The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry (the dti), Thandi Tobias-Pokolo will participate at the Global Green Growth Forum’s (3GF) inaugural gathering that will take place next week from the 11-12 October in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) was established in partnership between the Danish and the South Korean Government and developed in association with the Global Green Growth Institute, as a global public-private partnership for green growth. Its mission is to spur green growth through better public-private collaboration at a high level platform that will frame the successful transition to a global green economy.
Deputy Minister Tobias-Pokolo says that government is seeking to unlock the country’s potential for green growth by introducing renewable energy in a systematic way as part of the medium term energy plan supported by institutional and regulatory forms.
However she says that a key challenge is the financing of the incrememental costs of renewables. “Controlling and reducing this cost is crucial to enabling our country’s energy and climate policies to be effectively implemented, accelerating investment and creating green jobs”, she said.
The annual two-day event will bring together 200 carefully selected global leaders across business, finance and public institutions to engage in in-depth discussions around best practice initiatives, supportive policies and collaboration opportunities to accelerate green growth.
3GF provides participants with a unique opportunity for interaction across globally leading governments, business and experts to collectively realise substantial growth opportunities. The forum will provide an interactive arena to develop ideas and opportunities for joint action and enable strategic and practical learning across sectors, countries and projects at a national and international level.
Tobias-Pokolo added that South Africa’s presentation will focus on the renewable initiative.
“During discussions, we will make a presentation on the South African Renewable Initiative (SARI), which is being developed to design and establish the financing mechanism needed to enable the mass of critical mass of renewables to be developed, without incurring unacceptable cost burdens on South Africa”, she said.
According to the Deputy Minister, recommendations from the discussions will feed key outcomes and conclusions into high-level political processes, negotiations and forums at national and international level. As the upcoming European Union (EU) president, Denmark will take recommendations from 3GF to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development that will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 4-6, 2012.
For more information contact:
Tsepiso Khoathela
Cell: 071 361 3916
E-mail: TKhoathela@thedti.gov.za
