Mr Chairman,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
On behalf of the South African Delegation I would like to express our most profound gratitude and thanks to the Senior officials for the comprehensive Report before us which reflects the views, aspirations and hopes of ACP cultures ahead of the DOHA COP18 meeting. South Africa is of the firm view that Doha should be an implementation conference whose primary objective is securing a 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) through the adoption of amendments to Annex B to ensure that no legal gap occurs between the 1st and 2nd commitment period, as well as between the end of the 2nd commitment period and the coming into force of the new ADP legal outcome.

Doha should further launch a process for full ratification of the KP amendment whilst agreeing on ways to provisionally apply the amendments, in order to avoid an operational gap and ensure continuity of the Kyoto Protocol’s flexible market mechanisms.

This would ensure that there is a balance between ambition and legal rigour, that there is a sequential conclusion of the legal form followed by an agreement on a process to raise ambition through a review of commitments by 2015 and restricts the use of carried-over assign amounts units to the end of the second commitment period, to enhance environmental integrity.
South Africa seeks finalisation of outstanding matters and termination of the AWG-LCA at COP18, as agreed to in Durban. Agreement for the adequate treatment of unresolved political issues such as equity, differentiation, global peaking, trade, and intellectual property rights will be required.

South Africa maintains that there are clear linkages between the work of the three Ad Hoc Working Groups, the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) and although they are at different stages of maturity, it is essential that progress is made in all three to move the negotiations forward. This means that there needs to be a careful balance in the outcomes of the Working Groups to ensure that there is sufficient progress in order to achieve a successful outcome in Doha

Furthermore, Doha should provide for the implementation of comparable mitigation commitments by developed countries not Party to the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. It should also provide clarity on finance support for the pre-2020 period, including adaptation action support, as well as technology support.Conclusion of the scope of the 2013-2015 Review, and modalities for a New Market Mechanism which allows for internationalisation of various initiatives through agreed to rules and accounting is required.

Doha must also result in the full operationalisation of agreed operational mechanisms, such as the Green Climate Fund, Climate Technology Centre and Networks, Adaptation Framework, Response Measures Forum, Transparency Mechanisms.
On the Durban Platform, there are two work streams: ambition and the future legal outcome.

The ambition work stream revolves around raising the level of ambition, not only in mitigation but also in adaptation and the means of implementation during the pre2020 period. South Africa supports a work plan that addresses actions in addition to the commitments made under the Bali Roadmap, with agreed to transparency provisions, accounting rules and recognition mechanisms under the Convention.

In the future legal agreement, South Africa envisages a balanced approach that is guided by multilateral norms and rules, and provides flexibility for national circumstances.

The future agreement should enhance the implementation of the Convention though a common vision covering global goals relating to temperature, global emission reductions and trajectories, adaptation, finance and technology transfer based on a framework for fair efforts by all. This would include specific commitments for Annex I Parties and relative contributions by non-Annex I Parties in the context of the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and equity with clear operational mechanisms for implementation and review of commitments; as well as reporting, transparency and compliance mechanisms.

I thank you for your attention.