Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, during the welcoming of Chinese
Minister for State Forest Administration, Mr Jia Zhibang
20 June 2006
It is an honour for me to host you in South Africa to sign the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) in forestry. The importance of forest resources cannot be
over emphasised and necessitates that we manage them in a sustainable way to
ensure access by future generations.
South Africa has embarked on a programme known as the Accelerated and Shared
Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), which aims to further stimulate
economic growth in our country from the current levels of approximately four
percent to above six percent per annum. This will see greater emphasis being
placed on South Africa growing its forestry and timber sectors in order to
stimulate economic growth and job creation, particularly in rural areas.
I acknowledge the role played by China as one of the leading countries in
the developing world and their contributions in the global debate on forest
management. The Peopleâs Republic of China is a strategic partner to South
Africa both as one of the leading countries in the developing world and from a
South-South co-operation point of view.
The challenge facing both of us is to give effect or ensure an effective
implementation of the MoU that we will be signing tomorrow.
The MoU will focus on the following areas:
* the formulation of forestry strategies and policies,
* the conclusion of partnerships in the areas of planning, research and
strategies for forestry development,
* equitable and sustainable development and management of forest resources
including the protection of natural resources,
* assisting and supporting each other to address issues of common concern
including deforestation, the impact of climate change on forests, forest fires,
pests, diseases, development implementation and enforcement of
legislation,
* the gathering and monitoring of information and sharing and dissemination of
information, expertise and technology concerning forests and forest
industries,
* promoting respect for the rights of communities and facilitating their
participation in forest policy development, planning and management with
particular attention to the need to protect traditional forest related
knowledge and develop adequate mechanisms to ensure equitable sharing of
benefits derived from forest resources, without prejudice to property
rights.
The signing of the memorandum will therefore go a long way towards
strengthening relations between South Africa and the Peopleâs Republic of China
and I will continue to monitor the progress regarding implementation with
interest.
I wish you and your delegation a happy stay in Cape Town.
Thank you!
Issued by: Ministry of Water Affairs and Forestry
20 June 2006
