Save the date for the DEA led Provincial Stakeholder Consultations on the South Africa position in the lead up to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) 21, and their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC). An official invitation and RSVP’ing system will be sent out in the next two weeks, along with additional background information.

Brief background: 

o  Countries across the globe committed to create a new international climate agreement by the conclusion of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in December 2015. In preparation, countries have agreed to publicly outline what post-2020 climate actions they intend to take under a new international agreement, known as their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). The INDCs will largely determine whether the world achieves an ambitious 2015 agreement and is put on a path toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.

 o  DEA, in partnership with provincial environmental counterparts, will host a broader set of stakeholder consultations in the lead up to COP 21 in December 2015. The consultations will provide an opportunity to discuss the South African position, fill gaps and build a common understanding and approach towards Paris, and develop a common South African position on the framing of our nationally determined contribution, prior to communicating this to the UNFCCC secretariat, by COP21. These provincial engagements will provide an opportunity to raise awareness, mobilise, inform and engage with key stakeholder groups and the general public around climate change issues, and climate change response efforts at all levels.

 o   Numerous stakeholders will be invited: stakeholder departments, organized business, civil society, researchers and academia, community representatives, organized labour, traditional leadership and other stakeholders as identified by the host province. Noting that DEA is running additional consultations nationally with Business, Industry, Labour etc. as well.

 o   There are already about 40 INDCs complete, with about 15 or so available online for other countries, if you wish to engage this material to see what they entail you can find them at the following link: http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/indc/Submission%20Pages/submissions.aspx