South African Government<\/a> (Pretoria)<\/p>\n11 December 2011<\/p>\n
\npress release<\/p>\n
Durban \u2014 Distinguished\u00a0 Ministers\u00a0 and\u00a0 delegates,\u00a0 we\u00a0 are now at the conclusion of COP17\/CMP7.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0 want\u00a0 to\u00a0 utilize this opportunity to thank you all for your dedication, hard work and for the spirit of Ubuntu and compromise that prevailed during this Conference.<\/p>\n
I applaud you for what you have been able to accomplish here in Durban. You were\u00a0 prepared\u00a0 to\u00a0 show\u00a0 the\u00a0 required political will to move this process forward.\u00a0 It\u00a0 is without any doubt in my mind that we have “worked together to save tomorrow, today!”<\/p>\n
I\u00a0 believe\u00a0 the\u00a0 Indaba laid the foundation for this Conference. Indaba, as you\u00a0 will recall, is a word in isiZulu that refers to a gathering of people with the purpose to debate a matter of great importance to the community in an\u00a0 attempt\u00a0 to\u00a0 find a common mind or a common story that all participants can\u00a0 take\u00a0 with them. Climate Change is our common problem which affects us all and the Durban Platform is the story we will take home with us. Our\u00a0 intention\u00a0 with\u00a0 the\u00a0 Indaba\u00a0 was to restore trust in the multilateral system\u00a0 and\u00a0 to\u00a0 enshrined\u00a0 transparency\u00a0 and\u00a0 inclusivity within our Party driven\u00a0 process. The decisions that we have taken here are truly historical and include the following:<\/p>\n
i) The amendment of the Kyoto Protocol;
ii)Decisions of the LCA;
iii)The Green Climate Fund;
iv)The future of the Climate Change Regime.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0 would\u00a0 therefore\u00a0 like\u00a0 to\u00a0 congratulate\u00a0 all\u00a0 the delegations for their leadership\u00a0 and\u00a0 rising\u00a0 to\u00a0 the occasion when it was most required. At the outset\u00a0 we\u00a0 urged you to show leadership in action and to think beyond your national\u00a0 positions.\u00a0 You\u00a0 have\u00a0 clearly\u00a0 demonstrated\u00a0 your commitment and willingness\u00a0 to\u00a0 achieve\u00a0 the\u00a0 broad and balanced result that we all can be proud of.<\/p>\n
Once\u00a0 again\u00a0 I\u00a0 want\u00a0 to\u00a0 express\u00a0 our congratulations to Qatar as incoming OP18 \/CMP8\u00a0 President\u00a0 for being prepared to host the next Conference. Here we\u00a0 cannot omit South Korea’s gracious gesture to compromise by offering to host the informal ministerial meetings in preparation for COP18\/CMP8.<\/p>\n
From\u00a0 my team and me, I would like to convey a special word of appreciation to the Executive Secretary, Ms. Christiana Figueres and the UNFCCC team for their\u00a0 professional and much appreciated support. We are looking forward to continue\u00a0 working\u00a0 together\u00a0 in\u00a0 the\u00a0 further\u00a0 discharge\u00a0 of\u00a0 our duties as COP17\/CMP7 President.<\/p>\n
Last\u00a0 but not least, thank you to the City of Durban, the ICC and all those ard\u00a0 working\u00a0 support\u00a0 staff who spent marathon hours to contribute to the success of this event.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0 trust\u00a0 that\u00a0 your\u00a0 time\u00a0 in\u00a0 Durban\u00a0 and\u00a0 in\u00a0 South Africa will remain a memorable one and that you will stay on for a while to relax and enjoy what the city and the country have to offer.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0 wish\u00a0 you\u00a0 a\u00a0 safe\u00a0 journey\u00a0 back\u00a0 to your respective countries and I am looking\u00a0 forward\u00a0 to\u00a0 see\u00a0 you\u00a0 again\u00a0 next\u00a0 year\u00a0 when\u00a0 we\u00a0 start with our preparations for COP18\/CMP8.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
AllAfrica – All the Time<\/p>\n
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