Minister Dion George: First session of G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers Meeting

Her Excellency Ms Marina Silva;
Your Excellencies and fellow Ministers;
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, I would like to congratulate the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil for its leadership of the G20 this year, specifically under the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group and Ministerial meeting. We appreciation the excellent organisation of these meetings and the warm hospitality afforded to the South African delegation.

South Africa wishes to express its support for the initiatives taken during Brazil's Presidency of the G20 on key global issues such as action for oceans, Payment for Ecosystem Services, enhancing adaptation finance, waste and the circular economy and bringing environment and climate ministers closer together.

The impacts of climate change, desertification, biodiversity loss and pollution are severe and far-reaching and require innovative global solutions.

As we deliberate on critical environmental issues here today, we must acknowledge the centrality of the United Nations system and must continue to adhere to agreed multilateral processes, including the negotiating of outcome documents.

We must continue to strive towards a balance of ambition and action on all three aspects of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, namely mitigation, adaptation and the means of implementation.

In terms of Finance, Brazil through the G20 has seen the need to prioritise scaling-up and expediting adaptation financing and strengthening institutional capacity, through measures such as increasing the volume of adaptation finance; and strengthening capacities to access financing promptly and to implement effective adaptation programmes and initiatives. For South Africa and many other developing countries, this is vitally important, given that financing available for adaptation is lagging behind. We need a more comprehensive, outcomes based financial model to effectively fund the global response to climate change.

A collaborative and comprehensive approach to maintaining the integrity of biodiversity assets and ecological infrastructure will play a fundamental role in achieving various social and economic development objectives.

We are committed to increase economic incentives for nature conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biological resources, with a focus on Payment for Ecosystem Services as a market-based instrument.
With regards to our oceans, South Africa with over 3 000 kilometres of coastline, has jurisdiction over one of the world's largest exclusive economic zones, spanning the Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans. This represents a significant Oceans Economy asset for current and future generations.

South Africa has adopted Marine Spatial Planning legislation and remains committed to the sustainable regulated use of our fishing resources and the active prevention of illegal fishing activity.

South Africa also remains committed to the Inter-governmental Negotiating Committee process to develop an international agreement of a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

We are supportive of the work done by the G20 on Waste and Circular economy and are keen to take forward the outcomes to further develop an inclusive Circular Economy.

South Africa therefore welcomes and supports the adoption of the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group Ministerial Declaration and wishes to appreciate the hard work of the officials from all G20 countries under the leadership of Brazil in developing this document.

In conclusion, allow me to reaffirm that South Africa will continue to contribute its best effort to find solutions for these global environmental complexities.

I thank you.

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