Speaking notes for the High-Level Thematic Session on Delivering Climate Justice: Accelerating ambition and implementation on adaptation and early warnings for all, United Nations headquarters, in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber, Moderator: Mr Pablo Vieira, Global Director for the NDC Partnership
Segment 1: Launch of a new Adaptation Pipeline Accelerator (APA) partnership and demonstrate a new collaboration model being applied in selected countries, as well as commitments from bilateral donors and/or MDBs to partner with developing countries.
- Climate impacts affect us all. For South Africa, supporting transformative adaptation actions is a national priority, with broad socio-economic implications for smaller and major emerging economies alike. Only through a comprehensive framework for defining and costing the major adaptation investments needed in the country, and through strong collaboration within South Africa and with international partners, will we meet this existential challenge.
- Climate change is already having significant impacts on South Africa with increasing frequencies of extreme events. The country is vulnerable to rising temperatures and variable precipitation that result in droughts, floods, and heatwaves. Currently, the country is already warming at twice the global average. This vulnerability undermines South Africa’s ability to achieve stated long-term development goals.
- In 2020, the South African Cabinet approved the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS), which serves as the main planning instruments on adaptation in the country, and contains key adaptation objectives, including enhancing the national climate change adaptation governance and legal framework; implementing priority actions across key sectors like water, agriculture, and health; and enhancing access to funding to mobilize support at scale. The Strategy was also central to the development of South Africa’s first Adaptation Communication, as part of the country’s updated NDC submitted in 2021.
- Through the NDC Partnership and with support from Germany‘s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Government of South Africa is now undertaking the development of a comprehensive Adaptation Investment Plan to identify priority measures for the implementation of the NCCAS. We are working to identify investment needs and support gaps, prioritize the key adaptation investments to be undertaken across the major sectors of South Africa’s economy, determine the cost of these major measures, and identify potential financial mechanisms – both domestic and international - to mobilize the required support.
The investment plan will provide a comprehensive investment requirement to achieve adaptation objectives in South Africa. The plan will further identity investment partners across the spheres of society including private sector, multilateral funds to mobilize the needed investment in a coherent manner. The Plan will thus serve as the foundation for a major effort to mobilize finance for adaptation at scale.
- The adaptation goals captured in the Secretary General’s Acceleration Agenda are only achievable if we as governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and the private sector come together to collaborate through platforms like the Adaptation Pipeline Accelerator and Early Warning Systems for All Initiative.
- If we reduce climate risks, plan better, enhance implementation and finance adaptation, then the world will be moving towards building resilience, improving adaptive capacity, and reducing vulnerability;
- We call for support for the UN Secretary General’s adaptation initiatives and stand ready to strengthen the partnerships that will allow us to meet the needs of our people with the urgency required.
Segment 2: Update on the implementation of the early warning for all initiative and showcase of progress in 3 selected early warning for all Countries. Minister is not required to make an intervention for this segment.
