The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) held a Special Commission Working Session with Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dion George on August 5 to receive an update on the draft revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as recently approved by Cabinet for public consultation ahead of its submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

As a signatory to the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC, the PCC explains, South Africa is required to submit NDC targets every five years.

It submitted its first NDC in 2016, which covered the periods 2021 to 2025 and 2026 to 2030, committing to keep greenhouse-gas emissions within a certain range by 2030.

During the first revision in 2021, the PCC played a role in updating the NDC towards 2025 by making recommendations to the government through commissioning additional research and convening a series of dialogues to seek alignment and forge consensus among stakeholders.

“Similarly the 2030 to 2035 NDC remains a critical opportunity to reflect on South Africa’s climate priorities – encompassing progressive mitigation priorities, adaptation and building resilience to worsening climate risks for vulnerable communities and ecosystems, as well implementation support and the financial and technical resources required to implement our climate response effectively – in a manner aligned with national development goals and international climate commitments”, says PCC executive director Dorah Modise.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is currently leading the development of South Africa’s second NDC, which covers the period 2031 to 2035 to be submitted to the UNFCCC by October ahead of COP30, taking place in Brazil, in November.

The PCC notes that it undertook an intensive multistakeholder process in June and July and is currently consolidating its stakeholder perspective as a culmination of the National Colloquium on the NDCs scheduled for August 26, in Johannesburg.

To ensure meaningful procedural justice in the development of the revised NDC, the PCC says it calls on all stakeholders to register their inputs by actively participating in the provincial consultations, as these engagements are a minimum guarantee for the consideration of the views on our country’s just transition journey and climate goals.

“It is critical that the updated NDC provides a target range that would continue to drive domestic climate efforts and, for this reason, requires that all stakeholders are actively involved in shaping and implementing these commitments,” says Modise.

“The PCC remains committed to a just and equitable society, working together with all partners to drive social inclusion and a just transition that leaves no one behind,” the commission adds.