Minister Dion George (Dr): Opening remarks at the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting, Cape Town International Convention Centre
Excellencies
Distinguished ministers
The Honourable Premier of the Western Cape,
The Honourable MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning of the Western Cape
Delegates from G20 Member Countries and Invited Guest Countries
Representatives of international organisations, and partners
It is an honour to welcome you to this Ministerial meeting under South Africa's Presidency of the G20. We gather here in Cape Town, a city that mirrors the essence of sustainability itself, where ocean meets mountain, and where innovation, culture, and nature coexist. I extend appreciation to all delegations who have travelled to the southern tip of Africa and to our hosts and partners for their collaboration. Your presence underscores the importance of our collective effort and enriches the discussions that will unfold today.
We meet at a defining moment in the global effort to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. These interlinked pressures threaten not only ecosystems but also livelihoods, stability, and human well-being. The urgency for decisive and united action has never been greater. It demands that we strengthen multilateral cooperation, scale up innovation, and move from commitment to implementation.
Over the years, environmental and climate issues have shifted from the periphery to the centre of the G20 agenda. Our Leaders have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recognising that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees remains the defining task of our generation.
The Rio Leaders' Declaration of 2024 renewed this ambition, advancing commitments to net-zero, to forest and ocean protection, and to a more circular and inclusive global economy. The New Delhi Declaration of 2023 called attention to the scale of investment required, noting that at least four trillion dollars per year will be necessary by 2030 to enable the global clean-energy transition.
Building on the progress of Brazil's and India's G20 Presidencies, South Africa has sought to deepen cooperation through practical, evidence-based approaches that strengthen biodiversity conservation, accelerate just transitions, and enhance climate resilience.
South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency at a time when the world stands at a crossroads between crisis and opportunity. We are living in a decade defined by transformation, where the convergence of technology, trade, and transition is reshaping economies and expectations. Under our Presidency, we have sought to ensure that environmental ambition is not pursued in isolation from human need. The theme of Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability calls for a compact between nations that balances responsibility with capacity, ensuring that the pathways to a low-carbon and nature-positive world remain open to all, not only to those with resources.
The global environmental and economic landscape continues to evolve at extraordinary pace. The International Monetary Fund projects global growth at around three percent in 2025, with divergent trends between regions and tightening fiscal space across developing economies. At the same time, analyses warn that unchecked climate impacts could reduce global GDP by several percentage points by mid-century. These figures tell a clear story: climate action is not a cost, but an investment in resilience, innovation, and shared prosperity. To unlock that investment, we must create credible pathways for financing the transition, especially in developing economies facing multiple social and economic pressures. The financing gap for sustainable development has widened from two and a half to four trillion dollars. This gap cannot be closed through public resources alone. It requires private capital, blended-finance instruments, and partnerships that de-risk sustainable investment and accelerate innovation across the developing world.
Our Presidency theme, Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability, reflects South Africa's conviction that climate action and economic development are not opposing forces but complementary imperatives. It speaks to the belief that no sustainable future can exist without fairness, inclusivity and opportunity.
South Africa's history gives unique meaning to this work. Ours is a nation that knows the power of cooperation over isolation, of dialogue over division, of persistence over despair. That same spirit underpins our approach to global environmental diplomacy. We believe that multilateralism is strongest when it is inclusive and when every region and community has a seat at the table. In steering the G20's environmental agenda, we have therefore sought to serve as a bridge between developed and developing economies, between north and south, between the needs of people and the imperatives of the planet. Our task is not only to safeguard the environment, but to unlock its potential as a driver of equitable growth and innovation.
This Ministerial meeting marks the culmination of months of dedicated work by the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group. Our journey began with the inaugural meeting in March, continued in July in Skukuza where the Working Group agreed on six priority areas and the zero draft of the Ministerial Declaration, and was refined in September through the Science-Policy Dialogue held here in Cape Town. These milestones have brought us to this moment, where technical expertise and political leadership meet to shape outcomes that will define our collective direction.
The G20 remains uniquely positioned to drive this agenda forward. Together, its members represent over eighty-five percent of global GDP, around seventy-five percent of global trade, and eighty percent of greenhouse gas emissions. That scale brings both responsibility and opportunity. Through this forum, the world's leading economies can demonstrate that low-carbon transitions strengthen competitiveness, attract investment, and build inclusive growth. Under South Africa's Presidency, we have worked to ensure that this responsibility is exercised with fairness and integrity, aligning environmental ambition with fiscal realism. The G20's role is not only to guide economic policy but to ensure that growth supports planetary health. Through the work of experts gathered here, we have strengthened the link between environmental policy and economic strategy, between conservation and community livelihoods, and between global frameworks and national implementation.
Through the Working Group we have advanced cooperation on biodiversity, nature-based solutions, and climate resilience, while highlighting the urgency of accelerated emissions reductions. Our shared goal has been to ensure that progress on the environment contributes directly to economic opportunity and social equity.
The expected outcomes of this meeting are threefold: first, to finalise a strong Ministerial Declaration that reaffirms our commitment to solidarity, equality, and sustainability; second, to strengthen multilateral cooperation to advance poverty reduction and environmental protection; and third, to translate these principles into tangible G20 actions that promote inclusive growth and just transitions.
These outcomes will contribute to the G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg next month, where our work will inform the environmental and climate dimensions of the Leaders' Declaration.
As Ministers, we are united by the conviction that progress begins with trust between nations and citizens. Around the world, there is growing recognition that environmental stewardship cannot succeed without social legitimacy. People must see the benefits of sustainability in their daily lives in clean air, in green jobs, in restored ecosystems, and in communities that thrive. The work of the ECSWG reflects that conviction. It links scientific knowledge to practical outcomes and reminds us that transformation will not be achieved through rhetoric but through shared action, predictable finance, and transparent accountability.
Across all six priority areas, science and data have remained the backbone of our work. The ECSWG process has demonstrated the value of combining technical rigour with policy relevance and the importance of ensuring that decisions are guided by evidence rather than expedience. We have seen exceptional collaboration between governments, research institutions, industry, and civil society, proving that environmental progress requires every sector to be part of the solution. Youth and women have also played an increasingly central role as innovators shaping sustainable economies. The partnerships forged through this process have accelerated the exchange of knowledge and best practice, helping to translate ideas into tangible outcomes. Our collective success depends not only on the agreements we reach but on how faithfully we implement and monitor them in the months ahead.
Under South Africa's Presidency, our priorities have been clear: promoting inclusive growth and sustainable industrialisation, enhancing food systems for resilience and food security, advancing just transitions consistent with the Paris Agreement, and leveraging technology and innovation for sustainable development. Africa's voice has been central throughout this process, with alignment to Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area, which together form the continent's blueprint for inclusive and integrated growth.
Implementation will depend not only on government but also on the active participation of business, finance, and civil society. We must create the conditions that make sustainability investable by improving access to concessional finance, accelerating blended finance models, and aligning investment with environmental outcomes. Across Africa, public–private partnerships are already unlocking renewable energy, circular economy ventures, and sustainable agriculture. The G20 can build on these examples to catalyse a wave of innovation that turns stewardship into a driver of growth.
Since our last meeting in Skukuza, significant advances have been made across the six priority areas: in Biodiversity and Conservation, we have strengthened cooperation to support communities whose livelihoods depend on natural resources and to combat crimes that threaten the environment; in Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought, including Water Sustainability, we have elevated sustainable land use that integrates indigenous and traditional knowledge; in Chemicals and Waste Management, we reaffirmed our commitment to circularity and to the global effort to end plastic pollution; on Climate Change, we advanced discussions on just transitions, adaptation and resilience, and climate finance; on Air Quality, the G20 has for the first time placed this matter firmly on the agenda; and in Oceans and Coasts, we have advanced Marine Spatial Planning and reaffirmed the urgency of protecting marine ecosystems.
These developments demonstrate that progress is possible when ambition is matched by collaboration. Together they represent a framework for future cooperation and the practical expression of our shared purpose.
The Cape Town Declaration, which Ministers will consider for adoption tomorrow, stands as the flagship outcome of this process. It captures the spirit and substance of our collective work and will provide a blueprint for action on climate, biodiversity and sustainable resource management. The Declaration reaffirms our commitments under the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda and the multilateral environmental conventions that underpin international environmental governance.
The Cape Town Declaration also aligns with the wider policy architecture at global, continental and national levels. At the global level, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains our shared compass. The Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification form the legal pillars underpinning our collective effort. On the African continent, Agenda 2063 and the African Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy continue to guide the region's transition toward low-carbon, climate-resilient growth. Nationally, the Climate Change Act of 2024, which came into force in March 2025, embeds environmental sustainability into the heart of South Africa's economic planning. Coherence across these levels of governance allows us to pursue a just, equitable, and evidence-based transition.
As ministers, we know that the true test of our deliberations lies in delivery. Declarations and frameworks mean little if they do not produce change on the ground. That is why the work of this forum must remain anchored in measurable outcomes in projects that create jobs, in technologies that reduce emissions, and in programmes that restore ecosystems and strengthen communities. This is not the work of governments alone. It requires the energy of the private sector, the creativity of innovators, and the wisdom of communities. The success of our Presidency will be measured not by the number of papers produced but by the partnerships sustained beyond it.
It is also fitting that we gather in this city, a place where nature and history meet. Cape Town, South Africa's oldest city, is where Nelson Mandela delivered his first public address upon his release in 1990, a moment that symbolised renewal and unity of purpose. Overlooking the city is Table Mountain, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and nearby lies Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, part of the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site. Together they remind us that human progress and natural beauty can coexist when guided by care and foresight.
Tomorrow evening, we will close our Ministerial engagements aboard the S.A. Agulhas II, South Africa's state-of-the-art polar research vessel, which embodies our nation's scientific contribution to understanding the planet's climate and oceans. It is a powerful symbol of exploration, collaboration, and human ingenuity.
As we convene today, it is also World Food Day, reminding us of the urgent need to secure sustainable food systems, strengthen land stewardship, and protect those whose livelihoods depend on the earth. It is a timely reminder that environmental and economic security are inseparable.
The time has come to move decisively from pledges to practice, to mobilise predictable finance, to accelerate just transitions, and to ensure that no one is left behind. Under South Africa's Presidency, we remain committed to deepening inclusivity, strengthening ambition, and delivering measurable progress toward a sustainable and equitable future.
The world looks to us for leadership, and our citizens look to us for hope. Let this meeting mark the point where commitments become outcomes and where cooperation delivers results.
On behalf of the Government of South Africa, I extend my gratitude to each of you for your commitment, your partnership, and your perseverance. May our deliberations deepen understanding and produce meaningful action that strengthens resilience, protects biodiversity, and advances prosperity for all.
Excellencies, colleagues, and esteemed delegates, it is my great honour to declare the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministerial Meeting officially open.
I thank you.
Enquiries:
Thobile Zulu-Molobi
Cell: +27 82 513 7154
E-mail: tmolobi@dffe.gov.za
Chelsey Wilken
Cell: +27 74 470 5996
E-mail: cwilken@dffe.gov.za
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