Dr Dion George, the Minister of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and his counterpart from Norway, Minister of Climate and Environment, Mr. Tore Onshuus Sandvik, were appointed as a Ministerial Pair, by COP29 President-designate Mukhtar Babayev.

The Minister said he is honoured to accept this important yet challenging assignment from the President-designate for COP29, “the designation of South Africa as a ministerial co-facilitator, recognizes the country’s long-standing leadership role at international multi-lateral climate negotiations in ensuring the voices of developing countries are well reflected in deliberations and our national level leadership to implement Just Transitions.”

The new role requires Ministers George and Sandvik, to engage with Parties and all negotiating groups, to conduct informal consultations on concrete issues related to the content on mitigation and linkages to the process at large.

It is anticipated that the Ministerial Pair’s consultations will foster a comprehensive understanding among Ministers and their delegations regarding the priorities, perspectives, and areas in need of political guidance in the lead up to and during COP29.

This appointment comes as Minister George prepares to participate in this year’s Pre-COP event taking place from 10-11 October 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Pre-COP29 brings together ministers to discuss  key political aspects of the negotiations, find solutions to outstanding issues and set the tone for the upcoming COP29.

Babayev is expected to open Pre-COP proceedings on Thursday, 10 October 2024, alongside COP28 President and United Arab Emirates Special Envoy for Climate Change, Dr Sultan A. Al Jaber, amongst others.

The opening will be followed by a Plenary discussion on the Road to COP29 and various Climate Change Labs.

The second day of Pre-COP will consist of Plenary discussions on “Unlocking the potential of Article 6” and “Taking forward the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake (GST).”


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