Pretoria - The Department of Environmental Affairs says it has noted incorrect media reports about the South African delegation which was attending the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in France, saying they are based on outdated information.
“The media reports appear to be based on an outdated and subsequently revised delegation list,” said the department on Saturday.
The incorrect media reports contain a list of names of delegates who were not at the conference, a wrong tally of the size of the delegation as well as names of officials who did not attend the full conference, only the conference opening, among others.
The department said it strictly complies with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), and all the necessary regulations, as well as the recent cost cutting measures agreed to by Cabinet.
"I want to personally assure all stakeholders and the South African public at large that each and every official attending COP21 on behalf of the South African government was there because they are a vital part of our team; they have done sterling work in the years, weeks and days leading up to the conference, as well as during the conference itself," said Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa.
The Minister lauded delegates who attended the conference on behalf of South Africa.
"They have served their country with distinction, especially our teams of negotiators. We are ever mindful that we represent every South African, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved," she said.
The department added that it intends to hold a briefing to report to the nation on South Africa's achievements at COP21.
“The department has kept the South African public abreast of developments at COP21 with regular updates. Also, as part of our mandate to keep South Africans informed of the work of the South African team, the department sponsored travel for a number of journalists to attend COP21.”
Climate change is an economic, social and environmental challenge requiring political leadership and co-ordination across all sectors and spheres of government, as well as engagement with leaders of business, labour, civil society and research institutions.
The South African delegation was representative of all key national departments, local and provincial government, Members of Parliament and other key stakeholder groupings.
As current chair of the G77 plus China, South Africa played a key role negotiating on behalf of the developing countries of the world, as well as in its capacity as part of the Africa Group.
On Saturday, the UNFCCC adopted a historic agreement to address greenhouse gas emission for the post-2020 period, while increasing countries' ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change during the next session.
The work done by the South African team at COP21 was the culmination of a four-year negotiating process to ensure a favourable outcome for South Africa, Africa and the world in battling one of the biggest global challenges of the century. – SAnews.gov.za
