South Africa attends African Ministerial Conference on Environment
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South Africa’s Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, is participating in the 10th Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment taking place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, under the theme, “Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought.”
The gathering of African environmental leaders is focusing on key issues affecting the continent, with a strong emphasis on addressing land degradation, desertification and drought within the context of sustainable development, climate action, and environmental governance.
George is expected to engage in high-level discussions on critical topics, including enhancing opportunities for ecosystems restoration, as well as enhancing partnerships and synergies to enhance resource mobilization to address land degradation, desertification and drought.
The Ministerial session will also deliberate on the continent’s approach to climate change, biodiversity conservation as well as desertification and land degradation, with a focus on enhancing Africa's positions for the upcoming international talks, namely the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification all taking place later this year.
George’s spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa said he will prioritise advocating for increased climate finance and resource mobilisation to address land degradation, desertification and drought, as well as technology transfer, and capacity building to help African nations achieve their climate goals while promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty.
Additionally, he will accentuate the need to align biodiversity conservation with socio-economic development, emphasising the integration of these efforts into national and regional plans to ensure the continent's natural resources benefit its people.
The conference ends on Friday.
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