A panel led by Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa, recently
discussed climate change during a South African Talanoa Dialogue at the
Midrand Conference Centre in Gauteng. Marcus Cornaro, European Union
Ambassador to South Africa, opened the plenary with former French chief
negotiator for the Paris Agreement, Laurence Tubiana.
Minister Molewa delivered the keynote address.
State parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
including South Africa, in 2015 adopted the landmark Paris Agreement in an
effort to guide and accelerate the international communityˇ¦s response to
climate change.
ˇ§In terms of the Paris Agreement, parties have submitted Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs) indicating their individual contributions to
the global effort and have also agreed to multilateral processes to assess
and advance collective efforts to achieve the Paris Agreementˇ¦s global goals
on mitigation, adaptation and financial pathways towards the transition to a
low-emissions and climate-resilient future,ˇ¨ the Department of Environmental
Affairs said in a statement.
The Talanoa Dialogue, previously known as the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue, is
the first of these key multilateral stock-taking events and discussions on
the collective effort. It seeks to inform the preparation or updating of
NDCs in 2020. The dialogue is premised on three overarching questions: Where
are we? Where do we want to go? How do we get there?
The South African Talanoa Dialogue, which got underway on 23 August, was a
platform for all stakeholders to share stories, aspirations and ideas of how
South Africaˇ¦s climate change response could foster its development
aspirations.
"Talanoa" is a traditional word used in Fiji and across the Pacific to
reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue.
ˇV Source: SAnews.gov.za |