannesburg through
Africa to Copenhagen came under the spotlight
during the 12th session of the African Ministers
Conference on Environment (AMCEN) which
drew to a close today, Thursday, 12 June
2008 in Sandton.
An African Climate Roadmap
was outlined after days of deliberations
by African Environment Ministers and representatives
who converged in Sandton for the 12th session
of AMCEN, which took place from 07 – 12
June 2008.
At this 12th Session
of AMCEN, South African Minister of Environment
& Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk assumed
the chair of AMCEN for the next two years.
South Africa’s chairing of the AMCEN will
provide an opportunity to raise the profile
of global environmental issues in Africa
as well as represent Africa at international
environmental meetings.
For the development
of an African common position as part of
the African Roadmap to Copenhagen it was
proposed that an African high level expert
panel on climate change be formed, to include
senior officials and African focal points
for the Framework Convention on Climate
Change, working in collaboration with UNEP,
NEPAD and the Commission of the African
Union.
It was decided at this
12th session of AMCEN to establish a work
programme with milestones for the development
of the common position, with the President
of AMCEN mandated to steer the African Roadmap
process.
In the summary of newly
appointed AMCEN President, Marthinus van
Schalkwyk, SA Minister of Environment &
Tourism, on the Ministerial policy dialogue,
the importance of the decision of the outcomes
of the United Nations Climate Change Conference
held in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007
particularly the Bali Action Plan and Bali
Roadmap which set 2009 as the date for negotiations
on strengthening the climate regime beyond
2012 was highlighted. It was agreed that
Africa must speak with one voice in advancing
the continent’s interests in negotiations
for the climate regime beyond 2012.
“The Bali Action Plan
and Bali Roadmap offered Africa the opportunity
to build consensus on the complex issues
of climate change and sustainable development,
to the benefit of the continent. The Presidential
summary stated that representatives emphasised
the importance for an African consensus
on ways of enhancing implementation of the
Convention and Protocol beyond Copenhagen,
on the basis of the established principles
of equity and common but differentiated
responsibilities and respective capabilities,”
said Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
Algeria will hold the
first meeting of the planned AMCEN high
level expert panel working towards the African
Ministerial meeting on climate change in
October 2008 and the adoption of a final
common position at the special session of
AMCEN to be held in June–July 2009 in the
margins of the thirteenth African Union
Summit.
One of the key elements
raised with a view to drafting the common
Africa position was with regards to the
need to keep global atmospheric concentrations
of greenhouse gases at a manageable level.
It was proposed that Africa should seek
agreement on a future global emissions reduction
regime with targets for all developed countries
to reduce their emissions, by 2020, towards
the upper end of the 25–40 per cent range
for emissions reductions below 11000 levels,
and, by 2050, by between 80 and 95 per cent
below those levels, to achieve the concentration
of 450 ppm of CO2 equivalent in the atmosphere.
With developed countries taking the lead
in that regard, developing countries would
be able to deviate substantially from “business-as-usual”
baseline emissions, enabled and supported
by finance, technology and capacity-building
from developed countries, in a measurable,
reportable and verifiable manner.
The President’s summary
also included aspects such as financing
for NEPAD implementation and Africa’s vision
for international environmental governance.
To access the Presidents
summary and other AMCEN documents click
on the link below: http://www.environment.gov.za/HotIssues/2008/AMCEN/amcen1.html
For further information
on AMCEN access the link below: http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen/Amcen_Events/12th_Session_AMCEN/index.asp
Mava Scott (Acting Chief
Director: Communications)
+ More
Speech by Marthinus
van Schalkwyk, South African Minister of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism, After
Assuming the Presidency of the African Ministerial
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), Sandton
Convention Centre, Johannesburg, Tuesday
10 June 2008
10 June 2008 - Speech
- Embargo: 14:00 on Tuesday 10 June 2008
- Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism
FELLOW MINISTERS FROM
AFRICA,
UNEP EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, ACHIM STEINER
DISTINGUISED GUESTS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
South Africa is privileged
to host the 12th Session of AMCEN and is
honoured to be assuming the Presidency of
AMCEN for the following two years. We look
forward to amplifying AMCEN as the authorative
voice for the environment of the African
continent. It is with a great sense of the
responsibility and pride that we accept
this important task.
AMCEN has a long and
illustrious history dating back to 1983,
when at the request of its African members,
the UNEP Governing Council invited the governments
of Africa to convene an African Environment
Conference to discuss regional environmental
priorities and to identify common problems.
In assuming the Presidency
of AMCEN, South Africa will strive to continue
with the outstanding work that AMCEN is
renowned for across the continent. I look
forward to working with you by not only
taking on the ambitious task of harmonising
environmental policies and programmes across
the continent, but also by jointly promoting
our common positions in the increasingly
complex multilateral environmental negotiations.
During our Presidency
of AMCEN, South Africa will seek to strengthen
and support the implementation of the Johannesburg
Plan of Implementation (JPoI) across the
African Continent. It is in this very venue
of the Sandton Convention Centre that the
global community gathered under the slogan
“people, planet, prosperity” to participate
in the World Summit on Sustainable Development
more than five years ago. It is also here
where the WSSD gave birth to the Johannesburg
Plan of Implementation (JPoI). At that time
we recognized that poverty and global inequality
were the greatest threats to sustainable
development. It is this very challenge that
faces us today in the face of even greater
threats of climate change and environmental
degradation.
AMCEN, together with
other African institutions like the AU,
should continue to spear-head efforts to
manage and protect Africa’s environmental
resources. These include the enhanced implementation
of the Action Plan for the Environment Initiative
of NEPAD.
In terms of the challenges
of International Environmental Governance
to which I referred to in my address earlier
this afternoon, South Africa is under no
illusion of the extent of the work that
requires our attention. We are, however,
optimistic and confident that the 12th Session
of AMCEN will provide the necessary opportunity
for us to collectively explore and engage
on these issues so as to develop a shared
vision and galvanize a common and mutually
beneficial position that we can take forward
in the multilateral arena.
It is in particular
in the climate change negotiations that
Africa would need to stand together over
the next two years. Our message is that
Africa will not be divided and will be well-prepared
for these negotiations.
As outlined in the Bali
Roadmap, we have agreed that 2009 will be
the end date for our negotiations to strengthen
the climate regime. These intensified negotiations
will place immense pressure on African negotiators.
We must ensure that they are empowered to
effectively participate in, and represent
our common interests.
What is required is
intensified work by African climate experts
and negotiators to prepare an African common
position that we could adopt at a Special
AMCEN Session on climate change in mid-2009,
with a view to also presenting it to the
Heads of State and Government at the 13th
AU Summit in 2009.
I am also determined
that we should without delay launch a process
that will lead to the formulation of a comprehensive
Framework of African Climate Change Programmes.
This framework should address the critical
need to integrate existing and future climate
change initiatives and programmes under
a consolidated framework, thereby ensuring
greater coordination and coherence in the
implementation and review of climate change
initiatives and sustainable development
plans in Africa. This Framework should be
ready for adoption when we meet next year.
Together, the African
Common Position and the Framework of African
Climate Change Programmes will constitute
a firm foundation as we prepare for the
important climate negotiations to conclude
in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Chair, in my welcoming
address I focused on the adaptation needs
of Africa. I would now like to refer to
mitigation, and specifically an area of
work in the climate sphere where we need
to increase our efforts, namely the Clean
Development Mechanism. There is a rapidly
closing window for the first commitment
period under Kyoto. During the next commitment
periods under the Kyoto Protocol the potential
of the carbon market to contribute to low
carbon growth and sustainable development
will grow by orders of magnitude. If all
developed countries took on much more stringent
emissions reduction targets, aiming for
cuts of 60% to 80% below 11000 levels by
2050, and if they purchased half of their
reductions in the developing world at a
carbon price of at least $10 per ton, then
financial flows to developing countries
could gradually grow to $100 billion per
year by mid-century.
We in Africa have much
to do to position ourselves to take advantage
of these opportunities. Capturing even a
modest share of these financial opportunities
could make all the difference in the choice
between fossil-fuel energy and more expensive
renewable energy sources. But then the international
conditions must be in place.
In this respect we need
to improve the Clean Development Mechanism,
and ensure a more equitable geographic spread
of CDM projects. More ambitious mid-term
targets for emission cuts by all developed
countries, towards the upper end of the
range of 25% to 40% below 11000 levels by
2020, would be critical to stimulate demand
in the carbon market. The development of
large scale CDM projects is important. Yet,
many economies in Africa, where energy,
transport, construction or industrial sectors
are in earlier stages of development, have
relatively small mitigation potentials.
We must therefore also find ways to seize
the opportunities that exist by developing
methodologies for appropriate small scale
mitigation projects, simple in structure
and finance, but with high contributions
to sustainable development.
The Nairobi Framework,
announced by the UN Secretary General in
November 2006, has outlined important steps
to be taken to address the capacity challenge
in Africa. While recognising that some efforts
in this regard are already underway, these
now need to be scaled up.
Chair, as South Africa
assumes the Chair of AMCEN at this 12th
Session, our commitment is to strengthen
AMCEN as the key African Ministerial Forum
to lead policy dialogues and improve co-ordination
in the environmental sphere. Our message
for this gathering is that we are ready
to assist in shaping and building a cohesive
African environmental agenda. We look forward
to doing so by working closely with all
our colleagues and partners on the continent.
I thank you.
Mava Scott (Acting Chief
Director: Communications)
