Cape Town – The South African ambassador to Kenya, Kholeka Mqulwana, appealed to the government on Thursday to continue to find more environmentally friendly ways to dispose of household waste products.
She said the older black rubbish bins used in cities are not good for promoting a sustainable green environment because they don't have information on what kind of waste to put in them, the SABC reported.
Earlier Environmental Affairs Minister Nomvula Makonyane officially opened the third annual Partnership for Action on the Green Economy (PAGE) two-day conference at the CTICC. The event is a first in Africa and looks at sustainable ways to grow the green economy.
About 500 delegates, including 17 ministers and deputy ministers of environment, finance, business, science and technology and development, are to participate in robust discussions on tools and strategies for shaping greener economies to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.
The gathering will put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Mqulwana said communities need to be educated on how to deal with waste effectively and municipalities can play a big role in minimising the impact of waste by providing alternative waste collectors.
The gathering will put sustainability at the heart of economic policies and practices to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The 3rd PAGE ministerial conference, under the theme "Advancing Inclusive and Sustainable Economies", follows two successful conferences which were held in Dubai in 2014 and Berlin in 2017.
South Africa is hosting this high-level conference on the heels of the successful Global Climate Conference, which adopted the Paris Agreement work programme setting out the rules of implementation.
The conference kicked off with a CNBC televised media debate on the topic of “What makes your country wealthy?” today.
Through a series of parallel sessions with high-level speakers from South Africa and abroad, the conference will share the latest thinking and evidence on four thematic themes.
These are: green finance, strategies and policies for a green economy, social and economic inclusion, and sustainable consumption and production and the circular economy.
The PAGE programme aims to strengthen co-operation, co-ordination and capabilities required by South Africa to implement the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and pro-employment development path.
The conference will provide an opportunity for member states to reinforce the commitment to transition to a green/sustainable economy and to sustain the momentum on deepening green economy principles at the heart of socio-economic and environmental planning frameworks.