Statement on Cabinet meeting held on 23 September 2009
Cabinet held its ordinary meeting in Cape Town this morning, 23 September 2009.
The successful launch of the Sumbandila satellite into space via the Russian Soyuz Launch vehicle was noted and welcomed. The meeting agreed that the Department of Science and Technology must revive the programmes that will provide access of space related skills to underprivileged and previously disadvantaged youth as part of the National Space Programme.
Over the next two months, South Africa will be participating in various multilateral fora around the world. These fora include the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the UN Climate Change Summit, the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit and the Africa-South America Summit. Our participation will be informed by the need to support the developmental objectives of the developing countries. President Jacob Zuma is participating in his first UN General Assembly since his inauguration.
On global warming, Cabinet would like to correct the wrong impression that had been created that South Africa was opposed to targets being set on global warming. The correct position is as follows: South Africa was not in favour of supporting targets that are imposed by developed nations on developing nations to reduce carbon emissions. We are committed to setting targets that will take our developmental needs into account. As stated in the last Cabinet statement, South Africa will take responsible and measurable action to reduce our emissions over time.
We support the need for a comprehensive international programme on adaptation that is able to deliver the necessary resources to enable all developing countries to adapt, recognising the particular needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. It must be noted that developing nations will require resources if they were to participate effectively in such a programme.