By coordinating the financial mobilization of both government and the private sector, South Africa will have collaborative efforts to build resilience and respond to climate change, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

This includes, he said, climate-proofing existing critical infrastructure and facilities, such as water and food systems, roads, railroads and ports, human settlements and healthcare.

Plus, he added, the Fund will also work with a range of partners to respond to the immediate needs of communities in the aftermath of climate change-related natural disasters.

South Africans, he recalled, have seen a rapid increase in climate-related disasters around the world as extreme weather events become more frequent.

In our own country, he exemplified, we have faced deadly wildfires in the southern Western Cape, heat waves in the Northern Cape, continuous drought conditions in the Eastern Cape, and storms in Gauteng.

Even before it could recover after the 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and North West, this year saw more flooding, loss of life and damage to vital infrastructure, property and the local economy again, Ramaphosa added.

The continental position has long been that those primarily responsible for climate change and its impacts, namely developed countries, have a responsibility to help developing countries build climate resilience, the president reiterated.

Therefore, Ramaphosa said, South Africa welcomed the “historic agreement” reached at the UN Climate Conference in the UAE last December to activate a Loss and Damage Fund to provide financial support to developing countries that are vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

In this context, he emphasized, South Africa will continue to call on developed countries to meet their obligations in terms of financing and support for technology transfer.

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