SOUTH AFRICA SHOWCASE019Parties and various climate change groupings inPanama. They have indicated in unequivocal termstheir overarching interest of making Durban a success.As we approach COP17/CMP7, I am confident that wewill be able to deliver a fair, credible, and balancedoutcome, which is in the overall interest of all Parties.As we move beyond the 50 Day Countdown toCOP17/CMP7, local government structures, inparticular the City of Durban, has proven to be aworthy partner in our hosting of COP17/CMP7. Thehost City of Durban has worked hand in hand with ourlogistical team and has been instrumental in terms ofpioneering some of the projects that seek to minimisethe carbon footprint of the COP, the greening projectswithin the City, and the creation and mobilisation ofcommunities on issues of climate change. However, itis my strong view that the reduction of the carbonfootprint, the implementation of greening projects,and the creation and mobilisation of communities onissues of climate change should not be limited toDurban, but should concern all of us. There is a compelling need for all of us to harness theknowledge garnered in our hosting of COP17/CMP7and share it with our various communities. Mostimportantly, we need to impress to all our communitiesthe threat climate change poses to our world andarticulate the need to adapt and mitigate the ill-effectsof climate change in our country.The success of Durban will be measured in terms ofthe following:One:There is consensus on the position that theCancun Agreements must be operationalised,including the establishment of the key mechanismsand institutional arrangements agreed to in Cancun.Here the Green Climate Fund represents a centrepieceof a broader set of outcomes for Durban. Developingcountries demand a prompt start for the Fund throughits early and initial capitalisation. Two:For Durban to be successful we have to do morethan making the Cancun Agreements operational. Wehave no option but to deal with the outstanding politicalissues remaining from the Bali Roadmap. This meansfinding a resolution to the issue of the 2nd commitmentperiod under the Kyoto Protocol and agreeing on thelegal nature of a future climate change system. Three:Adaptation is an essential element of theoutcome in Durban as it is a key priority for manydeveloping countries, particularly small islanddeveloping states, least developed countries andAfrica. The current fragmented approach to adaptationmust be addressed in a more coherent manner andgive equal priority to adaptation and mitigation. Toconclude, early June this year, (in Bonn, Germany), theChair of the World Mayors Council on Climate Change,and the Mexico City's Mayor Marcelo Ebrard positedthat the climate change architecture that is availablenow is not working - but why? This is so because it isnot designed to help the cities; it is designed to workwith the national governments. He contended thatcommunities should be involved in the decisionmaking and delivery of local adaptation action as well. I agree with him, and this is precisely why I believe thatMayors represented here should form the bulwark ofour country's efforts against climate change. It is myfirm belief that the legacy of our hosting ofCOP17/CMP7, should be judged by the extent towhich we as a country have sensitised our citizensabout the very urgent challenges of climate changeand what we as a country are doing to confront thischallenge.nThis article is extracted from Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane's speech on the occasion of the "South AfricanMayors' Conference on Climate Change in Preparation forCOP17/CMP7" in Kempton Park, South Africa, on 8 October2011. Source: The Department of International Relations.For more information please visit: www.dfa.gov.za.Below: Minister MaiteNkoana-Mashabane

outh African business is gearing up toengage in the crucial internationalclimate change summit to be hosted bySouth Africa next month.A CEO Forum has been established as an inclusive,CEO-led platform to provide business leadersrepresenting a wide cross-section of industry sectorswith opportunities to help shape South Africa'sresponse to climate change issues in the lead upto the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17) of theUnited Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC) taking place from 28 Novemberto 9 December 2011 in Durban. This forum will provide "high-level engagement andsupport on South Africa's climate change responsebetween captains of industry and key stakeholders,including national and international governments andbusiness", explains David Brown, CEO Forum co-chairman and chief executive officer of ImpalaPlatinum Holdings Limited. "The Forum will engage constructively and frankly with government representatives at both ministerial and director-general level to support theSouth African Government in hosting a successful COP17 and to provide the South African governmentwith input to enable it to make important decisionsrelating to both national climate change policies and South Africa's position as a developing nation inthe international climate change negotiations."The CEO Forum was initiated by Eskom and Sasol andhas the support of Business Unity South Africa,Business Leadership South Africa and the NationalBusiness Initiative. At an international level, the CEO Forum has strengthened its links through itscollaboration with the International Chamber ofCommerce and the World Business Council forSustainable Development.Representing leaders of innovative, proud SouthAfrican businesses, the CEO Forum is committed toengaging constructively with key stakeholders insupport of a climate change response that ensuresSouth Africa's transition to a lower carbon, resilienteconomy which will sustain economic growth andprosperity in the country and increase South Africa'scompetitiveness.David Constable, the chief executive officer of Sasol,who acts as co-chairman of the CEO Forum, explains:"Unprompted by any legislative requirements,Top Right: Team SA, theCEO Forum's drive touniting all South Africansbehind the climatechange challengeBelow: David Brown,CEO, Impala PlatinumHoldings, and Co-Chair ofthe CEO Forum (left);David Constable, CEO,Sasol, and Co-Chair ofthe CEO Forum; Brian A.Dames, CEO, EskomHoldings, and Co-Chair ofthe CEO Forum (far right)SA BUSINESS GEARS UPFOR COP17020SOUTH AFRICA SHOWCASETHE CEO FORUM S