Johannesburg Summit
30 April 2007
A senior delegation from South Africa will today join negotiations at the
15th session of the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) which will be
held from 30 April to 11 May 2007, in New York with a ministerial segment
scheduled from 9 to 11 May.
The CSD was created in 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of the United
Nations (UN) Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) to monitor and
report on implementation of the Earth Summit agreements and the World Summit on
Sustainable Development held five years ago in Johannesburg. As a policy
session, CSD-15 is tasked with identifying policy options and possible actions
for the implementation of the selected thematic cluster of issues being energy,
climate change, industrial development and air pollution for this session. "As
a high-level body on sustainable development within the United Nations system,
the Commission is widely expected to play a lead role in galvanizing action in
implementing the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI)," said Ambassador
Dumisane Khumalo, South Africa's permanent representative to the UN.
"South Africa aims to ensure policy outcomes are supportive of our efforts
to promote sustainable development to champion Africa's energy, industrial
development and investment," Khumalo added
Ms Judy Beaumont , Senior Policy Advisor for Climate Change at the
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism , stated that " Strengthening
the CSD as the UN organ responsible for mobilising further action to meet
targets outlined in the JPOI and other internationally agreed development goals
, should remain high on the agenda" The pronouncement comes amidst views in
certain quarters that the United Nations was incapable of ensuring integrated
follow-up to major decisions in social and economic fields.
The South Africa negotiating position for the CSD was approved by cabinet on
18 April and includes the need for the UN and international partners to
mobilise increased financing and investment in the technology required to
mitigate the impacts of economic growth on the environment impacts. South
Africa will further and calling for mobilising means of implementation (finance
and technology) particularly the equitable distribution of industrialisation
and market access for African countries.
South Africa's full participation will ensure that the countries and the
region's policy options and possible actions are taken into consideration at
the negotiations and are included in the final text of the CSD-15 policy
decisions, said Ms Beaumont.
For enquiries, contact:
Blessing Manale
Chief Director Communications
Tel: (012) 310 3457
Cell: 083 677 1630
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
30 April 2007
