Hon Speaker, hon Ministers, hon members of the House, comrades and friends, in less than three weeks from today South Africa will once again be the focus of the world. We will be hosting about 20 000 people in Durban from all over the world for the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, and the 7th Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties, CMP 7, to the Kyoto Protocol.
You will be aware, hon members, that South Africa is participating in this event as a party in the negotiations, and also as the host and president of the conference. Hon Minister Molewa has been leading us in playing the former role, and the Department of International Relations and Co-operation is playing the latter role.
We have, however, established an IMC, or Inter-Ministerial Committee, at the level of the Cabinet to ensure co-ordination and synergy of the two roles, as well as that of hon Minister Manuel, who is representing Africa on the Transitional Committee for the envisaged Green Climate Fund. It was important that we defined the delineation between the roles, as this has in the past caused challenges in COP gatherings elsewhere in the world.
The global awareness of the threat posed by human-induced climate change to our planet and civilisation began in the late 1970s, culminating in the adoption of the UNFCCC, which came into force in 1994, the year of our freedom. This convention established a secretariat based in Bonn, and provided for an annual meeting of parties known as the COP, that is, the Conference of Parties.
The Kyoto Protocol established in terms of the UNFCCC, which was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 2005, commits some developed countries, known as Annex 1 countries, to emission reduction obligations. In terms of this protocol, the first commitment period for these countries expires in 2012. A new commitment period must be negotiated and agreed to if the Kyoto Protocol is to have any relevance in the future, and this is what is at stake in Durban. The Kyoto Protocol also provides for an annual conference of parties. So, what will be taking place in Durban, hon Speaker and members, is the 17th Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC and the 7th Conference of Parties, CMP 7, serving as party members of the Kyoto Protocol.
With South Africa's opening its arms of ubuntu for COP 17/CMP 7, it will be the third time that an African country will host this global climate change event. South Africa follows in the footsteps of Morocco, which hosted COP 7 in Marrakech in 2001, and Kenya, whose capital Nairobi received COP 12/CMP 2 in 2006. Each of the two Cops made a historic contribution to the global climate change negotiations and the implementation of the UNFCCC. While COP 7 with its Marrakech Accords is remembered for having consolidated the definition of the rules in the protocol and setting the stage for the coming into force of this protocol, COP 12/CMP 2 for its part gave birth to a five-year programme of work to provide support to developing countries in the adaptation efforts to climate change, namely the Nairobi Work Plan.
There are other developing countries whose names are synonymous with the UNFCCC climate change negotiations. The most spoken about meeting today in circles of climate change discourse is COP 13/CMP 3, which Indonesia hosted in 2007 and which produced the famous Bali Road Map, whose purpose was to enhance the implementation of the UNFCCC convention on the basis of four pillars, namely mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance. COP 16/CMP 6, which Mexico hosted last year, will be before the negotiators in Durban, as its Cancn Agreements have to be operationalised in Durban.
Today, hon members, we pay tribute to all the countries that have hosted the COP in the past. There are indeed other countries in the North who have hosted this event with distinction, and whose contributions we will always remember for their historic significance. Each of the sixteen COPs and six CMPs that preceded us was an important step on the road to Durban. We will do our best to follow their high standard and stellar example.
Hon members, we have said that COP 17/CMP 7 must be an African COP. By that we mean three things: The conference should be leveraged to advance African issues on sustainable development in general and climate change in particular; it should showcase Africa's success in regard to sustainable development, including our green projects; and it should harvest international partnerships for Africa's green initiatives, especially with respect to mobilising the necessary means of implementation in the form of finance, technology, and capacity-building.
As we prepare for this important global event, we have concentrated our efforts in the main on the following three areas, namely logistics, substance, and build-up, communication and outreach.
On logistics, we have an interdepartmental team, including KwaZulu-Natal Province and eThekwini Municipality, leading us in this area. We continue to monitor risks in the area, but in the main we are happy with our state of readiness. You will be aware, hon members, of our website, the logo, and the slogan of the conference, which is "Working together, saving tomorrow today". The 2010 Fifa World Cup experience has prepared our cities for the hosting of events of this magnitude.
On the state of readiness, logistical arrangements for the hosting of the COP 17/CMP 7 conference are now at an advanced stage. The Host Country Agreement was signed in Panama on 3 October 2011. The UNFCCC secretariat is currently relocating to Durban on an incremental basis. The official website, which I've already referred to, is very much alive, and hon members can get more information from there. The Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre is the official venue for the conference. Hotel accommodation arrangements for the visiting delegates are at an advanced stage. Assistance required by the least developed countries, LDCs, and the small island developing states, Sids, is receiving priority attention. Transport requirements are detailed in the transport plans. Security plans are at an advanced stage, supported by a detailed implementation plan. All accredited UNFCCC delegates will enjoy free entry visas for this very important meeting, and the media and communication streams are also in place.
Substance is where risk to the success of the conference lies. The COP is a party-led process - parties negotiate from the standpoint of their sovereignty and national interest, which are not always in sync with each other.
The disarticulation of the North-South and developed-developing countries divide comes out sharply in this respect. With each of these "developing" and "developed" country categories are other groupings, each participating in the negotiations to extract concessions that will further what is sometimes conflicting interests.
South Africa is participating in this configuration of forces, through hon Minister Molewa, in the Brazil, South Africa, India and China, Basic, group; the G77 plus China; the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, Amcen; the African Union's Conference of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, CAHOSCC, process; and the Africa Group.
Our approach with the COP presidency followed three phases. Early this year we did the rounds, consulting with all party members, which culminated in the final round at the intersessional negotiations forum in Panama. We think that in all these phases our interaction has paid off and our credibility as the incoming COP presidency remains intact.
Hon members, there are two competing visions of what should come out of the conference in Durban, even though the gap is now beginning to narrow. One vision wants to limit Durban's focus to the operationalisation of what came out of Cancn last year. The other wants Durban to focus on both the Cancn Agreements or outcomes and the finalisation of matters still outstanding from the Bali Road Map.
In this context there are a number of messages we are hearing from the parties, and topping the list is the second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol, and indeed the operationalisation of what came out of Cancn. The conclusion of issues from the Bali Road Map is still outstanding. Africa has singled out adaptation, adaptation and adaptation as the key highlight of what should come out of Durban. Therefore, in Durban we'll have to work hard to close gaps among the parties on these key issues.
Hon Speaker and members, as mandated by the Cancn Agreements, South Africa as the incoming COP 17/CMP 7 president, earlier undertook a number of informal consultations, which I have already referred to, at the ministerial and negotiator levels. Also, one of the important meetings was the Leaders' Dialogue that took place in New York on the sidelines of the 66th United Nations General Assembly, led by President Zuma and President Caldern of Mexico.
Informal ministerial meetings, which were cohosted by the outgoing presidency of Mexico and me, have paid off very well and have been very positive, because at these meetings Ministers emphasised that there was a gap between the current level of ambition for emission reduction targets and the level required according to science.
The resolution of questions relating to the legal form of the final outcome and the next steps under the Kyoto Protocol need further attention as key elements of the Durban outcome. The dialogue initiated as part of the ministerial segment was considered highly constructive and the incoming COP presidency was encouraged to continue the dialogue, moving towards Durban. As the incoming COP presidency, we continue to make sure that, as I said earlier on, we close up the gaps that we have identified.
Hon Speaker, key messages that we are getting from this are that the outcome in Durban should be balanced, fair and credible, an outcome which preserves and strengthens the multilateral rules-based response to climate change. The approach in order to reach a balanced, fair and credible outcome in Durban must be informed by the principles that form the basis of the UNFCCC climate change negotiations. These principles include multilateralism, environmental integrity, fairness, common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities and equity, and honouring all international commitments and undertakings made in climate change processes.
The Cancn Agreements must be operationalised and the focus for developing countries is, again, on the establishment of the Green Climate Fund. For Durban to be successful, we have to do more than make the Cancn Agreements operational.
Finally, the outcome in Durban has to be adequate to adhere to the principles of environmental integrity, but also to continue to talk to party members to make sure that multilateralism indeed remains key.
Hon Speaker, we will also be focusing on making sure that in Durban we work together with both developed and developing countries to deliver a desirable outcome. We built up an outreach, where we undertook road shows in the country to speak to other sectoral organisations, because climate change negotiations are not just the preserve of governments, but also include the role of the Civil Society Committee, C17, and other stakeholders.
When we hosted the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 and gave the world the Johannesburg Declaration, we demonstrated our commitment to the global struggle for sustainable development. At the end of the month we will do the same again when we host COP 17/CMP 7. Hon members, failure in Durban will affect what will happen in Brazil next year in Rio+20, and in India the following year in the biodiversity meeting. As our leaders emphasised at the India, Brazil and South Africa, Ibsa, summit, the three countries cannot disappoint the world. The success of Durban will be a huge victory for multilateralism. In Durban, our collective muscle as the international community must triumph as we are "working together to save tomorrow today".
One of Africa's great champions of the environment passed on recently. I am referring here to Africa's Nobel laureate, the late Prof Wangari Maathai, whose struggle to save and protect our environment won her respect the world over. One of her many words of wisdom she left with us was, and I quote: "It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees."
In Durban we must pick up her spear and continue planting trees where Wangari Maathai left off in order to continue working together to save tomorrow today. I thank you for your attention. [Applause.]