YOU HAVE BEEN CONSULTED! Climate Change Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues in South Africa Presentation to the UNED Forum MSP Workshop 28 April 2001 Richard Sherman Research and Policy Coordinator Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Partnership Earthlife Africa Johannesburg

“As we advance the process of fundamentally transforming our society away from its divided past, we need to tap into the energies of all sectors of our society.” “It is part of the health and vibrancy of civil society that differences can exist and be aired … one has no doubt that such a debate will explore underlying principles and points of view and go above and beyond personalities and sectarian interests.” Nelson Mandela Speech at the National Civil Society Conference, April 2001

Multi-Stakeholder Climate Change Practice in South Africa South Africa’s National Climate Change Committee National Multi-Stakeholder Committee Government: Environment, Foreign Affairs, Energy, Transport, Water and Forestry, Housing (Committee for Environmental Coordination) Business, Industry and Eskom: Chemical Sector, Mining Sector, (Business South Africa) Non-Governmental Organisations: Earthlife Jhb (South African Climate Action Network) Community Based Organisations: None Labour: (Congress of South African Trade Unions)

Advises the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Director General) Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Chair of the Committee) Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism South Africa Cabinet (Final Decision Maker)

Mandate/Functions National Implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  Article 4: Commitments  Article 6: Public Education, Awareness and Training  National Communications – Greenhouse gas inventories, country studies on mitigation, vulnerability and adaptation  Advises on the Global Environmental Facility, Activities Implemented Jointly Projects and National Clean Development Mechanism Process  Sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:  Multi-Stakeholder Delegations – individual representation

You have been consulted: Avoidable Pitfalls of Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues Dialogues as usual (lack of clear work programmes and implementation procedures) Confusion of roles/identities/leadership and direction Compromise for progress / accommodation of diverse views/approaches Bureaucratisation of process Representation: Scientific and Research Community? Deliverables: Lack of visible progress particularly to those not involved in the process Time and diversion constraints for committee members

…pitfalls continued  Time and diversion constraints for committee members  Capacity of the State:  Government unable to respond to sectoral positions  Continuous changes in the department have often led to a situation where the NGOs and Business sectors control the majority of the content  Capacity of stakeholders/sectors not working, on a daily basis with the climate change process  Technical nature of debate disempowers new role players / non negotiators  Institutional Memory for government/stakeholders  Blame from those not getting pleasure from the process – project developers

 Inter – departmental cooperation/confusion  Poor coordination and process maintenance - specialised skills required within government  Resource Availability/needs  Consistency of the role of stakeholders  Rationale/ communication of changes in agreed upon processes  Familiarity /climate clubs  Roles outside of the stakeholder process  Accountability / acting responsibly  No clear role for monitoring  Too much information – no information at all

Overarching Issues Comments  Dialogues at the national level are more suited than at the international level  Nature of Environmental Governance at a national level  Democratic understanding at both national and international levels  Entrenchment of conventional wisdom and practice

Questions  Do we follow a sectoral approach to multi- stakeholder processes or is a centralized overarching framework with issues based working groups/committee’s a better option?  How do we benchmark the performance of multi- stakeholder processes? Measuring effectiveness.  How do we review effectiveness/progress?  Do existing Multi-stakeholder processes serve as the basis for all other/new processes, at both the national and international level? Creating consistency

Questions  How do we remove barriers for maximum participation and effectiveness? Who should do this?  Representation / mandates – Do we merely represent entrenched views or are we attempting to move sectoral views to find a common ground.  How do we establish relationships of trust and full disclosure?  Do Multi-stakeholder processes lead to effective partnerships between the State and non-state actors?  Can/ should Multi-stakeholder processes build capacity of role players?  What happens after Multi-stakeholder dialogues?

“One of the outstanding features of these first few years of our democracy has been the emphasis on partnership. Nation building, transformation and creation of a better life for all are the main national task facing us. In each of these interdependent areas of the national project, we need to forge strong partnerships across sectors and across the social divides.” “We can ensure that the energies of civil society are harnessed for the progress and unity rather than for division and dissipation of efforts.” Nelson Mandela Speech at the National Civil Society Conference, April 2001

Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism South African Cabinet Director General of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Lead Agency Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Committee Chairperson Deputy Director General of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Head of Climate Affairs Business, Industry Committee for Environmental Coordination Director Generals of all government departments Climate Change Secretariat Governmen department NGO National Climate Change Committee National Multi-Stakeholder Process Conventional Implementation CBOLabour UNFCCC Implement the UNFCC