The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) will hold a Special Sitting today, November 4, 2022, at which President Cyril Ramaphosa will set out Government’s priority investment and financing interventions under the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan.
Cabinet and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Just Energy Transition Partnership recently agreed that there may now be broader consultation on the investment plan.
South Africa has entered into a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union to support South Africa’s phasing-out of coal and reduce potentially negative consequences on workers, communities and the economy.
The President will update the Commission in his capacity as Chair of this independent, statutory, multi-stakeholder body established to oversee and facilitate a just and equitable transition towards a low-emissions and climate-resilient economy.
Today’s engagement forms part of South Africa’s preparation for the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, or COP27, which will take place in Sharm El Sheikh from 6 November. President Ramaphosa will travel to the Summit next week as leader of the South African Government delegation.
Under the Just Energy Transition Partnership South Africa ahead of COP27 requires a financing package that is aligned to the country’s fiscal realities and demands; upholds the development and climate finance principles and obligations that are due to developing countries and is inclusive and just.
The Presidential Climate Commission is focused on creating a social partnership around a just transition; defining a vision for a just transition, and means of achieving that vision, covering the necessary sectoral shifts, technological innovation, employment opportunities, and climate finance, as well as conducting independent analysis into climate change impacts on jobs, the economy, and policy.
To these ends, the Commission engages with a wide range of stakeholders, including all spheres of government, business, labor, academia, communities, and civil society.