Your Excellency, Mr Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Amri, Chair of the Environment Authority of the Sultanate of Oman and President of the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7).
Your Excellency, Ms Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honour to address you at this 7th Session on the United Nations Environment Assembly under the theme “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”.
I would like to begin by extending our appreciation to the Government and people of Kenya for the warm hospitality extended to the South African delegation.
South Africa wishes to align itself with the statement delivered by the African Group.
We meet at a defining moment in the global effort to confront the mounting pressures on our planet’s natural systems from environmental degradation and biodiversity loss to pollution as well as climate change. The urgency for decisive and united action has never been greater.
The health of our planet—and the well-being of all who call it home, demands that we strengthen multilateral cooperation, scale up innovation, and move from commitment to implementation. In this regard, UNEA stands as a beacon of multilateralism and a reminder that environmental stewardship is not the task of a single nation, but of a shared humanity.
We recognise that environmental degradation disproportionately affects developing nations, particularly in Africa, where communities bear the brunt of climate-induced droughts, floods, land degradation and biodiversity loss, despite contributing least to global greenhouse gas emissions. As we confront these realities, our collective response must honour the Rio principles, particularly of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.
Furthermore, the scaling up accessible, predictable finance; accelerating technology transfer; and closing the implementation gap that continues to hold back meaningful progress in the Global South is required.
The outcomes of the recent G20 Environment and Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) Ministerial meeting, which took place in Cape Town, 16 – 17 October 2025 as well as the G20 Leaders Summit, in Johannesburg on 22 – 23 November 2025, reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism and global commitments, as well as priorities that strongly align with Africa’s environmental agenda.
South Africa remains committed to the protection of human health and the environment from plastic pollution. We reaffirm our commitment to working with other delegations in the process to conclude the international legally binding instrument on tackling plastic pollution.
Mr President,
South Africa welcomes the range of resolutions presented to UNEA-7, which reflect the global community’s determination to address the triple planetary crisis in a holistic and coordinated manner. These resolutions will not only guide global environmental policy, but should also provide vital support to developing countries seeking to accelerate sustainable development while protecting their natural assets.
In conclusion, South Africa remains ready to work with all nations to ensure that this Assembly delivers concrete, implementable outcomes that move us towards a healthier planet and a more equitable and sustainable world.
I thank you.
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