The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany ended last Friday with encouraging signs of progress, in particular countries have given more clarity on the approaches to be taken to enable ambitious actions to address climate change in the build up towards the 17th Conference of Parties (COP 17) and the 7th Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 7) on Climate Change to be held in Durban from 28 November to 9 December 2011.

The Bonn meeting has attracted more than 3000 participants from 183 countries, including government delegates, representatives from Business and industry, environmental organisations and research institutions.

The work commenced and Parties have put forward proposals that could serve as the basis for negotiations in future sessions. The progress made indicated that a future negotiating session before the conference in Durban was necessary and a session to be held in September was agreed to.

Beyond the extra session there has been provision made for informal consultations at Ministerial level so that countries can build consensus through deepening understanding of the positions of each country to enable convergence and compromises. These Ministerial meetings will be preceded by preparatory work by negotiators and experts.

South Africa would like to encourage Parties to further intensify efforts to finalise decisions on the large number of elements that will make up an ambitious, comprehensive and balanced outcome in Durban.

The success of Durban negotiations will require that a balance be struck along three areas of work,

· A balance between operationalising decisions made thus far in the negotiation and taking forward pending issues that have not yet been agreed.

· A balance between the outcomes under both the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.

· A comprehensive and balanced advancement of all elements that will make up the future climate change regime.

Nationally, with the conclusion of both the Parliamentary Hearings and the NEDLAC green paper process in April, the Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change (IGCCC) is in the process of analysing all the comments received on the national Climate Change Response Green Paper published for public comment in November last year. The response to this analysis will inform the drafting of the White Paper that will be submitted to Cabinet in late June – early July 2011.

As noted by Cabinet recently, the South African COP 17 negotiating delegation, under the leadership of the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs will proactively engage with domestic stakeholders in developing our national position and policy; and in the formal negotiation process; as well as engage with common interest blocks particularly Africa, working in conjunction with the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and DIRCO.