COP17/CMP7 Status of Negotiations by International Relations and Cooperation Minister; Delivery Outcome Agreement

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International Relations

08 November 2011
Chairperson: Mr T Magama (ANC)
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Meeting Summary

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, as incoming COP17/CMP7 President, gave an update on the status of negotiations prior to the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol, to be held in Durban from 28 November to 9 December 2011. South Africa had undertaken a number of informal consultations to prepare parties for Durban as mandated by the Cancun Agreements. An informal meeting was held in Tshwane from 5 to 9 September 2011 and the Leaders’ Dialogue took place in New York on 20 September 2011.  The Pre-COP Ministerial consultations took place in Stellenbosch on 20 and 21 October 2011. South Africa also utilised the Inter-sessional meeting in Panama from 1 to 7 October 2011 and the BASIC Ministerial meeting on Climate Change in Beijing from 31 October and 1 November 2011 to build further consensus. 

As far as state of readiness for the hosting of COP17/CMP7 conference, all logistical arrangements were now at an advanced stage and the host country agreement was signed in Panama on 3 October 2011. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat was currently relocating to Durban on an incremental basis.  The official website for COP17/CMP Conference www.cop17-cmp7durban.com was live. The Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) was the official venue to the event. Hotel accommodation arrangements for the visiting delegates were at an advanced stage and assistance required by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was receiving priority attention. Transport requirements were detailed in the Transport Plans. Security plans were at an advanced stage supported by a detailed implementation plan. All accredited UNFCCC delegates would enjoy a free entry visa. The media and communication stream was in place.

The Minister was of the view that Durban should provide a platform to strengthen the Convention through a comprehensive multilateral rule-based system, enforced and equally binding on all beyond 2020. COP17/CMP7 would not be an easy COP and it would require a special effort in negotiations to reach consensus on all the outstanding issues. A decision in Durban should focus on how stronger implementation can happen NOW, as well as to decide on the FUTURE direction of the climate change negotiations. For the NOW part of the suggested outcome, a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol for developed countries was essential. No gap between the first and the second commitment period must occur.  At the same time, it might be necessary to strengthen existing mechanisms to assist Parties undertaking a second commitment period to achieve their commitments. For those developed countries that were not Party to the Kyoto Protocol, or for those that reject a second commitment period, comparable and measurable mitigation commitments must be implemented and must be equally enforceable. For the FUTURE part of the outcome, all Parties would collectively have to do more, with developed countries taking the lead. An increase in the current inadequate level of ambition was urgently required. It was only by working together that one could save tomorrow today. The Minister also outlined the Delivery Outcome Agreement she had signed with the President.

The Committee asked what the key message to the South African public was on what COP17 should mean to them; if Africa was going to approach the conference with a united voice; complained that not enough of the Department’s campaign on climate change was seen in South Africa; were there any programmes directed at the South African public; there needed to be more tree-planting all over the country with more people involved; what were the contingency plans in addressing WTO issues which might spill over at the COP17 event; asked about the position of the South Africa government on Somalia and the status of South Africans captured by Somalian pirates; information on South African mercenaries in Libya; requested a  workshop on these issues due to present time constraints.


Meeting report

Status of Negotiations: Update by the Incoming COP17/CMP7 President
Ms Maite Nkoane Mashabane, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, presented an update on the status of negotiations as the incoming COP17/CMP7 President. South Africa had undertaken a number of informal consultations to prepare parties for Durban as mandated by the Cancun Agreements (1/CP.16). An informal meeting was held in Tshwane from 5 to 9 September 2011 and the Leaders’ Dialogue took place in New York on 20 September 2011.  The Pre-COP Ministerial consultations took place in Stellenbosch on 20 and 21 October 2011. South Africa, as the incoming COP Presidency, also utilised the Inter-sessional meeting in Panama from 1 to 7 October 2011 and the BASIC meeting in Beijing from 31 October to 1 November 2011 to built further consensus.

The Informal Ministerial meeting consisted of stakeholder consultations, negotiator segments, and ministerial segments where President Zuma stressed five principles for climate change. International finance was central as the Green Climate Fund had to be operationalised and the Fast Start Finance required greater transparency. The gap between the current level of ambition for emission reduction targets and the level required by science, and the legal form and next steps under Kyoto Protocol were essential as key elements for the outcome in Durban. The aim of the Leader’s Dialogue was to provide a renewed momentum in the international context on the climate change negotiations and the focus was the operalisation of the Cancun Agreements. The legal form of the Climate Change regime beyond Cancun and Durban received attention and the importance of adaptation was emphasized. The Minister attended the signing of the host country agreement and a Bureau meeting during the Inter-sessional meeting in Panama. The incoming Presidency organised two informal consultations with stakeholders and parties to discuss political issues. Key messages were formulated after the consultations, a positive spirit prevailed and compromises were made. One of the outcomes was for South Africa to organise a formal Pre-COP session at ministerial level in Stellenbosch on 20 and 21 October 2011. The outcome of the Pre-COP in Stellenbosch consisted of an informal meeting of Ministers that provided an opportunity to guide the negotiations towards finding consensus.  Sessions on key issues were discussed, especially regarding adaptation, the balances that needed to be struck between and within the different tracks, mitigation, and for moving the process forward. Adaptation focused on how to move from the current fragmented approach to a coherent and comprehensive response, and mitigation focused on the gap between pledges and that required by science.

The BASIC meeting had emerged as one of the most important formations in the climate change negotiations. The BASIC Ministers agreed to the following:
▪ Adoption of the second Commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and its rules was a central issue for the outcome in Durban.
▪ The outcome had to be consistent with the principles and provisions of the Convention and Bali Roadmap, including equity and the
principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR). 
▪ The capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), transparency in the delivery of Fast Start funding, and a call on developed countries to honour their existing financial obligations.

As far as state of readiness for the hosting of COP17/CMP7 conference, all logistical arrangements were now at an advanced stage and the host country agreement was signed in Panama on 3 October 2011. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat was currently relocating to Durban on an incremental basis.  The official website for COP17/CMP Conference www.cop17-cmp7durban.com was live. The Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) was the official venue to the event. Hotel accommodation arrangements for the visiting delegates were at an advanced stage and assistance required by the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was receiving priority attention. Transport requirements were detailed in the Transport Plans. Security plans were at an advanced stage supported by a detailed implementation plan. All accredited UNFCCC delegates would enjoy a free entry visa. Media and communication stream was in place.

The Minister was of the view that Durban should provide a platform to strengthen the Convention through a comprehensive multilateral rule-based system, enforced and equally binding on all beyond 2020. COP17/CMP7 would not be an easy COP and it would require a special effort in negotiations to reach consensus on all the outstanding issues. A decision in Durban should focus on how stronger implementation can happen NOW, as well as to decide on the FUTURE direction of the climate change negotiations. For the NOW part of the suggested outcome, a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol for developed countries was essential. No gap between the first and the second commitment period must occur.  At the same time, it might be necessary to strengthen existing mechanisms to assist Parties undertaking a second commitment period to achieve their commitments. For those developed countries that were not Party to the Kyoto Protocol, or for those that reject a second commitment period, comparable and measurable mitigation commitments must be implemented and must be equally enforceable. For the FUTURE part of the outcome, all Parties would collectively have to do more, with developed countries taking the lead. All parties needed a shared vision to address the implementation gap of 2 degrees Celsius by utilizing the 2013-2015 review process. All stakeholders had to agree on an appropriate outline, process and time frame which could constitute a balance between “NOW” and the “FUTURE,” because the balance would assist to resolve other matters. An agreement of finance was central as the transparency of Fast Start Finance and Long Term Finance was needed. The existing principles had to be honoured as well as an increased level of ambition and willingness by all parties to do more by no later than 2020.

The key outcomes for Durban was that it should be a fair, balanced and credible multi-lateral rules-based response to climate change. The Cancun Agreements had to be operationalised by establishing key mechanisms and arrangements. Parties would deal with outstanding political issues remaining from the Bali Roadmap (the second Commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol and agreeing on the legal nature of a future climate change system). Adaptation was a key priority for developing countries. The outcome of the Conference had to adhere to the principle of environmental integrity but the low level of ambition for emission reduction targets was a concern.

The Chairperson said they were looking at ways of conducting parliamentary diplomacy. Parliament reaffirmed the South African position and had received support from various sectors. The main goal was pursuing the African position with the knowledge that Africa was part of the global world.     

Discussion
Mr K Mubu (DA) asked for more information on the extent the Department took the message of what COP17 was all about to ordinary South Africans. He asked if Africa was going to approach the conference with a united voice and how the Department would handle any form of uprising. He wanted to know how much the Government was contributing financially to the event.

Ms C Dudley (ACDP) asked what the key message was to the South African public on what COP17 should mean to them.

Mr S Mokgalape (DA) asked what the contingency plan was in addressing the previous un-dealt with political issues which might spill over into the COP17 event. He asked how the sectoral outreach helped to package a message that would come out as one voice.

The Minister responded that the programme of the incoming COP17 Presidency was on two levels. The first portion was done by the leaders of the South African delegation. There was an African position informed by a special resolution adopted at one of its summits where all African Heads of States supported a positive outcome. The African view wanted the international community to bring back issues that were key to the second Commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol outcome. Developing countries would suffer severely if the outcome of the second Commitment Period was not embraced. The role of South Africa was to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and what the country would do to adopt the protocol. The second Commitment Period would be used for “NOW” and in the “FUTURE”. It should be noted that Africa’s view was not different from what the world was saying. Africa should have a fully adopted programme to see how they would sustain food security and water security and so on. Approximately 15 000 demonstrators were expected to march to the Convention Centre where the event would be held. South Africa was a democratic state where demonstrators were free to protest in a peaceful manner. However, security agents were ready for any challenge that might arise during the protest. The Department had a budget of about R400 million for hosting the conference and had a shortfall of about R19 million. Sectoral outreach was not only done in South Africa, but across the African continent, the developing world and the rest of the world. In South Africa, the unions were talking about a just transition and the adaptation and mitigation of South Africa and other developing countries. The Transitional Committee had to see how countries moved from a brown economy to a green economy. 

Ms C September (ANC) asked what lessons could be drawn from the processes at the World Trade Orgnaisation and whether some of the WTO issues would spill over into the COP17 conference. She did not see enough of the Department’s own campaign in South Africa and asked if there were any other programmes directed at the South African public. She was of the view that more tree-planting had to take place all over the country and more people had to be involved. SAN Parks would be there for the adoption and mitigation of tree planting. 

Mr S Njikelana (ANC) said Parliament had been trying its best to contribute to the awareness campaign by hosting workshops and seminars where issues of climate change had been discussed. They were doing there best to team up with the Pan African Parliament moving towards COP17 and had interviews on various radio stations.

The Minister replied that the lessons learned at the WTO were what not to do. South African was a democratic country and believed in multilaterism. One could argue that it was not going to be possible to have enough awareness campaigns in South Africa compared to some states that had whole departments specifically dealing with climate change which helped in fast tracking and creating awareness. It was of crucial importance that all countries continually work on awareness campaigns. The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs tried its best to create awareness in South Africa but all people were leaders in their own right and should take up the responsibility to create awareness. She expressed her appreciation for the role Members of Parliament played in creating awareness through various campaigns. Education and awareness should start through the media because of its influence on the general population.

Mr S Njikelana (ANC) said a number of issues on climate change were raised by the Steering Committee. The Committee was aware of advancing the importance of the African position and raising the concerns regarding climate change.
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 The Chairperson said they were looking at ways of conducting parliamentary diplomacy. Parliament reaffirmed the South African position and received support form various sectors. The main goal was pursuing the African position with the knowledge that Africa was part of the global world.  

The Minister thanked the South African team and said the planet was for the future generation. “Working together, we can save tomorrow today”.

Comments by Chairperson on the Delivery Outcome Agreement
The Chairperson indicated that the issues highlighted in the second presentation were very broad and not necessarily confined to the outcomes of International Relations. It included outcomes across the entire Security cluster and Members should be mindful of that. Members were free to use the information as a point of reference.

Minister on Delivery Outcome Agreement signed with the President 
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana Mashabane, said the presentation was based on the outcome shared with the entire he International Cooperation, Trade and Security (ICTS) cluster. She would focus on what had been done on a midterm basis where Outcome 11 (
Creating a better South Africa and Contributing to a better and safer Africa and a better World) was the key responsibility and mandate of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). South Africa had made great strides regarding foreign policy. The Portfolio Committee had been central in the foreign policy making process and played an indispensable part in oversight and implementation of foreign policy. The Minister had to acknowledge the importance of the implementation role of other colleagues in the cluster while carrying out the DIRCO mandate. Outcome 11 therefore sought to improve on issues of government signed with the President. DIRCO interpreted the output into a set of priorities. Outcome 11 had three priorities and the country was on course in achieving those goals. The South African International Relations policy was anchored in the goal of building a better South Africa, contributing to a safer Africa and better world.

South Africa continued to actively participate and play a key role in the political sphere of South African Development Community (SADC), Africa and the global community. South Africa’s involvement with SADC was both political and economic. The country participated in two SADC summits, a number of extraordinary summits and a wide range of SADC Ministerial meetings in the year 2011. Members would recall that Africa was historically trading with everybody else but itself. However, that trend was changing as Africa entered into various agreements to do more trade within itself. African states had also been working on developing an integrated infrastructure across the continent. South Africa was the Chair of the SADC Organ of Politics, Defence and Security and was sitting on the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. South Africa’s position within SADC and the AU favoured the country in promoting peace and stability across the African continent. SADC agreed to the constitution of an informal mediation mechanism within the organ of SADC consisting of elders, mediation reference groups and mediation support units. South Africa had already finalised its nominations for the panel of elders and mediation groups. The Government was still committed to the peaceful resolution of conflict as this was informed by the country’s historical past. As the Chair of the SADC Organ of Politics, Peace and Security, the South African Government also led observer missions for free and fair elections within the region. It should be noted that seven South Africans had been seconded to the SADC Secretariat as a means of strengthening SADC institutions. South Africa also played a critical role in strengthening the AU institutions in its own contribution towards the AU. The current AU leadership appointments would come to an end by January 2012 and South Africa had made submissions to take up leadership positions within the AU while persuaded by many African states to do so. The Minister of Home Affairs, Ms N Zuma, had been nominated to take up the position of Chairperson of the AU,  and her nomination had been supported by an overwhelming majority of African states.

South Africa continued to champion the African course at the G20 and other international forums. South Africa called for more membership of African states to participate at the G20. The Government was currently working on the African partnership it had with China by ensuring that it engaged China through various forums. She noted that South Africa was the only African country with a strategic partnership treaty with China, but it also used its partnership to speak on the African position. South Africa continued to host and support the operations of the Pan African Parliament and it was currently looking at finding resources for a permanent base for the Pan African Parliament in the country. The AU was still severely hampered by financial constraints and its peace-supporting operations. Close to 95% of the peace keeping budget derived from donor funding. South Africa continued to carry the mandate of post-conflict reconstruction as Chair of the AU Ministerial Committee but remained concerned with the continued instability in Darfur. South Africa had recently concluded a very successful IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) summit in Tshwane and once again reinforced its relations with Brazil and India where they focused on a common vision and values for a better world. One of the key outcomes of the summit was how emerging democracies looked to Brazil, India and South Africa to share their experiences on how they were moving on with democratic programmes. It should be noted that South Africa always availed itself to share its experiences with other countries. South Africa’s membership with BRICS afforded it a unique opportunity to have a much bigger voice in the global order where there was a fundamental shift in global power. The country was now linked to one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and was still the biggest and most diverse economy on the African continent, and prides itself for being the one country which championed the African course without being ashamed.

The NEPAD (
New Partnership for Africa's Development) Agency was currently looking at the possibility of a BRICS-NEPAD infrastructure development fund that would give practical results to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India and China, South Africa) support for infrastructure development on the continent. The Department in cooperation with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Tourism had worked on strengthening exports and tourism to BRICS member countries. Global Governance, Peace and Security continued to be a key element towards attainment of socio-economic development in Africa and beyond. The UN remained the ultimate guarantor of global peace and security while other regional institutions like SADC and the Arab States remained key in monitoring and maintaining peace because of its proximity to conflict zones. The UN was encouraged to make good use of all regional bodies. South Africa continued to strengthen peace keeping missions across the African continent. The UN had adopted 51 resolutions since the beginning of 2011 where more than half of those resolutions had been related to the African continent and the Middle East. It was therefore critical that institutions of governance within the AU be strengthened. Regarding the key resolutions adopted on Libya, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Yemen, and on situation in Syria, the South voted in favour of most resolutions while abstaining on the Syrian resolution.

South Africa contributed tremendously in various discussions in the field of peace and security during the period under review. However, it remained concerned at the continual instability in Somalia but was encouraged to note that the international community spoke with one voice that the sustainable solution for piracy on the Somalian coast would depend on the ability of international community to find a comprehensive strategy to confront the instability inland. It should be noted that the pirates were living on land and not on the sea.  The real solution was to resolve the political crisis because piracy issues were mainly politically motivated. The people of Somalia were experiencing a famine and South Africa did not know to what extend that was contributing to piracy and political instability.  South Africa welcomed efforts of various international stakeholders and the South African response to the famine in Somalia. It was the plan of SADC to contribute in finding a lasting political solution against piracy. In the Middle East, South Africa remained concerned about the Israel-Palestine conflict and the continuing Israelite settlement activities. South Africa supported Palestine to full UN membership. South Africa condemned the violence and human rights abuses by the Yemen authorities and called on a peaceful transition of power based on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as the regional entity. South Africa remained steadfast in calling on an end to violence in Syria and a peaceful resolution of conflict. Brazil, South Africa and India had played a great role in engagement of Syria and it also emphasized the importance of the Arab Heads of States. Outcome 11 should encourage South Africans to work harder and better towards achieving a better country, a better Africa and a better world.   
 
Discussion
The Chairperson asked for all engagement with the Department to be related to the Delivery Outcome Agreement.

Mr K Mbuku (DA) asked a question that was tied to what the Minister said on South Africa’s support for the resolution of the Somalian problem. He asked what the Minister thought about the recent invasions of Somalia and Darfur.

Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) was very impressed by South Africa’s candidature for diplomacy. He asked for the position of the South Africa government on Somalia. There were still South Africans held captive by Somalian pirates and asked what assistance they received from the government. He wanted to know if the Minster knew anything about South African mercenaries in Libya.

Ms L Jacobus (ANC) understood that the presented document could be used for oversight but the Committee would not be able critically engage with what had been presented. She requested that the Minster, the Deputy Minister, or the Director General return and make a presentation on another occasion, because they would not be able to exhaust this due to present time constraints.

Mr E Sulliman (ANC) seconded the request made by Ms Jacobus and agreed that it would be difficult to engage with the issues in detail.

Ms C September (ANC) was concerned by the changing economic situation around the world and the impact it had on South Africa, with the many backlogs the country had in all the different spheres. She was of the view that South Africa had to rapidly change course and requested engaging the Department on policy change issues. She also supported what Ms Jacobus suggestion.

The Chairperson said it seemed as if the general consensus was to have a workshop to tackle all issues raised.

The Minister responded that the changing global economy was a reality and South Africa should find a way to adapt. The role of global leaders was to mitigate the issue and South Africa had to grow as Africa grew. Apartheid had been abolished but the apartheid pattern of dealing with economic issues was still reflected across the country. The county’s sound economic policies enabled many South Africans to be shielded from the economic crisis other countries experienced. Africa was confirmed as a fast growing economy globally. She was of the view that Africans should not be spectators but active participators and beneficiaries of its economic growth. South Africa did not show arrogance when appointed into candidature for diplomacy, but rather focused on preventative diplomacy. South Africa saw Somaliland as a building block to a peaceful Somalia where peace could be expanded to the whole region. South African policies did not allow or support any mercenaries going to any country. She had not heard anyone in Libya declaring themselves as South African mercenaries. South Africa did have discussions with countries across the East Coast of Africa to contribute to strategies on how to tackle piracy and terrorism.

The Chairperson thanked the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the delegation for being present.

Meeting was adjourned.



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