Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister, Dr Dion George, will on Sunday attend the Brazil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC) Ministerial Meeting, ahead of the 8th Session of the Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA) taking place in Wuhan, China.

The Ministers responsible for climate change from the BASIC countries will gather for the bi-annual meeting to discuss key issues related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations at the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP29).

These include the need to finalise the rules around carbon markets, adaptation indicators, the Just Transition Pathways Work Programme, the Mitigation Work Programme, and the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on finance.

George emphasised the importance of ensuring a balanced agenda that addresses issues critical to developing countries, and to pressure developed countries to fulfil their commitments.

The BASIC group plays a pivotal role in unifying developing countries and providing l
eadership in climate negotiations.

‘South Africa reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with fellow members of the Global South. We regard the BASIC group as a key strategic platform for articulating and advancing the interests of developing countries towards a more sustainable, just and equitable international order,’ George said.

MoCA, which is taking place on 22 -23 July 2024, is one of the platforms created at the initiative of individual States in support of the UNFCCC negotiations that seeks to identify issues of convergence and divergence at a political level, with a view to bridge building and exploring potential landing zones ahead of the COP.

MoCA is convened by China, the European Union (EU) and Canada. It was initiated in 2017 to support the Paris Agreement and the multilateral climate process.

The MoCA in Wuhan is a key moment for ministers and senior climate diplomats to gather, coming shortly after the UNFCCC intersessional in June.

It will be a chance to elevate sticky issues in climate nego
tiations to a higher political level.

George said such meetings are important because the negotiations often deadlock at the technical level due to geopolitical tensions and the national interests at stake.

South Africa has traditionally played a key role in the UNFCCC process, helping to secure consensus outcomes, including through special co-facilitation, and chairing roles being conferred to successive South African Presidents and Ministers at Climate Summits and COPs over the past two decades.

‘I look forward to the frank political discussions on the progress and complexities around implementing the COP 28 outcomes, the role of carbon markets, the new collective quantified goal on climate finance beyond $100 billion per annum to be set at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, as well as other critical negotiations items needed to be addressed,’ George said.

Source: South African Government News Agency