SOUTH AFRICA'S PAVILION AT COP31
Collective Leadership for a Just and ambitious Climate Transition
COP31 South Africa Pavilion Sponsors
South Africa's Pavilion Programme
View Full Events Calendar
News, Insights & Reports
Latest news, reports, briefings and publications
Voices from Our Sponsors
Driving impact through their commitment
Coming soon!
Programme Schedule
Explore events at South Africa’s Pavilion during COP31.
- All
- 9 November
- 10 November
- 11 November
- 12 November
- 13 November
- 14 November
- 16 November
- 17 November
- 18 November
- 19 November
A Fair and “Just” Transition Begins Before Decommissioning and Closure of Power Stations: Lessons and Opportunities for Mpumalanga
Hosted by: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga and Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Rest Kanju, Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Speakers:
Dr Vikesh Rajpaul: Eskom
Mr Blessing Manale: Presidential Climate Commission
Just Transition Specialist -Philippians Government
Mr Jonas Kueli -International Institute of Sustainable Development-Global South Countries
Ms Athini Kuse : AquaDipEvent Brief:
Mpumalanga is home to eleven coal-fired power stations and a plethora of coal mines. The province accounts for a considerable share of South Africa’s emissions from mining and energy sectors, with highly economic dependency on both sectors. The decommissioning of power stations and retirement are still too often governed as a technical event rather than a place based social transition, e.g. Komati Power Station in Mpumalanga, offers a practical lesson. Although the plant reached the end of its economic life, subsequent assessments found that early engagement had partially procedurally just and inclusivity, the initial project boundary was too narrow, and socioeconomic interventions were not adequately sequenced ahead of closure. Later engagement, consultation and inclusivity were improved, through encouraged social dialogues by different Just Transition actors.
Just Transition is an active process that ensures National and Provincial developmental priorities are achieved. This happens through minimizing the transition risks and impacts by maximizing opportunities to leave people better off, especially the most affected and vulnerable. It needs a system that prioritizes sustainable and decent job creation; reduction of poverty and inequality; improved infrastructure and services; improved community livelihoods; skills development and improved health; diversified, sustainable and resilient economic growth while protecting the environment. The session proposes to bring lessons-learned, experiences and opportunities from various Just Transition actors such as government with policy, labour, civil societies, private sector, agencies and funders/donors perspectives
Green Economy Transitions: Connecting Technologies, Knowledge and Partnerships for Climate Resilience and a Low-Carbon Future
Hosted by: International Water Management Institute (CGIAR-IWMI), with DSTI, WIPO GREEN and IFoW-TUT
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Ms Alina Mthembu, Acting Director (DSTI)
Mr Maesela Kekana, DDG (DFFE)
Dr Gabriel Lekalakala, Research Specialist (TUT)
Dr Henry Roman, Regional Representative: Southern Africa (CGIAR-IWMI)
Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh, Head of Climate Change and Food Security Unit (WIPO GREEN)Event Brief:
South Africa has a growing pipeline of innovations that can support a more circular, low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. The challenge is not only to develop these solutions, but to create the enabling conditions, partnerships and deployment pathways that allow promising technologies to reach users, markets and communities. The event will be grounded in relevant DSTI policy instruments, including circular economy priorities and the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy, which seek to produce and use science, technology and innovation to support an inclusive, just and climate-resilient circular economy transition in South Africa.
Partners will contribute complementary innovation and implementation pathways: WIPO GREEN will bring expertise in intellectual property, green technology matchmaking and technology transfer; CGIAR-IWMI will contribute regional experience in water, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and evidence-based solutions; and IFoW-TUT will provide applied research, policy development, innovation, future of work, just transition and implementation perspectives.
Critical Minerals, Domestic Capital and Africa’s Green Future
Hosted by: African Centre for a Green Economy
-
Facilitator:
Dr Mao Amis
Speakers:
Dr Marit Kitaw, Economic Affairs Officer, UNECA
Dr Claude Kabemba, Executive Director, Southern Africa Resource Watch
Ms Aliness Mumba, Climate Change Lead, Southern Africa Trust
Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, Co-founder Southern TransitionsEvent Brief:
Africa possesses significant reserves of minerals essential to the global energy transition. Yet expanding mineral production alone will not guarantee industrial development, economic diversification or improved livelihoods. The challenge is how African countries can leverage their mineral wealth to mobilise domestic capital, develop regional value chains and support a more inclusive green industrial future.
This moderated panel discussion will bring together perspectives from industrial policy, the mining industry and civil society to explore how Africa can move beyond raw mineral exports towards greater value addition and economic transformation. Particular attention will be given to domestic institutional capital, enabling policies and financing mechanisms that can unlock investment in mineral beneficiation and emerging green industries.
The discussion will also consider the governance, environmental and social conditions necessary to ensure equitable benefits, while highlighting practical priorities for investment, regional cooperation and sustainable development.
Advancing Country Platforms: Southern Evidence and Insights
Hosted by: South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Alex Benkenstein, Programme Head (SAIIA); Crispian Olver, Senior Fellow (WRI); a PCC representative (TBC); representatives from participating countries (TBC)
Event Brief:
The event shared insights from the “Advancing Country Platforms: Southern Evidence and Insights” research network, a collaboration between SAIIA, WRI, ODI and a consortium of leading research institutions from across Africa, Asia and Latin America, supported by IDRC. The proposed event will allow partners to share insights from the demand assessment carried out in consultation with policy stakeholders in participating countries. We believe the results will be of considerable interest well beyond the research community. The assessment is drawing together perspectives from ministries of finance, planning and other implementing institutions across a diverse group of developing countries, providing one of the first systematic analyses of the practical challenges countries face in designing and operationalising country platforms. The findings are intended to inform not only the work of the research network itself, but also the approaches of the many development partners and international organisations that are supporting country platforms.
South Africa features as one of the core case studies within the assessment, and we expect the findings to resonate strongly with South Africa’s own experience in developing country-led approaches to climate and development finance. The session would therefore provide an opportunity to showcase South African leadership while placing it within a broader international context and facilitating dialogue with other developing countries.
An Update on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage in Southern Africa: Toward the Implementation of a Rapid Just Transition
Hosted by: Council for Geoscience
-
Facilitator:
Dr Thuli Khumalo
Speakers:
Mr Mosa Mabuza, CEO; Dr Taufeeq Dhansay, Acting Executive Manager: Integrated Geoscience Development; Ms Zama Sibewu, CCUS Project Leader (all Council for Geoscience)
Event Brief:
The Council for Geoscience is undertaking research and development towards the first Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) facility in South Africa. The results of this integrated and fundamental research have highlighted that South Africa, and much of Southern Africa, has significant underground geological potential for CCUS development. Social, economic, and feasibility studies further highlight that this technology can be implemented relatively rapidly, enabling an almost immediate reduction in carbon emissions and, importantly, aligning with the current Just Transition Framework. This includes enabling a sustainable mechanism to support anticipated fossil fuel use while facilitating broader energy transition mechanisms.
The Transition Is More Than Energy: Connecting People, Places and Industries in South Africa’s JET
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
-
Facilitator:
Kaloli Tsekoa, Manager: Just Energy Transition Portfolios – Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit (JET PMU)
Speakers:
Thamsanqa Mlhonza, Programme Manager – Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency
Rest Kanju, Executive Director – Indalo Exclusive
Rosalind Dos Santos, Business Unity South Africa
TBC, South African Local Government Association
TBC, International Partners Group
Event Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition is about more than replacing one source of energy with another. It is about whether the transition can create new industries, build the skills required for those industries, strengthen municipalities, unlock opportunities for small businesses and communities and create new economic pathways in places such as Mpumalanga that have powered South Africa’s economy for generations. This session would bring together the different parts of South Africa’s JET including Skills, Municipalities, New Energy Vehicles, Green Hydrogen and Mpumalanga to explore what happens when these areas are treated not as separate programmes, but as interconnected parts of one economic and social transition.
The discussion would also bring South Africa’s International Partners Group (IPG) into the conversation, moving beyond how much finance has been committed to asking what kind of partnership is required to make an integrated transition work in practice. Using South Africa as a case study, the session would explore how international finance and technical cooperation can better connect with local implementation, industrial development, skills, municipal capacity and community-level economic opportunities. At its heart, the conversation asks a simple but important question: How do we connect finance, people, places and new industries so that the transition delivers tangible development outcomes and what can South Africa’s experience offer other countries pursuing a just transition?
Just Transition in Action: Strategic Pathways for South Africa’s Energy Future
Hosted by: Energy Council of South Africa, with Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation and Exxaro
-
Facilitator:
James MacKay, CEO, Energy Council of South Africa
Speakers:
H.E. Minister David Maynier, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) (TBC)
Senior representative from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)
Calib Cassim, Group CFO, Eskom
Rian Coetzee, Industry Planning and Project Development, Industrial Development Corporation
Senior representative from the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) (TBC)
Senior representative from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia (TBC)Event Brief:
This opening session sets the political tone for the series, bringing together the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to present the Government’s position on the pace and sequencing of South Africa’s transition, followed by a High-Level panel of senior representatives. International counterparts, Germany and Indonesia will share perspectives on coal phase-out, climate finance and balancing energy security with emissions reduction, including energy’s role in enabling sustainable industrialisation.
The session will examine how energy reform advances the just transition through complementary positions: the DFFE on the pace and sequencing of coal retirement, environmental compliance and South Africa’s Paris Agreement commitments; Eskom on coal-fleet retirement sequencing and the productive deployment of surplus capacity while preserving energy security and industrial capacity; and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) on how reliable, competitively priced energy, accelerated grid expansion and enabling infrastructure support low-carbon growth, localisation, industrial diversification and quality employment.
The Energy Council of South Africa convenes these positions with international counterparts: Germany, as the developed-economy JETP partner, bringing climate finance mobilisation, coal phase-out policy design and the balance between energy security and net zero commitments; and Indonesia as the developing-economy peer, navigating surplus capacity, retirement sequencing and JETP financing on a directly comparable path to South Africa’s. The exchange draws out where South Africa’s approach aligns with, and can learn from, fellow and former coal-dependent economies.
Building Climate Resilient Power Systems
Hosted by: Eskom
-
Facilitator:
Gabi Mkhatshwa
Speakers:
Exxaro, Industrial Development Corporation, International Union for Conservation of Nature
Event Brief:
As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, power systems worldwide face growing risks from heatwaves, droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires. For South Africa, these climate-related impacts have significant implications for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure, as well as the reliability and affordability of energy supply. This session will explore how utilities can strengthen the resilience of power systems by integrating climate risk considerations into planning, operations, asset management, and investment decision-making. The discussion will highlight the importance of anticipating future climate conditions and embedding resilience across the entire electricity value chain.
Drawing on Eskom’s experience and lessons from global best practice, the session will examine practical approaches to building a climate-resilient power system that can withstand, adapt to, and recover from climate-related disruptions. Focus areas will include climate risk assessments, resilient infrastructure design, grid modernization, diversification of energy sources, adaptation financing, and the role of innovation and partnerships in enhancing long-term energy security. The discussion aims to contribute to broader efforts to ensure a reliable, sustainable, and resilient power system that supports economic development and a just energy transition.
Financing the Upstream Renewable Energy and Battery Value Chain
Hosted by: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
-
Facilitator:
Siloshini Naidoo
Speakers:
TBC: Industrial Development Corporation; AUDA-NEPAD; DBSA; Exxaro; World Bank
Event Brief:
This proposed panel discussion will explore how climate finance can be used to unlock the full value of Africa’s critical mineral endowment and support the development of upstream renewable energy and battery value chains. As global demand for minerals such as lithium, cobalt, manganese, copper and rare earth elements accelerates, Africa has a unique opportunity to move beyond the export of raw materials and position itself as a hub for beneficiation, processing, battery manufacturing and green industrial development. The discussion will examine how concessional finance, blended finance, guarantees and other climate finance instruments can de-risk investments across the critical minerals value chain while supporting local economic development, job creation and regional integration.
The session will also consider the policy, financing and just transition challenges associated with critical minerals development. Discussions will focus on the role of climate finance in supporting local beneficiation, managing technology and market risks, addressing funding gaps for early-stage mineral projects, and developing appropriate taxonomies for classifying critical mineral investments and related infrastructure. Particular attention will be given to ensuring that communities benefit from the transition through skills development, inclusive participation and sustainable industrialisation. The panel aims to generate practical insights on how Africa can leverage its mineral wealth to support both global decarbonisation objectives and its own development priorities, ensuring that the critical minerals boom becomes a catalyst for a just, inclusive and climate-resilient industrial transformation.
Africa in the Driver’s Seat: Building the Continent’s Electric Mobility Value Chain
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
-
Facilitator:
Kaloli Tsekoa, Manager: JET Portfolios
Speakers:
Muhammed Sayed, Principal Specialist: Climate & Nature Finance Unit – Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
Nathan Fredricks, Programme Director for New Energy Vehicles (NEV) – Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) JET Programme Management Office
Others TBC
Event Brief:
The session builds on the Industrial Development Corporation’s Electric Mobility Transition & Localisation: Towards Unlocking the New Value Chain for Africa study, which looks beyond mainstream passenger electric vehicles to identify where South Africa and the wider continent can participate in and localise the emerging electric mobility value chain. The study identifies four key investment opportunities: electric L-class vehicles and micro-mobility, New Energy Vehicle charging infrastructure, the battery value chain, and battery second life and recycling.
The session will take this conversation further by asking: Where should Africa place its bets in the global electric mobility transition, and what will it take to turn these opportunities into investable industries and regional value chains? It will explore how Africa can use electric mobility not only to reduce transport emissions, but also to build new industries, beneficiate its critical minerals, strengthen local and regional value chains and mobilise investment. The discussion will bring together African industry, development finance and e-mobility leaders to share practical experience and identify the partnerships and solutions needed to move from opportunity to investment and implementation.
Energy Affordability and Access in a Reforming Electricity Sector
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC (4 speakers)
Speakers:
TBC (4 speakers)
Event Brief:
South Africa’s electricity market reforms are critical to improving reliability, attracting investment and enabling the energy transition, but they also raise significant questions about affordability and energy justice. This session will explore how electricity pricing reform can protect poor and vulnerable households while maintaining the financial sustainability of the electricity sector. It will consider the future of Free Basic Electricity (FBE), emerging approaches to a broader Free Basic Allocation, subsidy mechanisms and international experiences in balancing market reform with equitable energy access.
Just Energy Transition Era in KwaZulu-Natal: The Pipeline Is Promising
Hosted by: Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (KZN)
-
Facilitator:
Dr Robert Bonginkosi Dlamini
Speakers:
MEC Rev Zondi; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Hon. Oden Ewa, Cross River State (Nigeria)
Commissioner Andile Mlambo: Earthlife Africa and member of the Presidential Climate Commission, South Africa
Nathan Fredericks: IDC, Head of Just Energy Transition and NEV, South Africa
The Climate GroupEvent Brief:
The Member of the Executive Council (MEC), Rev Keith Musa Zondi, has the pleasure of hosting an event on the journey of a just energy transition in the subnational government of KwaZulu-Natal. At this event, the MEC will be showcasing the JET journey while also opening arms for investment opportunities in the province. There is space to expand energy security through the energy transition and a green fleet through electric vehicles.
KwaZulu is making serious inroads into the just energy transition space. The Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone has been transformed into and named an energy hub. Private sector investment is active in the space, seeing and projecting new skill sets, jobs of the future, and a whole transformed industrial activity. The Energy Summit that was held in March 2026 revealed a strong energy transition pathway that promises a long-term future for the subnational economy. Other projects include small-scale, localised transitions with local benefits for communities, small enterprises, and so on.
The government is also pioneering the green fleet and developing charging infrastructure. The future looks bright. All of this cannot be without challenges. Government, private sector, and communities are needed to shape their own JET destiny, recognising that KwaZulu-Natal is ready for investment.
The Presidential Climate Commission is instrumental in pioneering the JET Implementation Plan and resource mobilisation. The Climate Group has a long-standing partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal subnational government, supporting its climate mitigation initiatives and exposing it to funding opportunities.
COAL IN A DECARBONISING WORLD: CHALLENGES, INNOVATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES – Clean Coal Technologies for a Lower-Carbon Future
Hosted by: Eskom
-
Presenter:
Eric Shunmagum, General Manager, Office of the Group Executive: Generation, Eskom
Event Brief:
South Africa remains heavily reliant on coal, with approximately 86% of electricity generated from coal-fired power stations. Coal therefore remains essential to grid stability, economic development and energy access. The challenge is not the immediate elimination of coal, but the reduction of emissions while ensuring reliable electricity supply and protecting jobs and communities.
The transition must address South Africa’s energy quadrilemma:
• Energy security
• Affordability
• Environmental sustainability
• Socio-economic development and job preservationSouth Africa does not have to choose between energy security, economic development and climate action. Through cleaner coal technologies, co-firing and carbon capture, Eskom proposes a pragmatic transition pathway that reduces emissions while safeguarding electricity supply, industrial competitiveness and livelihoods.
This session will outline Eskom’s proposed approach to reducing emissions from South Africa’s coal-based electricity system while maintaining energy security, affordability and socio-economic stability.
Driving South Africa’s electric future: What the world’s EV leaders can teach us – From global lessons to a transition that is visible, supported and investable
Hosted by: Naspers-Prosus, with NBI
-
Facilitator:
Naspers-Prosus
Speakers:
Government of South Africa (Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and Department of Transport, TBC)
Government representative from a country with an EV success story (Morocco / Nepal / UK / Germany / Japan / China – TBC)
Nathan Fredericks – Director, IDC/JET PMO
Shameela Shoobramoney – CEO, NBI
Financier (TBC – e.g. DBSA or IFC)
Prajna / Ronell Govender – NaspersEvent Brief:
Electrifying a country’s cars, buses, taxis and delivery fleets is not a technology problem. It is a systems problem: technology, business models, policy, finance and people must move together. Countries that scaled EVs fast did not get every lever right. They got a few critical levers right, in the right order.
The EV Collective South Africa, an initiative of four South African organisations, studied the levers used by countries that have scaled EVs. The aim: make South Africa’s EV transition visible, supported and investable.
This session puts that research next to the people who lived it. Speakers from a country that scaled EVs will say what worked and what they would do differently. South African government, business and finance will then test these lessons against local reality: an export-driven automotive industry, grid constraints, a large minibus-taxi sector and the Just Energy Transition (JET) investment plan.
Participants leave with a clear view of which two or three levers South Africa should pull first, and who needs to act.
Financing the Industrial Transition: From Climate Plans to Investable Transformation
Hosted by: Industrial Development Corporation
-
Facilitator:
Lwandle Mqadi
Speakers:
TBC (4)
Event Brief:
The transition to a low-carbon economy will succeed only if emerging and industrialising economies can decarbonise key industries while strengthening competitiveness, jobs, energy security and productive capacity. This side event will explore how credible transition plans can be translated into investable industrial programmes. Drawing on the IDC’s Sustainable Bond Framework and Sustainable Industrialisation Pathways, it will examine how development finance institutions can link sector planning, project preparation, transition finance criteria, capital mobilisation and impact reporting. The discussion will emphasise that transition finance should deliver measurable emissions reductions and sustainable industrial development, rather than simply reclassifying conventional finance.
Using South Africa, Brazil and Russia as comparative case studies, participants will assess how national taxonomies, disclosure requirements, carbon pricing, trade measures and sector policies either enable or constrain the scale-up of transition finance.
Aligning Net-Zero Transport Pathways with an Inclusive New Energy Vehicle Industrial Strategy
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
TBC (more than 4 speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how South Africa and other emerging economies can decarbonise transport while strengthening industrial competitiveness and ensuring a Just Transition. Drawing on the PCC’s Transport Net-Zero Scenarios and New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Position Paper, the discussion will examine NEV adoption, industrial localisation, value-chain development, green manufacturing, jobs and worker protection, as well as the financing and policy interventions needed to accelerate an inclusive transition.
Communities First: Practical Models for Just Transition at the Coalface
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Funding Platform
-
Facilitator:
Carmen Mollmann, Platform Analyst – JET Funding Platform
Speakers:
Joanne Yawitch, Head of the JET PMU – Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
Duduzile Sibiya, Mpumalanga Provincial Climate Change Coordinator – Department of Agriculture Rural Development Land and the Environment
Rest Kanju, Executive Director – Indalo Exclusive
Alex McNamara, Head of Environment – National Business Initiative
Representative from African Climate Foundations
Event Brief:
Global climate finance discussions often focus on large-scale investment and policy, while the experiences and priorities of communities most affected by the transition can be overlooked. Mpumalanga provides a practical test of what it means to leave no one behind, as South Africa works to transform its coal heartland into a more diversified and climate-resilient economy. The province demonstrates how community needs can be identified through evidence-based vulnerability assessments, translated into projects through coordinated project preparation, and connected to appropriate sources of funding. Through initiatives already underway, including enterprise development, local livelihood programmes, skills development and community partnerships, Mpumalanga offers an opportunity to demonstrate what a community-centred transition looks like in practice. The experience of Komati, South Africa’s first coal-fired power station to close as part of the transition, also provides important lessons about what worked, what did not, and what needs to be done differently as other communities and countries prepare for similar transitions.
The proposed session would bring together government, funders, civil society, implementers and community voices to explore how community priorities can move from identified needs to funded and implementable projects. It would examine the role of the JET Funding Platform and project preparation in building a stronger pipeline of community-level projects, alongside tools such as the Community Transition Vulnerability Index for targeting support where it is needed most. Grounded in the principles of distributive, restorative and procedural justice, the discussion would position Mpumalanga as a practical case study for other Just Energy Transition Partnership countries, showing that the success of a just transition cannot be measured only in finance mobilised, megawatts added or emissions reduced, but ultimately in whether affected communities have meaningful opportunities, livelihoods and a genuine role in shaping the transition.
From Climate Risk to Resilience: Accelerating Adaptation to Extreme Weather events.
Hosted by: Gauteng Department of Environment
-
Facilitator:
Basani Ndindani
Speakers:
Gauteng – Ewan Botha, MEC: Environment and Africa Vice-President for Regions4.
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – Reverend Musa Zond, MEC: Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental
Regions4 – Natalia Uribe Pando, Secretary General
Other Regions4 member (TBC)
Event Brief:
The session will look at how Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and other like-minded Regions are responding to climate-induced extreme events through strategic alignment with global networks, decentralized infrastructure overhauls, and community-driven adaptation frameworks. Under the mandate of South Africa’s Climate Change Act, these subnational governments are pivoting from reactive disaster response to active climate resilience.
Objective of the session
The session will explore different interventions that are being employed to increase climate resilience and adaptation to climate induced extreme events by sub-national governments in South Africa. Responding to climate-induced extreme events—such as severe droughts, devastating floods, intense heatwaves, and wildfires requires a coordinated, so this session will also look at tri-pillar approach: scaling up proven interventions, expanding strategic partnerships, and unlocking international climate finance. Historically, climate funding has favoured mitigation (reducing emissions), but global policy targets like the OECD’s adaptation finance goals and agreements made at COP frameworks are aggressively pushing to close the adaptation deficit, giving an opportunity to Regions such as Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal that are seeking to increase resilience to access climate change adaptation finance.
Specific objectives are to:
• Explore regions’ programmes for increasing resilience in response to climate induced risks.
• Explore Regional and South Africa’s policy landscape with respect to climate change adaptation, resilience and finance.
• Identify opportunities for scaling up interventions, expanding strategic partnerships, and unlocking climate finance.
• Compare what has worked, what has not worked and which approaches may be transferable across regions.
From Ambition to Delivery: African Experiences with Country Platforms
Hosted by: GFANZ and Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC)
-
Facilitator:
Alex Michie, CEO, GCBC
Speakers:
Alex Michie, CEO (GCBC); Dorah Modise (PCC); Dr Sam Mugume, Ministry of Finance (Uganda); government representatives from Rwanda, Ethiopia and Morocco
Event Brief:
This is a 60-minute side event focusing on country platforms — coordinated frameworks that bring together governments, development partners, multilateral banks, and private finance around shared climate and development priorities — and how African nations are using them to move beyond fragmented, project-by-project approaches. The session will introduce the Country Platforms Hub (launched at COP30) and its Knowledge Portal, and feature a keynote from South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission drawing on lessons from the JETP — the first of the current generation of country platforms.
The centrepiece is a panel discussion bringing together government representatives from South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Morocco, and Ethiopia to compare their different approaches. Rather than advocating a single model, the conversation will explore practical questions around country ownership, aligning development partners, building credible investment pipelines, and mobilising finance for climate and development priorities. The event closes with audience Q&A and reflections on the opportunity for stronger African peer learning and leadership on the country platforms agenda.
Just Transition in Action: Energy Reform, Grid and Sustainable Industrialisation in Focus
Hosted by: Energy Council of South Africa, Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation and Exxaro
-
Facilitator:
James MacKay, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Council of South Africa
Speakers:
Calib Cassim, Group CFO, Eskom
Rian Coetzee, Industry Planning and Project Development, Industrial Development Corporation
Neo Monareng, Executive Head: Sustainability, Exxaro
Just Energy Transition Partnership Envoy of the United Kingdom (TBC)
Senior Representative from Vietnam Electricity (TBC)Event Brief:
This session shifts the series from political consensus to practical implementation, bringing together South Africa’s transmission, development finance and coal-industry institutions with international counterparts to address the financing, regulatory and market reforms required to deliver the transition. Following the strategic pathways set in the opening session on 10 November, this panel asks the harder question: what will it actually take to convert South Africa’s energy transition commitments into bankable projects, mobilised capital and delivery on the ground?
The session will examine implementation through the complementary positions of the panellists: the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) on grid expansion and the design of the competitive electricity market, the infrastructure reforms that turn policy into investable projects; the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa on the industrial funding and enabling infrastructure required to convert energy reform into productive investment, localisation and coal-region diversification; and Exxaro Resources on the coal industry’s transformation from within, covering workforce reskilling, community investment and the commercial case for diversification into renewable energy and critical minerals. Two international counterparts sharpen the exchange: the United Kingdom’s Just Energy Transition Partnership Envoy on climate finance mobilisation and coal phase-out policy design, and Vietnam Electricity on the practical experience of a peer state utility that has already separated its national system and market operator while scaling renewable energy under its own Just Energy Transition Partnership.
The panel will examine how policy commitments translate into bankable projects and how private sector investment can be mobilised at scale: an honest stocktake of Just Energy Transition Partnership delivery to date, candidly acknowledging both successes, namely finance mobilised, grid reforms and accelerated renewable procurement, and shortcomings, namely debt cost concerns, disbursement delays and implementation gaps; the reforms needed to strengthen the partnership for its next phase; and the project preparation and implementation pathways required to position South Africa as a credible investment destination for green industrialisation. The session is designed to identify concrete next steps for the South African energy ecosystem, ensuring that the consensus established in Session 1 carries through into delivery, and feeding directly into the COP31 Presidency’s agenda of “From Dialogue to Consensus, From Consensus to Action.”.
Do EVs pay off? The real numbers behind electric last-mile delivery – Who pays, who earns and who carries the risk
Hosted by: Prosus-Naspers and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Rob de Jong – Director, UNEP
Prajna Khanna – CSO, Prosus-Naspers (moderator)
Rohit Kapoor – CEO, Swiggy
Pedro Somma – Impact lead, iFood
Takealot (TBC)
Financier – IFC (TBC)Event Brief:
Every day, millions of food and e-commerce orders are delivered by riders on two-wheelers. Electrifying these fleets cuts emissions, noise and air pollution in cities. But it only scales if it works for the rider: an EV must be affordable and must protect or increase what a rider earns.
On paper, electric two-wheelers are cheaper to run. In practice, upfront cost, financing terms, battery swapping, downtime and resale value decide whether a rider is better off. The answer differs from São Paulo to Bengaluru to Johannesburg.
In this session, delivery platforms, financiers and governments open the books. Swiggy, iFood and Takealot compare financial models and rider earnings with real data from India, Brazil and South Africa.
Participants leave with a clear picture of what works, what fails and which business and policy models make EVs a good deal for riders.
High-level roundtable at COP31 35% by 2035: Electrifying South Africa’s productive economy
Hosted by: Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
-
Facilitator:
Rosalind Dos Santos
Speakers:
4 Speakers TBC
Event Brief:
Convene a high-level roundtable at the South African Pavilion during COP31 on the theme “35% by 2035: Electrifying Africa’s productive economy”. The primary objective is to stimulate dialogue and action around the ambition of achieving 35% electrification by 2035, with a particular focus on South Africa’s contribution to this global target.
The work will be implemented in three phases. Phase one will focus on preparation, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, funding the SA COP Pavillion and the development of the COP31 roundtable programme. Phase two will involve convening the roundtable at the South African Pavilion, focusing on practical pathways to achieving greater electrification and the role of business, renewable energy and private investment. Phase three will focus on post-COP knowledge sharing and engagement with South African business to share lessons, identify opportunities and priorities, and consider whether further work on an electrification implementation agenda is required.
Distributive Justice and the Private Sector: Assessing Scope and Application
Hosted by: Institute for Human Rights and Business
-
Facilitator:
Haley St. Dennis, Head of Climate & Just Transitions
Speakers:
TBC if approved. Likely voices from business, government, labour and civil society.
Event Brief:
The just transition is fundamentally a question of distribution: who bears the costs of the shift to a low-carbon economy, who captures its benefits, and how do daily decisions shape those outcomes across workers, communities, regions and generations. Agreeing that the transition should be fair is easier than agreeing what fairness requires in practice, since there are different and often competing views about what should be shared, between whom, according to which principles, and who bears responsibility for addressing unequal outcomes. These questions become particularly acute at the point of implementation. Decisions about plant closures, new energy infrastructure, land, employment, procurement, reskilling and community benefits can create real opportunities while imposing costs on different groups, often against a backdrop of existing inequality and historical harm. Governments and businesses face difficult choices about how to recognise and navigate these competing claims, particularly where resources are constrained and no single distribution will be seen as fair by everyone. For private actors helping to drive and implement the transition, this raises a practical question: what does taking distributive justice seriously actually mean in day-to-day decision-making?
Drawing on new research and consultation with South African transition practitioners, this event brings together voices from business, government, labour, and civil society to explore how distributional questions are experienced, negotiated and addressed from different vantage points. Panelists will reflect on what distributive justice means from their own professional and lived experience, then work through an applied transition example to examine how different choices shift costs and benefits between groups, where competing ideas of fairness arise, and what more responsible and legitimate decision-making might look like. Rather than seeking a single formula for a “just” distribution, the discussion will explore how decision-makers can make distributional effects more visible, engage seriously with those most affected, and make choices that are transparent, defensible and capable of advancing justice even where progress is necessarily incremental. In doing so, the event moves the conversation from the ambition of a just transition to the practical decisions through which its justice will ultimately be experienced.
Closing the Implementation Gap: Financing Municipal Climate Infrastructure – Lessons from the Just Municipal Embedded Generation Programme
Hosted by: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) with ICLEI Africa
-
Facilitator:
Olympus Manthata
Speakers:
Dr Meggan Spires (ICLEI Africa); Dr Muhammed Sayed (DBSA); a SALGA representative; a UK PACT representative (TBC)
Event Brief:
Cities and municipalities are increasingly at the forefront of climate action, responsible for delivering critical infrastructure and services while responding to climate risks, energy insecurity, infrastructure backlogs, and growing demands for sustainable and resilient development. Yet many municipalities struggle to translate climate ambitions into implementable, investment-ready projects due to constraints in project preparation, institutional capacity, technical expertise, and access to appropriate financing.
This creates a critical implementation gap between national policy and financing ambitions, and the ability to translate these into infrastructure that can be financed, delivered and sustained at the municipal level.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), in partnership with ICLEI Africa, will convene this COP31 side event to explore what is required to translate climate and infrastructure ambitions into investable and implementable projects at the municipal level. The session will examine the role of project preparation, institutional readiness, financing and coordinated support in closing the gap between national policy and financing commitments and infrastructure delivery on the ground. The Just Municipal Embedded Generation (JMEG) programme will serve as a practical case study, illustrating both the progress that can be achieved through targeted support and the technical, institutional, regulatory and financing barriers that can continue to constrain implementation.
Just Transition in Action: Market, Policy and Power Systems Reform
Hosted by: Energy Council of South Africa, with Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Exxaro
-
Facilitator:
James MacKay – Chief Executive Officer, Energy Council of South Africa
Speakers:
Dr Vikesh Rajpaul , General Manager JET, Eskom
Rian Coetzee, Industry Planning and Project Development, Industrial Development Corporation
Executive, NTPC Limited, India (TBC)
Executive, PT PLN (Persero), Indonesia (TBC)
Head of Secretariat, Julia Skorupska, Powering Past Coal Alliance (TBC)Event Brief:
This expert-level session goes deep into the technical, financial and structural reforms underpinning the transition: utility-scale renewable energy and storage deployment, the coal-to-clean pivot, and the financing architecture and project pipelines needed for delivery. With grid and market reform addressed in Session 2, the closing session focuses on building the new system: the generation build-out, the capital behind it, and the technologies and deployment models that have worked across emerging markets.
The panel brings together Eskom Green, the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, the Powering Past Coal Alliance, PT PLN (Persero), the State Electricity Company of Indonesia, and NTPC Limited of India, to draw out replicable lessons across project preparation, risk allocation, blended finance, industrial localisation, generation, and technology deployment for South Africa and the broader Sub-Saharan African context.
Empowering Green Small-Scale Enterprises for a Just Energy Transition in South Africa
Hosted by: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South Africa; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in close cooperation with the National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Geraldine Ang (OECD)
Speakers:
Participants of high-level launch event:
Minister David Maynier, DFFE, Welcome remarks
Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, OECD Environment Director, Keynote address
Panel debate:
National Business Initiative (NBI) > possible moderator (TBC)
Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) or Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA)
Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
Indalo Inclusive
SALGA or Mpumalanga provincial leader (TBC)Event Brief:
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are vital engines of economic growth, contributing significantly to South Africa’s GDP and employing more than half of its active workforce. Supporting the development of green small-scale businesses, particularly in the clean energy sector, is crucial for advancing global climate efforts and domestic green economy strategies, including a just energy transition. Despite their potential, small-scale enterprises face significant challenges in accessing finance and support for a continuous growth path, building capacities and navigating fragmented policy frameworks. This critically limits their ability to scale, innovate and meaningfully contribute to South Africa’s green transition.
The proposed event will feature the high-level launch of a joint DFFE-OECD report on “Overcoming financial and capacity barriers to empower small-scale enterprises. Focus on renewable, reliable, secure and affordable energy in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape of South Africa”, developed with valuable inputs from NBI and many other stakeholders. The event will discuss key recommendations for creating a strong enabling ecosystem for green small-scale enterprises. High-level speakers will share perspectives and success factors for helping clean energy start-ups develop and scale, building green skills, unlocking access to finance for small-scale enterprises in the clean energy space and accelerating financing for renewable microgrid electrification.
Used vehicles: the silent engine of EV adoption – Why residual value decides who can afford an EV
Hosted by: Prosus, with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Ana Garcia, Head of Comms and ESG (OLX); Government of South Africa; Government of the Netherlands; UNEP; IFC or FDC
Event Brief:
Most people in emerging markets will never buy a new car. They buy used. UNEP’s research shows that most used vehicles traded globally end up in low- and middle-income countries. If the EV transition does not work in the second-hand market, it will not reach most of the world.
Affordability and financing depend on purchase price, running costs and utilisation. But one factor is often overlooked: residual value. When buyers and lenders cannot judge the health of a used battery, EVs lose value faster, loans become more expensive and the first owner pays the price.
Second-hand platforms provide both the marketplace and the data to value and capitalise residual value. In this session, OLX will announce its programme to use its platforms to unlock used-EV markets and scale electric personal cars.
Financiers, used-vehicle platforms, policy makers and NGOs will discuss how to build trust in used EVs, and what each of them must do to make the second-hand market an engine of the transition.
From Concept to Capital: Financing the Water–Agriculture–Human Settlements Nexus through a Just Adaptation and Resilience Investment Plan (JARIP)
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
TBC (4 Speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how South Africa can mobilise and structure finance for integrated adaptation investments across water, agriculture and human settlements through JARIP. Using the completed uMngeni Catchment Resilience Project as a proof of concept, the discussion will examine potential funding sources, different funder risk appetites, opportunities to blend and sequence finance, and the measurable outcomes required to take integrated adaptation projects from concept to investment at scale.
From Pipeline to Partnership: Business and South Africa’s Just Energy Transition
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition PMU, with We Mean Business Coalition and National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
TBC (possibly Francis Fick, ACF)
Speakers:
JET PMU; NBI; WMB; selected member companies doing JET work; current JET investors (DBSA, IDC); possibly National Treasury
Event Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) is moving from ambition to implementation. Public institutions and development partners are building investment pipelines, mobilising finance and advancing projects across energy, green industrialisation, municipalities, skills and affected communities. As this momentum grows, the role of the private sector becomes increasingly important. Co-hosted by the Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit (JET PMU), the We Mean Business Coalition and the National Business Initiative (NBI), this session will bring government and business together to take stock of progress, showcase where the JET is already unlocking investment and economic value, and ask what is needed to deepen private-sector participation. The discussion will challenge the idea that we need to be moving beyond debates about the pace and affordability of the transition, to focus on how meaningful participation and real investment across all sectors can ensure that the transition is implemented in a just and sustainable way, while unlocking economic value, new opportunities and tangible benefits for workers and communities.
The session will bring together the JET PMU and key public finance and investment partners such as National Treasury (if they are at COP), DBSA and the IDC, alongside business leaders, investors, organised business and companies already demonstrating practical leadership. Perspectives could include businesses investing in renewable energy, grids, green industrialisation and new value chains, as well as corporate foundations and companies delivering tangible community-level transition initiatives. These examples will provide a basis for an honest discussion about what has worked, what can be scaled, where investment opportunities and financing gaps remain, and what businesses need to participate with greater confidence and ambition.
Ultimately, the session will seek to move the conversation from “at what pace can South Africa afford to transition?” to “how can business help South Africa capture the value of a transition that is already underway?”, using COP31 to strengthen the partnerships needed to move projects from pipelines to investment and implementation.
Financing Climate Solutions through the Global Climate Action Agenda
Hosted by: Climate Champions (with BCG and Global Climate Action Agenda partners)
-
Facilitator:
Reitumetse Molotsane, Africa Director (Climate Champions Team)
Speakers:
Reitumetse Molotsane, Africa Director (Climate Champions Team)
Shameela Soobramoney, Chief Executive Officer (National Business Initiative)
Bruna Cerqueira or Giovana Costa de Figueiredo, COP30 Presidency
Nigel Topping, Co-founder (Ambition Loop and Earth Investment Engine Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) Lead)
Wendy Walford, Head of Climate and Nature (Legal & General)
Santino Lacanna, Managing Director and Partner (Boston Consulting Group)
Representative, Development Finance Institution – TBC
Representative, COP32 Presidency – TBC
Project Developer, Nature-Based Solutions Company – TBC
Representative, Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) in Energy, Industry and Transport – TBC
Project Developer, Energy, Industry or Transport Company – TBCEvent Brief:
Convened by the Climate Champions Team, in collaboration with BCG and partners engaged in the Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA), this event will showcase high-potential climate solutions and investable projects, while advancing the objectives of the GCAA, with a particular focus on emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), including Africa.
The event will comprise an overview of the Global Climate Action Agenda, with contributions from the COP Presidencies and the National Business Initiative (NBI), followed by two thematic segments focused on Nature and Bioeconomy, and Energy, Industry and Transport. Each segment will feature a representative from a relevant Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS), outlining key objectives, progress and priorities, followed by a project developer presenting concrete solutions, implementation experiences and opportunities to accelerate deployment and scale regarding the PAS thematic sector. The session will also include perspectives from philanthropic organisations and financial institutions on mobilising investment and overcoming financing barriers for climate solutions.
Ministerial launch of the South Africa Pavilion
Hosted by: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), South Africa
Building a Regional Just Steel Transition in Southern Africa: From Vision to Implementation
Hosted by: Southern Transitions
-
Facilitator:
Manav Khanna
Speakers:
Kudakwashe Manjonjo – Power Shift Africa
Yann Louvel – Reclaim Finance
Marta Torres Gunfaus – IDDRI
Representative – Mission Possible Partnership (TBC)Event Brief:
Southern Africa has significant potential to develop a competitive, regionally integrated green iron and steel value chain that supports industrial resilience, energy security, economic self-reliance and decent employment. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia bring complementary assets, including iron ore and steelmaking capacity, abundant renewable-energy resources, emerging green hydrogen and green iron production, regional infrastructure and an interconnected power market. Yet these opportunities remain insufficiently coordinated, while existing industries face competitiveness pressures, carbon-related trade risks, barriers to accessing technology and finance, and the social and economic consequences of industrial decline.
Building on the SADC Just Energy Transition Framework, this event will explore how a regional “corridor of cooperation” can move Southern Africa from potential to implementation. The discussion will consider the policy, investment, trade, infrastructure, energy, technology, skills and social partnerships needed to develop an integrated and just regional steel transition. It will also explore how regional cooperation can protect existing livelihoods, create new jobs and downstream industrial opportunities, mobilise investment and ensure that the transition delivers shared economic, social and environmental value across Southern Africa
Powering Inclusive Skilling and Employment for a Just Energy Transition in South Africa
Hosted by: National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Gugu McLaren-Ushewokunze
Speakers:
JET SEP CEO Champion – ESKOM, Vikesh Rajpaul
NBI (JET SEP); – Anthony Gewer
JET Skills Desk (DHET) – Mampho Khuluvhe
Board Member: Lumko Mtimde
Energy Council – James MackayEvent Brief:
This event will showcase South Africa’s commitment to the realisation of a JET, with government driving a strategy that addresses barriers to access to demand-led skills development and active partnerships with the private sector are established to ensure inclusive economic opportunities in the energy transition can be unlocked at scale. The event will demonstrate how the highly progressive aspirations of the JET Implementation Plan will be realized in practice and contribute to fundamentally transforming key sectors of the economy that are decarbonising and reindustrialising, so that high levels of inequality and unemployment can be addressed through the green transition.
As such, South Africa has the potential to provide a blueprint for how collaboration between government and the private sector can realise the benefits of the journey towards a low carbon society for inclusive economic growth. Specifically, the event will unpack the broad JET Skilling Strategy, the analysis of where and how jobs are going to be created, and the implementation model as expressed through JET Skills Development Zones. The event will interrogate how the government, the private sector and other key roleplayers the skills ecosystem can work together to solve challenges associated with inequality and unemployment in the context of a Just Energy Transition.
Climate Finance at Speed and Scale: Meeting Southern Africa’s Needs
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
TBC (4 speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how African countries can move from climate ambition to implementation by building integrated, country-led climate finance ecosystems. With a focus on Country Platforms, the discussion will examine how governments, development partners, financial institutions and the private sector can coordinate effectively, build investable project pipelines and combine public, private, concessional and development finance to mobilise capital at speed and scale. Drawing on experiences from South Africa and across Africa, the session will identify practical approaches to strengthening country ownership and ensuring climate finance responds to African development and Just Transition priorities.
From Commitment to Delivery: What International Cooperation Looks Like on the Ground
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
-
Facilitator:
Queen Neo Mopeli, PCC Commissioner – Presidential Climate Commssion
Speakers:
Maesela Kekana, Deputy Director General: Climate Change and Air Quality Management – Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment
Rudi Dicks, Office of the Presidency of South Africa
Representative from IKI
Dorah Modise, Executive Director – Presidential Climate Commission
Joanne Yawitch, Head of the JET PMU
Olympus Manthata, Head: Climate and Environmental Finance – Development Bank of Southern Africa
Zira Quaghe, Deputy Head of Programmes – African Climate Foundation (ACF)Event Brief:
Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) and GIZ partnerships are supporting South Africa’s transition from climate ambition to implementation through programmes that strengthen institutions, build local capacity, support innovation and help translate Just Energy Transition priorities into practical interventions. This COP31 side event would deliberately profile the IKI programme and key GIZ-supported partnerships in South Africa, showcasing what these collaborations are delivering, the implementation lessons emerging from them, and how German cooperation is contributing to South Africa’s broader Just Energy Transition. The conversation would provide an opportunity to move beyond high-level commitments and put specific partnerships, programmes and the people implementing them at the centre of the discussion.
Bringing together Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), GIZ, the Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit and South African implementing partners, the session would explore what has worked, what is being learned and where the partnerships could go next. Selected IKI and GIZ initiatives could be used as practical case studies, allowing implementing partners to speak directly about their work and impact. The discussion could also consider how successful interventions can be strengthened or scaled as South Africa moves further into JET implementation, and what lessons the South Africa–Germany experience offers for designing international climate cooperation that responds to local priorities and delivers tangible outcomes.
Unlocking Carbon Markets for Cities: Financing Local Climate Action and Urban Resilience
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
-
Facilitator:
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa -SALGA
Speakers:
MEC Musa Zondi – KwaZulu Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi – SALGA
Ms. Thembeka Mthethwa– SALGA
Dr Renard Siew – Malysia Carbon Market Association
Mr. Mkhuthazi Steleki – Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment (DFFE)Event Brief:
Cities are at the heart of the climate transition, yet many lack the financing and market mechanisms needed to translate ambitious climate plans into tangible projects. This side event will explore how high-integrity carbon markets can help cities mobilise climate finance, accelerate urban decarbonisation and support nature-based solutions from low-carbon mobility and buildings to waste, renewable energy and urban nature.
Bringing together city leaders, policymakers, carbon market practitioners and investors, the discussion will examine what is needed to connect city-level action with national carbon market frameworks, while ensuring environmental integrity, transparency and meaningful local benefits. The session will highlight practical lessons from emerging markets, including Africa and Asia, and explore how cities can become active participants in the next generation of carbon markets.
Empowering Youth through Clean Technology and Innovation: Advancing Inclusive Green Enterprise in South Africa
Hosted by: Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Vivian Phetla
Speakers:
Solveig (Solla) Zophoniasdottir – Climate KIC
Vincent Mosebe – Entrepreneur
Louis Whaley – Embassy of IrelandEvent Brief:
Across South Africa, young entrepreneurs and innovators are developing practical clean-technology solutions to challenges affecting their communities, including unreliable energy, water scarcity, waste, food security, mobility and resource efficiency. This session will showcase these innovations through practical experience from Indalo Inclusive’s programmes, highlighting the people behind the solutions, the problems they are addressing, and the potential of their enterprises to create both environmental and economic impact. A short impact video will complement the discussion, bringing the experiences and achievements of participating enterprises to life.
The session will also show how different actors from the private sector, public sector, civil society and development partners play a role to enable an environment where clean-tech enterprises thrive. The discussion will highlight what can be done to advance clean technology enterprises, and how stronger collaboration across the ecosystem can help promising clean-tech enterprises move from innovation to sustainable businesses with greater impact, particularly in rural, township, peri-urban and emerging market contexts.
The Business Case for Decarbonisation in South Africa
Hosted by: Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Gillian Maree, Senior Programme Manager, National Business Initiative
Speakers:
Rosalind Dos Santos, Business Unity South Africa
Dr Lerato Khumalo, Exxaro
Representative from IDC
Representative from BusinessEvent Brief:
This session will provide an opportunity for business and business organisations to explore how the South African private sector can undertake decarbonisation and support economic growth, industrial competitiveness and job creation. The discussion will draw on recent work completed by NBI and BUSA building a case for decarbonisation. It will showcase practical examples of business leadership and investment in the transition, examine the policy and market conditions needed to enable greater climate action, and highlight opportunities for collaboration across sectors. The session aims to position South African business as a key partner in driving climate action and shaping a competitive, resilient and low-carbon economy.
Powering Inclusive Skilling and Employment for a Just Energy Transition in South Africa
Hosted by: National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Gugu McLaren-Ushewokunze
Speakers:
JET SEP CEO Champion – ESKOM, Vikesh Rajpaul
NBI (JET SEP); – Anthony Gewer
JET Skills Desk (DHET) – Mampho Khuluvhe
Board Member: Lumko Mtimde
Energy Council – James MackayEvent Brief:
This event will showcase South Africa’s commitment to the realisation of a JET, with government driving a strategy that addresses barriers to access to demand-led skills development and active partnerships with the private sector are established to ensure inclusive economic opportunities in the energy transition can be unlocked at scale. The event will demonstrate how the highly progressive aspirations of the JET Implementation Plan will be realized in practice and contribute to fundamentally transforming key sectors of the economy that are decarbonising and reindustrialising, so that high levels of inequality and unemployment can be addressed through the green transition.
As such, South Africa has the potential to provide a blueprint for how collaboration between government and the private sector can realise the benefits of the journey towards a low carbon society for inclusive economic growth. Specifically, the event will unpack the broad JET Skilling Strategy, the analysis of where and how jobs are going to be created, and the implementation model as expressed through JET Skills Development Zones. The event will interrogate how the government, the private sector and other key roleplayers the skills ecosystem can work together to solve challenges associated with inequality and unemployment in the context of a Just Energy Transition.
Mobilising Finance for a Just Transition: Co-Designing South Africa’s Just Transition Financing Mechanism
Hosted by: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
-
Facilitator:
Olympus Manthata
Speakers:
TBC: DBSA; PCC; IKI; AFD; another MDB representative
Event Brief:
South Africa’s just transition requires more than policy commitments. It requires financing mechanisms capable of directing capital towards communities, workers, women, youth, SMMEs and municipalities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and economic transition. The proposed Just Transition Financing Mechanism (JTFM) seeks to address this challenge by creating a nationally anchored platform capable of mobilising, blending and directing finance towards just transition projects while crowding in public, private, philanthropic and climate finance capital.
The JTFM is being developed through a partnership between the DBSA and PCC as an innovative financing mechanism designed to support South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Just Transition Framework and Just Energy Transition objectives. It aims to support projects across mitigation, adaptation, resilience, economic diversification and social inclusion while ensuring that the benefits of the transition are equitably shared. COP31 presents an opportunity to engage global and domestic funding partners, climate finance institutions, development finance institutions, philanthropies and private investors in shaping the future design, governance and capitalisation of the JTFM.
Green Intelligence: can AI grow within planetary boundaries? From the footprint of AI to what users can demand
Hosted by: Prosus-Naspers
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
ITU (TBC)
Prajna Khanna – CSO, Prosus-Naspers
Hyperscaler / data-centre operator (e.g. Kyndryl – TBC)
AI developer (AWS / Tencent – TBC)
Start-up or AI-native impact organisation (TBC)
Moderator (TBC)Event Brief:
AI is growing faster than almost any technology before it. So is its demand for electricity, water and hardware. Most of the debate focuses on data centres. But users also decide the footprint: which model they choose, how they use it and what they ask of their providers.
Green Intelligence is the Prosus programme to build thought leadership on how AI can be built and operated within planetary boundaries. Prosus will share the measured impact of its own AI use – more than 65,000 agents – and the actions it takes to manage that impact.
Hyperscalers will show what is changing in data-centre design, energy sourcing and cooling. AI developers and impact organisations will show where AI reduces emissions elsewhere in the economy.
Participants leave with a practical view of the levers that matter most and a short list of questions every AI user should ask their provider.
From Transition Ambition to Jobs: Building the Skills Ecosystems for South Africa’s JET
Hosted by: National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Lindiwe van Staden, National Business Initiative (NBI)
Speakers:
Presentation or panel – Noluthando Mthimkulu
Board Member: Lumko Mtimde
AfDB – Gareth Phillips/ Arona Soumare
NBI (JET SEP) – Gugu McLaren-Ushewokunze
IDC JET PMO: Nathan Fredricks (NEV)
JET PMU (tentative) – Kaloli Tsekoa/ JoanneEvent Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) offers significant potential to drive decarbonisation while creating new opportunities for green employment, enterprise development and inclusive local economies. However, realising these opportunities requires more than estimating future green jobs; it requires understanding where opportunities will emerge, the occupations and skills they will demand, who can access them, and whether local skills and training systems are equipped to respond effectively.
Drawing on evidence from the NBI’s Just Energy Transition Skilling for Employment Programme (JET SEP), the session will explore lessons from the Skills Ecosystem Report, JET Atlas and Skills Development Zones Report. It will examine how South Africa can translate JET investment into accessible livelihood opportunities by strengthening skills systems and ensuring that people, institutions and local economies are prepared for the transition. Given the diverse labour-market conditions, industrial capabilities, training institutions and vulnerabilities across regions, a more localised and granular approach to skills planning is essential.
Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Nature-based Solutions: Strengthening Climate Resilience Through Local Action
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and SANBI
-
Facilitator:
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa-SALGA
Speakers:
Cllr Mluleki Nkosi – SALGA
Mr Rabelani Tshikalanke – SALGA
Mr. Leandro Gomes – Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of Brazil
Dr Kate Strachan – ICLEI
Ms. Mandy Barnett – SANBI
Anshul Abbasi, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in IndiaEvent Brief:
Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of disasters such as floods, droughts, wildfires, and heatwaves, while ecosystem degradation is reducing the ability of nature to protect communities. Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) provide practical approaches to enhance resilience by conserving, restoring, and sustainably managing ecosystems. These approaches deliver multiple benefits, including disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, water security, and improved livelihoods.
This COP31 side event will showcase how local and subnational governments are using ecosystem restoration, ecological infrastructure, and nature-based approaches to strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable development. The session will highlight lessons from municipalities and partners, explore opportunities for finance and partnerships, and discuss how Eco-DRR and NbS can be integrated into local planning, disaster risk management, and climate adaptation strategies.
The event aims to promote locally led action, share practical experiences, and strengthen collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to scale nature-based solutions for resilient communities and landscapes.
Gender Equality and Equity are at the heart of Transition in Mpumalanga Province
Hosted by: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga and Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Ms Reitumetse Molotsoane- Africa Director Climate Champion Team
Speakers:
Ms. Shamiela Reid – Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Ms Dorah Morema -South Africa Local Government Association
Ms Swasti Raizada -International Institute of Sustainable Development- India
Mr. Nathi Nkonyane – Representative, Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA)
Ms Shivi Dwivedi- Stakeholder Engagement and EMDE Lead: Climate ChampionsEvent Brief:
The gender voices and gender justice should be at the center of the Climate Change and Just Transition discussion, emphasizing that a Just Transition is not only about shifting to a low-carbon economy, but also about ensuring those most affected by the transition and particularly women are not only represented in planning but are also part of the decision -making process. This is the way in which social cohesion, inclusion, and fairness can be achieved. The discourse emphasizes that the Just Transition must be fair, just and inclusive without leaving anyone behind. Gender Responsive actions cannot be top-down, the approach must be bottom-up whereby all communities including women participate and engage meaningfully in developing sustainable and innovative responses to reduce the transition risks and vulnerabilities.
Projects are already being built through co-creation and co-design in Mpumalanga. These models are working and are fostering community-owned projects, stronger local entrepreneurship and better project success rates. We are seeing evidence of women taking ownership and being independent to improve their livelihoods, dignity, protection and quality of life. These lessons speak directly to implementation of the UNFCCC’s Belém Gender Action Plan (2026 – 2034), including its emphasis on multidimensional and intersectional inequalities, safer participation, stronger evidence and the violence against women and girl’s nexus (UNFCCC, 2025). The session is designed to shift Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Transition from symbolic participation towards proper planning/ decision-making power, leadership, collaboration and entrepreneurial knowledge sharing
The session’s objectives are to:
- To explore the understanding of Just Transition and green economy interventions and opportunities in new and emerging sectors
- To facilitate entrepreneurial knowledge ownership and climate finance access for Just transition
- To explore the establishment of collaboration, partnerships and learning professional networks to support women-led interventions.
- To shift Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Transition from symbolic participation towards proper planning/ decision-making power and leadership
South African Perspective on a Nature-Positive Just Energy Transition
Hosted by: International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Eskom
-
Facilitator:
Vhalinavho Khavhagali
Speakers:
Ms Gabisile Mkhatshwa, Senior Manager: Climate Change & Sustainable Development (Eskom)
Tlou Ramaru, Chief Director: Climate Change Adaptation (DFFE)
Funanani Muremi, Director: Climate Change Adaptation (SANBI)
Garth Barnes, Programme Manager: Water and Biodiversity (PCC)
Rachel Asante, Senior Programme Manager: Energy Transition (IUCN)Event Brief:
This panel session at UNFCCC COP31 will explore how South Africa can advance a nature-positive just energy transition that delivers climate, biodiversity and development benefits together. It will bring together representatives from government, energy, finance, conservation, business, labour and communities to examine practical pathways from ambition to implementation. The discussion will highlight opportunities to align renewable-energy and transmission investment with South Africa’s climate commitments, biodiversity priorities and restoration goals. Panellists will consider how integrated spatial planning can steer infrastructure away from sensitive ecosystems while strengthening water security and landscape resilience. The session will also examine opportunities for green jobs, local enterprise, community ownership and equitable benefit-sharing in areas affected by the transition. It will showcase how applying the mitigation hierarchy and cumulative-impact assessment across the project lifecycle can improve environmental and social outcomes. Key challenges will include financing constraints, policy and institutional fragmentation, transmission bottlenecks, skills gaps and uneven implementation capacity. The panel will also address potential trade-offs involving land use, biodiversity impacts, energy affordability, reliability and the rights and livelihoods of workers and host communities. Participants will identify investable solutions, partnerships and South African pilots that could demonstrate how energy security, decarbonisation, nature recovery and social justice can reinforce one another. The session will conclude with priority actions for scaling a nature-positive just energy transition and climate resilience in South Africa and sharing lessons with the wider international climate community at COP31.
Utility Green Tariffs for South Africa’s Just Transition: Supporting Municipal Revenues, Scaling Renewable Energy and Expanding Corporate Procurement
Hosted by: Climate Group and National Business Initiative (NBI)
Who Pays for Nature? Financing Locally Led Nature-Based Solutions in Africa
Hosted by: African Centre for a Green Economy
-
Facilitator:
Dr Mao Amis
Speakers:
Ms Dorothy Maseke. Lead, Nature Finance & TNFD (FSD-Africa)
Mr Olympus Manthata, Head Climate Finance, DBSA
Dr Mandy Barnett, Chief Director, SANBI
Ms Inonge Sakala, Programme Manager, Southern Africa TrustEvent Brief:
Africa’s ecosystems underpin water security, climate resilience, livelihoods and essential municipal services. Nature-based solutions, including watershed restoration, wetland protection, urban greening and ecosystem-based flood management—can help municipalities and other subnational institutions address infrastructure and service-delivery challenges. Yet these solutions often remain small, grant-funded projects rather than becoming part of mainstream local development and investment planning.
This panel discussion will examine how subnational institutions can develop, finance and implement nature-based solutions at greater scale. It will explore project preparation, institutional capacity and practical financing mechanisms, including blended finance, green and nature bonds, payments for ecosystem services, insurance and public procurement.
The discussion will also consider revenue models, investment readiness, community rights and opportunities for local enterprises. It will identify practical steps for integrating nature-based solutions into municipal infrastructure, climate-resilience and service-delivery programmes while ensuring equitable local participation and benefits. It will highlight approaches that attract capital without weakening ecological or social outcomes.
Strengthening Climate and Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment through Innovation, Data and Strategic Partnerships
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
-
Facilitator:
Ms. Thembeka Mthethwa
Speakers:
Cllr Mluleki Nkosi – SALGA
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa – SALGA
Mr. Gabriel Mazzola Poli de Figueiredo – Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of Brazil
Ms Nomkita Fani-UN HabitatEvent Brief:
As climate-related hazards place growing pressure on municipal infrastructure, housing, public spaces and essential services, local governments are central to creating built environments that are resilient, inclusive and responsive to local needs. This side event will examine how innovation and data can help municipalities anticipate climate risks, strengthen planning and investment decisions, and climate-proof the built environment. Drawing on the emerging partnership between the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of Brazil, the session will highlight practical approaches from South Africa and Brazil, including climate and geospatial data, risk assessment and mapping, environmental monitoring, resilient housing and infrastructure, early warning systems, and evidence-based urban planning.
The event will explore how local governments, research institutions and development partners can co-develop, adapt and apply innovative technologies, data platforms and knowledge products to address local climate vulnerabilities. Speakers will share experiences and lessons on translating climate science and data into municipal policies, plans, projects and service-delivery interventions. The discussion will also consider the governance, institutional capacity, financing and partnerships required to scale locally led solutions and accelerate the transition towards climate-resilient, sustainable and inclusive cities.
Going Local: Lessons on Financing Locally-Led Adaptation from Pilots to Scale
Hosted by: Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and partners
-
Facilitator:
Ms Haley St. Dennis, Head of Just Transitions (IHRB), or Natalie Donback, Adaptation Lead (JUST Stories)
Speakers:
Mikko Ollikainen, Head (Adaptation Fund)
Chitembo Kawimbe Chunga, Head of Resilience Portfolio (Climate Investment Funds)
Amiya Prapan Chakraborty, CEO (DYDF, Bangladesh)
Cristiane Azevedo, Managing Director (ISPN, Brazil)
Paul Mitchell, Senior Associate (IIED)
Pietro Bertazzi, Chief Policy & Interim Growth Officer (CDP)Event Brief:
To adapt to increasing temperatures, droughts, and other forms of extreme weather, low- and middle-income countries need between $310 billion to $365 billion per year by 2035, including for projects that can improve the resilience of everything from infrastructure and agriculture to entire cities and ecosystems. While adaptation has historically been seen as a public good that can only be financed with public resources, the scale needed can only be reached with additional finance from the private sector, which must start thinking of adaptation as both an opportunity and a necessity for business continuity.
This event, co-hosted by IHRB and partners, will bring together key stakeholders from climate funds, network organizations, and local NGOs implementing adaptation projects on the ground for an honest and practical conversation about how we can scale local, bankable projects by learning from those who are already doing and financing it. The panel will share real-life case studies of what successful implementation looks like on the ground and share lessons learned from funders to NGOs aiming to scale their impact through locally-led adaptation.
Application of CCUS Technologies Toward Realising Clean Coal Development in South Africa
Hosted by: Council for Geoscience
-
Facilitator:
Gabi Mkhatshwa, Eskom
Speakers:
Dr Thuli Khumalo, Executive Manager; Dr Taufeeq Dhansay, Acting Executive Manager: Integrated Geoscience Development; Ms Zama Sibewu, CCUS Project Lead (all Council for Geoscience)
Event Brief:
The Council for Geoscience is undertaking research and development towards the first Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) facility in South Africa. The results of this integrated and fundamental research have highlighted that South Africa, and much of Southern Africa, has significant underground geological potential for CCUS development. Importantly, much of this storage potential is located in close proximity to the region’s vast coal reserves. These reserves continue to feature prominently in many countries’ energy, economic, and social development strategies. However, the development of cleaner coal technologies is imperative to ensure that such development remains aligned with the principles of a Just Transition. CCUS is therefore being explored as an intervention that can enable pragmatic coal development while mitigating the associated carbon emissions.
Empowering Municipalities through Innovative Finance: Accelerating Climate Action
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and Development Bank of Southern Africa
-
Facilitator:
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa-SALGA
Speakers:
Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi – SALGA
Ms. Thembeka Mthethwa – SALGA
Mr. Muhammed Sayed – Development Bank of Southern Africa
Mr. Stuart Mangold – Department of Forestry Fisheries & the Environment (TBC)
City of Johannesburg (TBC)Event Brief:
This side event will explore how innovative and blended financing approaches can unlock and accelerate municipal climate and biodiversity action. As the level of government closest to communities, municipalities play a critical role in implementing climate adaptation, mitigation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable development initiatives. However, many local governments continue to face significant financial and technical barriers in preparing and implementing bankable projects.
Co-hosted by SALGA and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the session will showcase practical financing solutions, investment mechanisms, and partnership models that can support municipalities in accessing climate, biodiversity, and sustainable infrastructure finance. The discussion will highlight lessons from South African municipalities and development finance institutions, opportunities to strengthen project preparation and investment readiness, and strategies for mobilising public and private capital to deliver resilient, inclusive, and nature-positive development outcomes.
The event aims to foster dialogue between local governments, development finance institutions, national government, investors, and development partners on advancing scalable financing solutions that empower municipalities to achieve national climate commitments while improving service delivery and community resilience.
Africa’s Competitive Advantage: Culture, Knowledge and Partnerships for Climate-Resilient Economic Transformation
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC (4 speakers)
Speakers:
TBC (4 speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how Africa can leverage its cultural capital, indigenous knowledge, skills, entrepreneurship and regional partnerships to build competitive, climate-resilient economies. The discussion will consider opportunities to translate African knowledge and creativity into economic value, green industries and jobs, while using mechanisms such as the AfCFTA, regional value chains, climate finance and South-South cooperation to strengthen trade, economic diversification and inclusive growth.
Accelerating National and Global Decarbonisation Through Business Coalitions
Hosted by: CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development)
-
Facilitator:
Lucas Costamilan
Speakers:
Fernanda Monteiro (CEBDS)
Alex McNamara (NBI)
Andrew Prag (WMBC)
Arthur Ramos (BCG Brazil) TBC
Clea Kaske-Kuck (WBCSD)Event Brief:
The session explores the internationalization and cross-regional replication of private sector coalitions for decarbonization, drawing lessons from Brazil’s Sectoral Coalitions model and the South African business context. Building on the engagement at London Climate Action Week and New York Climate Week, the session addresses how business councils and global partners can transition from high-level shared ambition to shared risk management and disciplined, pre-competitive implementation. It highlights how domestic business coalitions can be structured to endure political and financial shifts, maintain private sector ownership, and drive tangible competitiveness and emission reductions in heavy-emitting and transition-critical sectors.
Furthermore, the session focuses on scaling the coalition model globally towards COP31 and beyond, accelerating transition pathways across emerging economies. By analyzing regional case studies and international frameworks, panellists and participants will examine which governance elements must remain consistent across geographies and which must be tailored locally. The event will foster open dialogue among global business leaders, multilateral partners, and coalition facilitators on establishing the key pre-conditions, tools, and institutional support required to expand high-impact, business-led decarbonization coalitions worldwide.
Building a People-Centered, Climate Responsive Action and Sustainable Just Transition in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Hosted by: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga and Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Nompumelelo Mashaba (Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Speakers:
Ms. Shamiela Reid : Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Ms. Martha Nkosi : CIIVIC Project Beneficiary
Mr. Nathi Nkonyane : Representative, Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA)
Mr Jonas Kueli : International Institute of Sustainable Development : Global South CountriesEvent Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition presents an opportunity to reshape local economies, protect livelihoods and advance climate-resilient development, particularly in coal-dependent regions such as Mpumalanga. Yet an inclusive and sustainable transition cannot be achieved through technological innovation and investment alone; it demands meaningful community participation, inclusive decision-making and stronger partnerships between civil society, government, the private sector, development partners and local communities.
Drawing on the Community Institutional Infrastructure and Voices for Inclusive Change project’s focus on strengthening civil society engagement and collaboration across the Just Energy Transition ecosystem, this session will explore how communities and civil society organisations can play a more meaningful role in shaping climate and energy transition processes. It will examine how stronger partnership pathways can connect community priorities with institutional planning, implementation and decision-making, ensuring that the needs and experiences of affected communities inform the transition.
Through perspectives from civil society, community representatives and local development stakeholders, the discussion will explore barriers to meaningful participation, opportunities for improved coordination, and approaches to strengthening accountability and collaboration among different actors. Attention will be given to how stakeholders can move beyond consultation towards more inclusive, coordinated and community-responsive approaches to planning and implementing Just Transition initiatives.
The session aims to identify practical recommendations for strengthening partnerships across the Just Transition ecosystem in Mpumalanga, ensuring that communities are not merely recipients of transition interventions, but active participants in shaping priorities, influencing decisions and contributing to sustainable development outcomes.
Expected Outcomes
- Identify practical partnership pathways to strengthen collaboration across the Just Transition ecosystem.
- Highlight opportunities for communities and civil society organisations to influence climate and energy transition planning and decision-making.
- Develop recommendations for improving stakeholder coordination, meaningful participation and accountability.
- Strengthen recognition of community knowledge, priorities and experiences in shaping locally responsive Just Transition initiatives.
Clear Skies Ahead: a 2040 roadmap to cut aviation’s climate impact through navigational contrail avoidance
Hosted by: Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA)
-
Facilitator:
Brandon Staats, Policy, Strategy and Business Development Manager, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
Speakers:
- Dr Samuel Gabra, Director, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
- Edmund Dickens, Senior Project Manager, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
- Brandon Staats, Policy, Strategy and Business Development Manager, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
Event Brief:
Aviation is responsible for a significant and growing contribution to climate change and is a hard-to-abate sector with few options for significant near-term decarbonisation. Contrail avoidance is one solution that has the potential to almost halve aviation-related climate warming over the short term; it can be achieved using the aircraft flying today, and involves asking a small proportion (~5%) of flights to make small vertical deviations (~2000ft) to avoid most (~80%) of this warming.
This event will raise awareness of the climate opportunity associated with contrail avoidance and outline a policy roadmap to achieving this. It will be based on recent research from the Aviation Impact Accelerator at the University of Cambridge that shows how we can build up an avoidance system at a global scale by 2040. Success could enable us to recover 9% of the remaining Paris-aligned temperature budget, delivering climate mitigation at a cost as low as $1/tCO2e avoided.
From Fragmentation to Scale: Building the Global South Cleantech Entrepreneurship Alliance
Hosted by: Startup Genome
-
Facilitator:
Naira Bonifácio
Speakers:
Lucy Chatburn (Cleantech Group); Stephan Kuester (Startup Genome); a South Africa representative (TBC); Anna de Souza Aranha (Quintessa), Vusi Skosana
Acting Executive: Innovation Enabling & Head of Technology Stations
Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)Event Brief:
“From Fragmentation to Scale: Building the Global South Cleantech Entrepreneurship Alliance” is a high-level panel session that addresses the critical “Climate Tech Gap” the paradox where Global South nations bear the most severe climate impacts yet remain structurally positioned as raw material exporters and passive consumers of Northern-developed cleantech solutions. The panel will present preliminary findings from the Global South Cleantech Entrepreneurship Alliance (GSCEA) Opportunities Report, showcasing how seven founding member nations (Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Senegal, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Oman) can transition from isolated innovation efforts to a unified, scalable regional platform. Through a polycentric governance model anchored in national and regional institutions, the GSCEA aggregates cross-border demand, harmonizes regulatory frameworks, and unlocks industrial capacity to generate high-value employment, technological sovereignty, and climate resilience across the Global South.
The session will convene ministerial leaders, impact investors, and policymakers to validate the Alliance’s strategic vision and formalize institutional commitments. Participants will engage with initial diagnostic findings on cleantech subsector opportunities, ecosystem competencies, and critical infrastructure gaps and invite new governments to join the coalition. By demonstrating how market consolidation and coordinated policy action can transform fragmented entrepreneurial ecosystems into competitive global players, this panel positions the Global South as an active agent in the global cleantech transition rather than a passive recipient of external solutions.
Municipal Leadership in the Just Energy Transition: Sharing Lessons and Best Practises
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
Ms. Dorah Marema- SALGA
Speakers:
Mr. Blessing Manale – Presidential Climate Commission
Ms. Babalwa Mbobo – SALGA
Mr. Sergio Chaparro – Ministry of Environment in Colombia
Ms. Dudu Sibiya-Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Ms. Titi Sontoro- Aks! – Indonesia
City of Tshwane (TBC)Event Brief:
Municipalities play a critical role in advancing South Africa’s Just Energy Transition by translating national energy and climate commitments into practical local actions that promote energy security, economic development, climate resilience, and social inclusion. Through its Municipal Just Energy Transition (JET) Council, SALGA has created a platform that enables municipalities to collaborate, exchange knowledge, identify common challenges, and develop locally relevant solutions to support a just and inclusive transition.
This event will provide an opportunity to share lessons, experiences, and good practices emerging from SALGA’s Municipal JET Council and municipal JET initiatives across South Africa, while drawing insights from Global South partners. Discussions will focus on municipal leadership, governance, financing, capacity building, and partnerships required to accelerate implementation, foster peer learning, and strengthen the role of local government in delivering an equitable, resilient, and sustainable energy transition.
Women and Youth at the Forefront of Climate Resilience: Advancing a Just Transition through Inclusive Local Governance
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and SAIIA
-
Facilitator:
Dorah Marema
Speakers:
Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi – SALGA
Ms. Shamiela Reid – Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Mr Lehlohonolo Jack – South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Ms. Olfa Jelassi- Climate, Sustainability & International Development, TunisiaEvent Brief:
Women and youth are among those most affected by climate change, yet they are also powerful drivers of innovation, leadership, and sustainable development. This event will provide a platform to explore how local government can strengthen the participation of women and young people in climate governance, green economy opportunities, entrepreneurship, skills development, and community resilience initiatives.
Through dialogue and the sharing of practical experiences, the event will highlight pathways for inclusive leadership, climate justice, green jobs, food security, digital innovation, and climate finance, while promoting partnerships that empower women and youth as equal partners in advancing a just transition and building climate-resilient municipalities and communities.
Beyond Decarbonisation: Business, Human Rights and a Just Transition for People and Nature
Hosted by: United Nations Global Compact
Investing in Africa’s Green Transformation: Building Sustainable Enterprises, Circular Value Chains and Climate-Resilient Markets
Hosted by: Kenya Platform for Climate Governance (KPCG)
-
Facilitator:
Faith Ngige, HSC – National Coordinator – KPCG
Event Brief:
The proposed dialogue, “Investing in Africa’s Green Transformation: Building Sustainable Enterprises, Circular Value Chains and Climate-Resilient Markets,” will explore how Africa can convert the green transition into commercially viable enterprises, stronger local and regional value chains and growing markets for sustainable products and services.
The session will bring together business leaders, investors, financial institutions, policymakers, entrepreneurs, civil society and community perspectives to examine the enabling conditions required for sustainable enterprises to start, grow and compete. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between investment, enterprise development and market demand, recognising that businesses become more investable when there is a clear and growing market for the products and services they provide.
The dialogue will therefore move beyond the traditional discussion of financing green businesses to examine the broader ecosystem needed to sustain them, including consumer awareness, green procurement, credible standards, market incentives, accessible finance and supportive policy and regulatory frameworks.
The event is expected to strengthen understanding of the relationship between enterprise development, consumer demand and investment within Africa’s green transition. It will identify commercially promising sustainable-enterprise opportunities, explore approaches for growing circular and climate-resilient markets and highlight how communities can participate more actively as consumers, producers and market actors.
The dialogue will also help identify practical measures for strengthening green-consumer awareness, sustainable procurement, market confidence and enterprise bankability. It will provide an opportunity for businesses, investors, policymakers and civil society to identify possible partnerships for scaling sustainable products, services and value chains across African markets.
Ultimately, the event will contribute to a stronger African narrative in which climate action is not viewed primarily as a cost or obligation, but as an opportunity to build competitive enterprises, stronger markets and more resilient economies.
A Fair and “Just” Transition Begins Before Decommissioning and Closure of Power Stations: Lessons and Opportunities for Mpumalanga
Hosted by: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga and Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Rest Kanju, Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Speakers:
Dr Vikesh Rajpaul: Eskom
Mr Blessing Manale: Presidential Climate Commission
Just Transition Specialist -Philippians Government
Mr Jonas Kueli -International Institute of Sustainable Development-Global South Countries
Ms Athini Kuse : AquaDipEvent Brief:
Mpumalanga is home to eleven coal-fired power stations and a plethora of coal mines. The province accounts for a considerable share of South Africa’s emissions from mining and energy sectors, with highly economic dependency on both sectors. The decommissioning of power stations and retirement are still too often governed as a technical event rather than a place based social transition, e.g. Komati Power Station in Mpumalanga, offers a practical lesson. Although the plant reached the end of its economic life, subsequent assessments found that early engagement had partially procedurally just and inclusivity, the initial project boundary was too narrow, and socioeconomic interventions were not adequately sequenced ahead of closure. Later engagement, consultation and inclusivity were improved, through encouraged social dialogues by different Just Transition actors.
Just Transition is an active process that ensures National and Provincial developmental priorities are achieved. This happens through minimizing the transition risks and impacts by maximizing opportunities to leave people better off, especially the most affected and vulnerable. It needs a system that prioritizes sustainable and decent job creation; reduction of poverty and inequality; improved infrastructure and services; improved community livelihoods; skills development and improved health; diversified, sustainable and resilient economic growth while protecting the environment. The session proposes to bring lessons-learned, experiences and opportunities from various Just Transition actors such as government with policy, labour, civil societies, private sector, agencies and funders/donors perspectives
Green Economy Transitions: Connecting Technologies, Knowledge and Partnerships for Climate Resilience and a Low-Carbon Future
Hosted by: International Water Management Institute (CGIAR-IWMI), with DSTI, WIPO GREEN and IFoW-TUT
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Ms Alina Mthembu, Acting Director (DSTI)
Mr Maesela Kekana, DDG (DFFE)
Dr Gabriel Lekalakala, Research Specialist (TUT)
Dr Henry Roman, Regional Representative: Southern Africa (CGIAR-IWMI)
Dr Nompumelelo Obokoh, Head of Climate Change and Food Security Unit (WIPO GREEN)Event Brief:
South Africa has a growing pipeline of innovations that can support a more circular, low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. The challenge is not only to develop these solutions, but to create the enabling conditions, partnerships and deployment pathways that allow promising technologies to reach users, markets and communities. The event will be grounded in relevant DSTI policy instruments, including circular economy priorities and the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy, which seek to produce and use science, technology and innovation to support an inclusive, just and climate-resilient circular economy transition in South Africa.
Partners will contribute complementary innovation and implementation pathways: WIPO GREEN will bring expertise in intellectual property, green technology matchmaking and technology transfer; CGIAR-IWMI will contribute regional experience in water, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and evidence-based solutions; and IFoW-TUT will provide applied research, policy development, innovation, future of work, just transition and implementation perspectives.
Critical Minerals, Domestic Capital and Africa’s Green Future
Hosted by: African Centre for a Green Economy
-
Facilitator:
Dr Mao Amis
Speakers:
Dr Marit Kitaw, Economic Affairs Officer, UNECA
Dr Claude Kabemba, Executive Director, Southern Africa Resource Watch
Ms Aliness Mumba, Climate Change Lead, Southern Africa Trust
Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, Co-founder Southern TransitionsEvent Brief:
Africa possesses significant reserves of minerals essential to the global energy transition. Yet expanding mineral production alone will not guarantee industrial development, economic diversification or improved livelihoods. The challenge is how African countries can leverage their mineral wealth to mobilise domestic capital, develop regional value chains and support a more inclusive green industrial future.
This moderated panel discussion will bring together perspectives from industrial policy, the mining industry and civil society to explore how Africa can move beyond raw mineral exports towards greater value addition and economic transformation. Particular attention will be given to domestic institutional capital, enabling policies and financing mechanisms that can unlock investment in mineral beneficiation and emerging green industries.
The discussion will also consider the governance, environmental and social conditions necessary to ensure equitable benefits, while highlighting practical priorities for investment, regional cooperation and sustainable development.
Advancing Country Platforms: Southern Evidence and Insights
Hosted by: South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Alex Benkenstein, Programme Head (SAIIA); Crispian Olver, Senior Fellow (WRI); a PCC representative (TBC); representatives from participating countries (TBC)
Event Brief:
The event shared insights from the “Advancing Country Platforms: Southern Evidence and Insights” research network, a collaboration between SAIIA, WRI, ODI and a consortium of leading research institutions from across Africa, Asia and Latin America, supported by IDRC. The proposed event will allow partners to share insights from the demand assessment carried out in consultation with policy stakeholders in participating countries. We believe the results will be of considerable interest well beyond the research community. The assessment is drawing together perspectives from ministries of finance, planning and other implementing institutions across a diverse group of developing countries, providing one of the first systematic analyses of the practical challenges countries face in designing and operationalising country platforms. The findings are intended to inform not only the work of the research network itself, but also the approaches of the many development partners and international organisations that are supporting country platforms.
South Africa features as one of the core case studies within the assessment, and we expect the findings to resonate strongly with South Africa’s own experience in developing country-led approaches to climate and development finance. The session would therefore provide an opportunity to showcase South African leadership while placing it within a broader international context and facilitating dialogue with other developing countries.
An Update on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage in Southern Africa: Toward the Implementation of a Rapid Just Transition
Hosted by: Council for Geoscience
-
Facilitator:
Dr Thuli Khumalo
Speakers:
Mr Mosa Mabuza, CEO; Dr Taufeeq Dhansay, Acting Executive Manager: Integrated Geoscience Development; Ms Zama Sibewu, CCUS Project Leader (all Council for Geoscience)
Event Brief:
The Council for Geoscience is undertaking research and development towards the first Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) facility in South Africa. The results of this integrated and fundamental research have highlighted that South Africa, and much of Southern Africa, has significant underground geological potential for CCUS development. Social, economic, and feasibility studies further highlight that this technology can be implemented relatively rapidly, enabling an almost immediate reduction in carbon emissions and, importantly, aligning with the current Just Transition Framework. This includes enabling a sustainable mechanism to support anticipated fossil fuel use while facilitating broader energy transition mechanisms.
The Transition Is More Than Energy: Connecting People, Places and Industries in South Africa’s JET
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
-
Facilitator:
Kaloli Tsekoa, Manager: Just Energy Transition Portfolios – Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit (JET PMU)
Speakers:
Thamsanqa Mlhonza, Programme Manager – Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency
Rest Kanju, Executive Director – Indalo Exclusive
Rosalind Dos Santos, Business Unity South Africa
TBC, South African Local Government Association
TBC, International Partners Group
Event Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition is about more than replacing one source of energy with another. It is about whether the transition can create new industries, build the skills required for those industries, strengthen municipalities, unlock opportunities for small businesses and communities and create new economic pathways in places such as Mpumalanga that have powered South Africa’s economy for generations. This session would bring together the different parts of South Africa’s JET including Skills, Municipalities, New Energy Vehicles, Green Hydrogen and Mpumalanga to explore what happens when these areas are treated not as separate programmes, but as interconnected parts of one economic and social transition.
The discussion would also bring South Africa’s International Partners Group (IPG) into the conversation, moving beyond how much finance has been committed to asking what kind of partnership is required to make an integrated transition work in practice. Using South Africa as a case study, the session would explore how international finance and technical cooperation can better connect with local implementation, industrial development, skills, municipal capacity and community-level economic opportunities. At its heart, the conversation asks a simple but important question: How do we connect finance, people, places and new industries so that the transition delivers tangible development outcomes and what can South Africa’s experience offer other countries pursuing a just transition?
Just Transition in Action: Strategic Pathways for South Africa’s Energy Future
Hosted by: Energy Council of South Africa, with Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation and Exxaro
-
Facilitator:
James MacKay, CEO, Energy Council of South Africa
Speakers:
H.E. Minister David Maynier, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) (TBC)
Senior representative from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE)
Calib Cassim, Group CFO, Eskom
Rian Coetzee, Industry Planning and Project Development, Industrial Development Corporation
Senior representative from the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) (TBC)
Senior representative from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia (TBC)Event Brief:
This opening session sets the political tone for the series, bringing together the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to present the Government’s position on the pace and sequencing of South Africa’s transition, followed by a High-Level panel of senior representatives. International counterparts, Germany and Indonesia will share perspectives on coal phase-out, climate finance and balancing energy security with emissions reduction, including energy’s role in enabling sustainable industrialisation.
The session will examine how energy reform advances the just transition through complementary positions: the DFFE on the pace and sequencing of coal retirement, environmental compliance and South Africa’s Paris Agreement commitments; Eskom on coal-fleet retirement sequencing and the productive deployment of surplus capacity while preserving energy security and industrial capacity; and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) on how reliable, competitively priced energy, accelerated grid expansion and enabling infrastructure support low-carbon growth, localisation, industrial diversification and quality employment.
The Energy Council of South Africa convenes these positions with international counterparts: Germany, as the developed-economy JETP partner, bringing climate finance mobilisation, coal phase-out policy design and the balance between energy security and net zero commitments; and Indonesia as the developing-economy peer, navigating surplus capacity, retirement sequencing and JETP financing on a directly comparable path to South Africa’s. The exchange draws out where South Africa’s approach aligns with, and can learn from, fellow and former coal-dependent economies.
Building Climate Resilient Power Systems
Hosted by: Eskom
-
Facilitator:
Gabi Mkhatshwa
Speakers:
Exxaro, Industrial Development Corporation, International Union for Conservation of Nature
Event Brief:
As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, power systems worldwide face growing risks from heatwaves, droughts, floods, storms, and wildfires. For South Africa, these climate-related impacts have significant implications for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure, as well as the reliability and affordability of energy supply. This session will explore how utilities can strengthen the resilience of power systems by integrating climate risk considerations into planning, operations, asset management, and investment decision-making. The discussion will highlight the importance of anticipating future climate conditions and embedding resilience across the entire electricity value chain.
Drawing on Eskom’s experience and lessons from global best practice, the session will examine practical approaches to building a climate-resilient power system that can withstand, adapt to, and recover from climate-related disruptions. Focus areas will include climate risk assessments, resilient infrastructure design, grid modernization, diversification of energy sources, adaptation financing, and the role of innovation and partnerships in enhancing long-term energy security. The discussion aims to contribute to broader efforts to ensure a reliable, sustainable, and resilient power system that supports economic development and a just energy transition.
Financing the Upstream Renewable Energy and Battery Value Chain
Hosted by: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
-
Facilitator:
Siloshini Naidoo
Speakers:
TBC: Industrial Development Corporation; AUDA-NEPAD; DBSA; Exxaro; World Bank
Event Brief:
This proposed panel discussion will explore how climate finance can be used to unlock the full value of Africa’s critical mineral endowment and support the development of upstream renewable energy and battery value chains. As global demand for minerals such as lithium, cobalt, manganese, copper and rare earth elements accelerates, Africa has a unique opportunity to move beyond the export of raw materials and position itself as a hub for beneficiation, processing, battery manufacturing and green industrial development. The discussion will examine how concessional finance, blended finance, guarantees and other climate finance instruments can de-risk investments across the critical minerals value chain while supporting local economic development, job creation and regional integration.
The session will also consider the policy, financing and just transition challenges associated with critical minerals development. Discussions will focus on the role of climate finance in supporting local beneficiation, managing technology and market risks, addressing funding gaps for early-stage mineral projects, and developing appropriate taxonomies for classifying critical mineral investments and related infrastructure. Particular attention will be given to ensuring that communities benefit from the transition through skills development, inclusive participation and sustainable industrialisation. The panel aims to generate practical insights on how Africa can leverage its mineral wealth to support both global decarbonisation objectives and its own development priorities, ensuring that the critical minerals boom becomes a catalyst for a just, inclusive and climate-resilient industrial transformation.
Africa in the Driver’s Seat: Building the Continent’s Electric Mobility Value Chain
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
-
Facilitator:
Kaloli Tsekoa, Manager: JET Portfolios
Speakers:
Muhammed Sayed, Principal Specialist: Climate & Nature Finance Unit – Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
Nathan Fredricks, Programme Director for New Energy Vehicles (NEV) – Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) JET Programme Management Office
Others TBC
Event Brief:
The session builds on the Industrial Development Corporation’s Electric Mobility Transition & Localisation: Towards Unlocking the New Value Chain for Africa study, which looks beyond mainstream passenger electric vehicles to identify where South Africa and the wider continent can participate in and localise the emerging electric mobility value chain. The study identifies four key investment opportunities: electric L-class vehicles and micro-mobility, New Energy Vehicle charging infrastructure, the battery value chain, and battery second life and recycling.
The session will take this conversation further by asking: Where should Africa place its bets in the global electric mobility transition, and what will it take to turn these opportunities into investable industries and regional value chains? It will explore how Africa can use electric mobility not only to reduce transport emissions, but also to build new industries, beneficiate its critical minerals, strengthen local and regional value chains and mobilise investment. The discussion will bring together African industry, development finance and e-mobility leaders to share practical experience and identify the partnerships and solutions needed to move from opportunity to investment and implementation.
Energy Affordability and Access in a Reforming Electricity Sector
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC (4 speakers)
Speakers:
TBC (4 speakers)
Event Brief:
South Africa’s electricity market reforms are critical to improving reliability, attracting investment and enabling the energy transition, but they also raise significant questions about affordability and energy justice. This session will explore how electricity pricing reform can protect poor and vulnerable households while maintaining the financial sustainability of the electricity sector. It will consider the future of Free Basic Electricity (FBE), emerging approaches to a broader Free Basic Allocation, subsidy mechanisms and international experiences in balancing market reform with equitable energy access.
Just Energy Transition Era in KwaZulu-Natal: The Pipeline Is Promising
Hosted by: Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (KZN)
-
Facilitator:
Dr Robert Bonginkosi Dlamini
Speakers:
MEC Rev Zondi; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Hon. Oden Ewa, Cross River State (Nigeria)
Commissioner Andile Mlambo: Earthlife Africa and member of the Presidential Climate Commission, South Africa
Nathan Fredericks: IDC, Head of Just Energy Transition and NEV, South Africa
The Climate GroupEvent Brief:
The Member of the Executive Council (MEC), Rev Keith Musa Zondi, has the pleasure of hosting an event on the journey of a just energy transition in the subnational government of KwaZulu-Natal. At this event, the MEC will be showcasing the JET journey while also opening arms for investment opportunities in the province. There is space to expand energy security through the energy transition and a green fleet through electric vehicles.
KwaZulu is making serious inroads into the just energy transition space. The Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone has been transformed into and named an energy hub. Private sector investment is active in the space, seeing and projecting new skill sets, jobs of the future, and a whole transformed industrial activity. The Energy Summit that was held in March 2026 revealed a strong energy transition pathway that promises a long-term future for the subnational economy. Other projects include small-scale, localised transitions with local benefits for communities, small enterprises, and so on.
The government is also pioneering the green fleet and developing charging infrastructure. The future looks bright. All of this cannot be without challenges. Government, private sector, and communities are needed to shape their own JET destiny, recognising that KwaZulu-Natal is ready for investment.
The Presidential Climate Commission is instrumental in pioneering the JET Implementation Plan and resource mobilisation. The Climate Group has a long-standing partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal subnational government, supporting its climate mitigation initiatives and exposing it to funding opportunities.
COAL IN A DECARBONISING WORLD: CHALLENGES, INNOVATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES – Clean Coal Technologies for a Lower-Carbon Future
Hosted by: Eskom
-
Presenter:
Eric Shunmagum, General Manager, Office of the Group Executive: Generation, Eskom
Event Brief:
South Africa remains heavily reliant on coal, with approximately 86% of electricity generated from coal-fired power stations. Coal therefore remains essential to grid stability, economic development and energy access. The challenge is not the immediate elimination of coal, but the reduction of emissions while ensuring reliable electricity supply and protecting jobs and communities.
The transition must address South Africa’s energy quadrilemma:
• Energy security
• Affordability
• Environmental sustainability
• Socio-economic development and job preservationSouth Africa does not have to choose between energy security, economic development and climate action. Through cleaner coal technologies, co-firing and carbon capture, Eskom proposes a pragmatic transition pathway that reduces emissions while safeguarding electricity supply, industrial competitiveness and livelihoods.
This session will outline Eskom’s proposed approach to reducing emissions from South Africa’s coal-based electricity system while maintaining energy security, affordability and socio-economic stability.
Driving South Africa’s electric future: What the world’s EV leaders can teach us – From global lessons to a transition that is visible, supported and investable
Hosted by: Naspers-Prosus, with NBI
-
Facilitator:
Naspers-Prosus
Speakers:
Government of South Africa (Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and Department of Transport, TBC)
Government representative from a country with an EV success story (Morocco / Nepal / UK / Germany / Japan / China – TBC)
Nathan Fredericks – Director, IDC/JET PMO
Shameela Shoobramoney – CEO, NBI
Financier (TBC – e.g. DBSA or IFC)
Prajna / Ronell Govender – NaspersEvent Brief:
Electrifying a country’s cars, buses, taxis and delivery fleets is not a technology problem. It is a systems problem: technology, business models, policy, finance and people must move together. Countries that scaled EVs fast did not get every lever right. They got a few critical levers right, in the right order.
The EV Collective South Africa, an initiative of four South African organisations, studied the levers used by countries that have scaled EVs. The aim: make South Africa’s EV transition visible, supported and investable.
This session puts that research next to the people who lived it. Speakers from a country that scaled EVs will say what worked and what they would do differently. South African government, business and finance will then test these lessons against local reality: an export-driven automotive industry, grid constraints, a large minibus-taxi sector and the Just Energy Transition (JET) investment plan.
Participants leave with a clear view of which two or three levers South Africa should pull first, and who needs to act.
Financing the Industrial Transition: From Climate Plans to Investable Transformation
Hosted by: Industrial Development Corporation
-
Facilitator:
Lwandle Mqadi
Speakers:
TBC (4)
Event Brief:
The transition to a low-carbon economy will succeed only if emerging and industrialising economies can decarbonise key industries while strengthening competitiveness, jobs, energy security and productive capacity. This side event will explore how credible transition plans can be translated into investable industrial programmes. Drawing on the IDC’s Sustainable Bond Framework and Sustainable Industrialisation Pathways, it will examine how development finance institutions can link sector planning, project preparation, transition finance criteria, capital mobilisation and impact reporting. The discussion will emphasise that transition finance should deliver measurable emissions reductions and sustainable industrial development, rather than simply reclassifying conventional finance.
Using South Africa, Brazil and Russia as comparative case studies, participants will assess how national taxonomies, disclosure requirements, carbon pricing, trade measures and sector policies either enable or constrain the scale-up of transition finance.
Aligning Net-Zero Transport Pathways with an Inclusive New Energy Vehicle Industrial Strategy
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
TBC (more than 4 speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how South Africa and other emerging economies can decarbonise transport while strengthening industrial competitiveness and ensuring a Just Transition. Drawing on the PCC’s Transport Net-Zero Scenarios and New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Position Paper, the discussion will examine NEV adoption, industrial localisation, value-chain development, green manufacturing, jobs and worker protection, as well as the financing and policy interventions needed to accelerate an inclusive transition.
Communities First: Practical Models for Just Transition at the Coalface
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Funding Platform
-
Facilitator:
Carmen Mollmann, Platform Analyst – JET Funding Platform
Speakers:
Joanne Yawitch, Head of the JET PMU – Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
Duduzile Sibiya, Mpumalanga Provincial Climate Change Coordinator – Department of Agriculture Rural Development Land and the Environment
Rest Kanju, Executive Director – Indalo Exclusive
Alex McNamara, Head of Environment – National Business Initiative
Representative from African Climate Foundations
Event Brief:
Global climate finance discussions often focus on large-scale investment and policy, while the experiences and priorities of communities most affected by the transition can be overlooked. Mpumalanga provides a practical test of what it means to leave no one behind, as South Africa works to transform its coal heartland into a more diversified and climate-resilient economy. The province demonstrates how community needs can be identified through evidence-based vulnerability assessments, translated into projects through coordinated project preparation, and connected to appropriate sources of funding. Through initiatives already underway, including enterprise development, local livelihood programmes, skills development and community partnerships, Mpumalanga offers an opportunity to demonstrate what a community-centred transition looks like in practice. The experience of Komati, South Africa’s first coal-fired power station to close as part of the transition, also provides important lessons about what worked, what did not, and what needs to be done differently as other communities and countries prepare for similar transitions.
The proposed session would bring together government, funders, civil society, implementers and community voices to explore how community priorities can move from identified needs to funded and implementable projects. It would examine the role of the JET Funding Platform and project preparation in building a stronger pipeline of community-level projects, alongside tools such as the Community Transition Vulnerability Index for targeting support where it is needed most. Grounded in the principles of distributive, restorative and procedural justice, the discussion would position Mpumalanga as a practical case study for other Just Energy Transition Partnership countries, showing that the success of a just transition cannot be measured only in finance mobilised, megawatts added or emissions reduced, but ultimately in whether affected communities have meaningful opportunities, livelihoods and a genuine role in shaping the transition.
From Climate Risk to Resilience: Accelerating Adaptation to Extreme Weather events.
Hosted by: Gauteng Department of Environment and Regions4, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa
-
Facilitator:
Basani Ndindani
Speakers:
Gauteng – Ewan Botha, MEC: Environment and Africa Vice-President for Regions4.
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) – Reverend Musa Zond, MEC: Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental
Regions4 – Natalia Uribe Pando, Secretary General
Other Regions4 member (TBC)
Event Brief:
The session will look at how Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and other like-minded Regions are responding to climate-induced extreme events through strategic alignment with global networks, decentralized infrastructure overhauls, and community-driven adaptation frameworks. Under the mandate of South Africa’s Climate Change Act, these subnational governments are pivoting from reactive disaster response to active climate resilience.
Objective of the session
The session will explore different interventions that are being employed to increase climate resilience and adaptation to climate induced extreme events by sub-national governments in South Africa. Responding to climate-induced extreme events—such as severe droughts, devastating floods, intense heatwaves, and wildfires requires a coordinated, so this session will also look at tri-pillar approach: scaling up proven interventions, expanding strategic partnerships, and unlocking international climate finance. Historically, climate funding has favoured mitigation (reducing emissions), but global policy targets like the OECD’s adaptation finance goals and agreements made at COP frameworks are aggressively pushing to close the adaptation deficit, giving an opportunity to Regions such as Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal that are seeking to increase resilience to access climate change adaptation finance.
Specific objectives are to:
• Explore regions’ programmes for increasing resilience in response to climate induced risks.
• Explore Regional and South Africa’s policy landscape with respect to climate change adaptation, resilience and finance.
• Identify opportunities for scaling up interventions, expanding strategic partnerships, and unlocking climate finance.
• Compare what has worked, what has not worked and which approaches may be transferable across regions.
From Ambition to Delivery: African Experiences with Country Platforms
Hosted by: GFANZ and Global Capacity Building Coalition (GCBC)
-
Facilitator:
Alex Michie, CEO, GCBC
Speakers:
Alex Michie, CEO (GCBC); Dorah Modise (PCC); Dr Sam Mugume, Ministry of Finance (Uganda); government representatives from Rwanda, Ethiopia and Morocco
Event Brief:
This is a 60-minute side event focusing on country platforms — coordinated frameworks that bring together governments, development partners, multilateral banks, and private finance around shared climate and development priorities — and how African nations are using them to move beyond fragmented, project-by-project approaches. The session will introduce the Country Platforms Hub (launched at COP30) and its Knowledge Portal, and feature a keynote from South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission drawing on lessons from the JETP — the first of the current generation of country platforms.
The centrepiece is a panel discussion bringing together government representatives from South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Morocco, and Ethiopia to compare their different approaches. Rather than advocating a single model, the conversation will explore practical questions around country ownership, aligning development partners, building credible investment pipelines, and mobilising finance for climate and development priorities. The event closes with audience Q&A and reflections on the opportunity for stronger African peer learning and leadership on the country platforms agenda.
Just Transition in Action: Energy Reform, Grid and Sustainable Industrialisation in Focus
Hosted by: Energy Council of South Africa, Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation and Exxaro
-
Facilitator:
James MacKay, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Council of South Africa
Speakers:
Calib Cassim, Group CFO, Eskom
Rian Coetzee, Industry Planning and Project Development, Industrial Development Corporation
Neo Monareng, Executive Head: Sustainability, Exxaro
Just Energy Transition Partnership Envoy of the United Kingdom (TBC)
Senior Representative from Vietnam Electricity (TBC)Event Brief:
This session shifts the series from political consensus to practical implementation, bringing together South Africa’s transmission, development finance and coal-industry institutions with international counterparts to address the financing, regulatory and market reforms required to deliver the transition. Following the strategic pathways set in the opening session on 10 November, this panel asks the harder question: what will it actually take to convert South Africa’s energy transition commitments into bankable projects, mobilised capital and delivery on the ground?
The session will examine implementation through the complementary positions of the panellists: the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) on grid expansion and the design of the competitive electricity market, the infrastructure reforms that turn policy into investable projects; the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of South Africa on the industrial funding and enabling infrastructure required to convert energy reform into productive investment, localisation and coal-region diversification; and Exxaro Resources on the coal industry’s transformation from within, covering workforce reskilling, community investment and the commercial case for diversification into renewable energy and critical minerals. Two international counterparts sharpen the exchange: the United Kingdom’s Just Energy Transition Partnership Envoy on climate finance mobilisation and coal phase-out policy design, and Vietnam Electricity on the practical experience of a peer state utility that has already separated its national system and market operator while scaling renewable energy under its own Just Energy Transition Partnership.
The panel will examine how policy commitments translate into bankable projects and how private sector investment can be mobilised at scale: an honest stocktake of Just Energy Transition Partnership delivery to date, candidly acknowledging both successes, namely finance mobilised, grid reforms and accelerated renewable procurement, and shortcomings, namely debt cost concerns, disbursement delays and implementation gaps; the reforms needed to strengthen the partnership for its next phase; and the project preparation and implementation pathways required to position South Africa as a credible investment destination for green industrialisation. The session is designed to identify concrete next steps for the South African energy ecosystem, ensuring that the consensus established in Session 1 carries through into delivery, and feeding directly into the COP31 Presidency’s agenda of “From Dialogue to Consensus, From Consensus to Action.”.
Do EVs pay off? The real numbers behind electric last-mile delivery – Who pays, who earns and who carries the risk
Hosted by: Prosus-Naspers and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Rob de Jong – Director, UNEP
Prajna Khanna – CSO, Prosus-Naspers (moderator)
Rohit Kapoor – CEO, Swiggy
Pedro Somma – Impact lead, iFood
Takealot (TBC)
Financier – IFC (TBC)Event Brief:
Every day, millions of food and e-commerce orders are delivered by riders on two-wheelers. Electrifying these fleets cuts emissions, noise and air pollution in cities. But it only scales if it works for the rider: an EV must be affordable and must protect or increase what a rider earns.
On paper, electric two-wheelers are cheaper to run. In practice, upfront cost, financing terms, battery swapping, downtime and resale value decide whether a rider is better off. The answer differs from São Paulo to Bengaluru to Johannesburg.
In this session, delivery platforms, financiers and governments open the books. Swiggy, iFood and Takealot compare financial models and rider earnings with real data from India, Brazil and South Africa.
Participants leave with a clear picture of what works, what fails and which business and policy models make EVs a good deal for riders.
High-level roundtable at COP31 35% by 2035: Electrifying South Africa’s productive economy
Hosted by: Business Unity South Africa (BUSA)
-
Facilitator:
Rosalind Dos Santos
Speakers:
4 Speakers TBC
Event Brief:
Convene a high-level roundtable at the South African Pavilion during COP31 on the theme “35% by 2035: Electrifying Africa’s productive economy”. The primary objective is to stimulate dialogue and action around the ambition of achieving 35% electrification by 2035, with a particular focus on South Africa’s contribution to this global target.
The work will be implemented in three phases. Phase one will focus on preparation, stakeholder engagement, partnerships, funding the SA COP Pavillion and the development of the COP31 roundtable programme. Phase two will involve convening the roundtable at the South African Pavilion, focusing on practical pathways to achieving greater electrification and the role of business, renewable energy and private investment. Phase three will focus on post-COP knowledge sharing and engagement with South African business to share lessons, identify opportunities and priorities, and consider whether further work on an electrification implementation agenda is required.
Distributive Justice and the Private Sector: Assessing Scope and Application
Hosted by: Institute for Human Rights and Business
-
Facilitator:
Haley St. Dennis, Head of Climate & Just Transitions
Speakers:
TBC if approved. Likely voices from business, government, labour and civil society.
Event Brief:
The just transition is fundamentally a question of distribution: who bears the costs of the shift to a low-carbon economy, who captures its benefits, and how do daily decisions shape those outcomes across workers, communities, regions and generations. Agreeing that the transition should be fair is easier than agreeing what fairness requires in practice, since there are different and often competing views about what should be shared, between whom, according to which principles, and who bears responsibility for addressing unequal outcomes. These questions become particularly acute at the point of implementation. Decisions about plant closures, new energy infrastructure, land, employment, procurement, reskilling and community benefits can create real opportunities while imposing costs on different groups, often against a backdrop of existing inequality and historical harm. Governments and businesses face difficult choices about how to recognise and navigate these competing claims, particularly where resources are constrained and no single distribution will be seen as fair by everyone. For private actors helping to drive and implement the transition, this raises a practical question: what does taking distributive justice seriously actually mean in day-to-day decision-making?
Drawing on new research and consultation with South African transition practitioners, this event brings together voices from business, government, labour, and civil society to explore how distributional questions are experienced, negotiated and addressed from different vantage points. Panelists will reflect on what distributive justice means from their own professional and lived experience, then work through an applied transition example to examine how different choices shift costs and benefits between groups, where competing ideas of fairness arise, and what more responsible and legitimate decision-making might look like. Rather than seeking a single formula for a “just” distribution, the discussion will explore how decision-makers can make distributional effects more visible, engage seriously with those most affected, and make choices that are transparent, defensible and capable of advancing justice even where progress is necessarily incremental. In doing so, the event moves the conversation from the ambition of a just transition to the practical decisions through which its justice will ultimately be experienced.
Closing the Implementation Gap: Financing Municipal Climate Infrastructure – Lessons from the Just Municipal Embedded Generation Programme
Hosted by: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) with ICLEI Africa
-
Facilitator:
Olympus Manthata
Speakers:
Dr Meggan Spires (ICLEI Africa); Dr Muhammed Sayed (DBSA); a SALGA representative; a UK PACT representative (TBC)
Event Brief:
Cities and municipalities are increasingly at the forefront of climate action, responsible for delivering critical infrastructure and services while responding to climate risks, energy insecurity, infrastructure backlogs, and growing demands for sustainable and resilient development. Yet many municipalities struggle to translate climate ambitions into implementable, investment-ready projects due to constraints in project preparation, institutional capacity, technical expertise, and access to appropriate financing.
This creates a critical implementation gap between national policy and financing ambitions, and the ability to translate these into infrastructure that can be financed, delivered and sustained at the municipal level.
The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), in partnership with ICLEI Africa, will convene this COP31 side event to explore what is required to translate climate and infrastructure ambitions into investable and implementable projects at the municipal level. The session will examine the role of project preparation, institutional readiness, financing and coordinated support in closing the gap between national policy and financing commitments and infrastructure delivery on the ground. The Just Municipal Embedded Generation (JMEG) programme will serve as a practical case study, illustrating both the progress that can be achieved through targeted support and the technical, institutional, regulatory and financing barriers that can continue to constrain implementation.
Just Transition in Action: Market, Policy and Power Systems Reform
Hosted by: Energy Council of South Africa, with Eskom, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Exxaro
-
Facilitator:
James MacKay – Chief Executive Officer, Energy Council of South Africa
Speakers:
Dr Vikesh Rajpaul , General Manager JET, Eskom
Rian Coetzee, Industry Planning and Project Development, Industrial Development Corporation
Executive, NTPC Limited, India (TBC)
Executive, PT PLN (Persero), Indonesia (TBC)
Head of Secretariat, Julia Skorupska, Powering Past Coal Alliance (TBC)Event Brief:
This expert-level session goes deep into the technical, financial and structural reforms underpinning the transition: utility-scale renewable energy and storage deployment, the coal-to-clean pivot, and the financing architecture and project pipelines needed for delivery. With grid and market reform addressed in Session 2, the closing session focuses on building the new system: the generation build-out, the capital behind it, and the technologies and deployment models that have worked across emerging markets.
The panel brings together Eskom Green, the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa, the Powering Past Coal Alliance, PT PLN (Persero), the State Electricity Company of Indonesia, and NTPC Limited of India, to draw out replicable lessons across project preparation, risk allocation, blended finance, industrial localisation, generation, and technology deployment for South Africa and the broader Sub-Saharan African context.
Empowering Green Small-Scale Enterprises for a Just Energy Transition in South Africa
Hosted by: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South Africa; Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in close cooperation with the National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Geraldine Ang (OECD)
Speakers:
Participants of high-level launch event:
Minister David Maynier, DFFE, Welcome remarks
Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, OECD Environment Director, Keynote address
Panel debate:
National Business Initiative (NBI) > possible moderator (TBC)
Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) or Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA)
Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
Indalo Inclusive
SALGA or Mpumalanga provincial leader (TBC)Event Brief:
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are vital engines of economic growth, contributing significantly to South Africa’s GDP and employing more than half of its active workforce. Supporting the development of green small-scale businesses, particularly in the clean energy sector, is crucial for advancing global climate efforts and domestic green economy strategies, including a just energy transition. Despite their potential, small-scale enterprises face significant challenges in accessing finance and support for a continuous growth path, building capacities and navigating fragmented policy frameworks. This critically limits their ability to scale, innovate and meaningfully contribute to South Africa’s green transition.
The proposed event will feature the high-level launch of a joint DFFE-OECD report on “Overcoming financial and capacity barriers to empower small-scale enterprises. Focus on renewable, reliable, secure and affordable energy in Mpumalanga and the Western Cape of South Africa”, developed with valuable inputs from NBI and many other stakeholders. The event will discuss key recommendations for creating a strong enabling ecosystem for green small-scale enterprises. High-level speakers will share perspectives and success factors for helping clean energy start-ups develop and scale, building green skills, unlocking access to finance for small-scale enterprises in the clean energy space and accelerating financing for renewable microgrid electrification.
Used vehicles: the silent engine of EV adoption – Why residual value decides who can afford an EV
Hosted by: Prosus, with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
Ana Garcia, Head of Comms and ESG (OLX); Government of South Africa; Government of the Netherlands; UNEP; IFC or FDC
Event Brief:
Most people in emerging markets will never buy a new car. They buy used. UNEP’s research shows that most used vehicles traded globally end up in low- and middle-income countries. If the EV transition does not work in the second-hand market, it will not reach most of the world.
Affordability and financing depend on purchase price, running costs and utilisation. But one factor is often overlooked: residual value. When buyers and lenders cannot judge the health of a used battery, EVs lose value faster, loans become more expensive and the first owner pays the price.
Second-hand platforms provide both the marketplace and the data to value and capitalise residual value. In this session, OLX will announce its programme to use its platforms to unlock used-EV markets and scale electric personal cars.
Financiers, used-vehicle platforms, policy makers and NGOs will discuss how to build trust in used EVs, and what each of them must do to make the second-hand market an engine of the transition.
From Concept to Capital: Financing the Water–Agriculture–Human Settlements Nexus through a Just Adaptation and Resilience Investment Plan (JARIP)
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
TBC (4 Speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how South Africa can mobilise and structure finance for integrated adaptation investments across water, agriculture and human settlements through JARIP. Using the completed uMngeni Catchment Resilience Project as a proof of concept, the discussion will examine potential funding sources, different funder risk appetites, opportunities to blend and sequence finance, and the measurable outcomes required to take integrated adaptation projects from concept to investment at scale.
From Pipeline to Partnership: Business and South Africa’s Just Energy Transition
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition PMU, with We Mean Business Coalition and National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
TBC (possibly Francis Fick, ACF)
Speakers:
JET PMU; NBI; WMB; selected member companies doing JET work; current JET investors (DBSA, IDC); possibly National Treasury
Event Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) is moving from ambition to implementation. Public institutions and development partners are building investment pipelines, mobilising finance and advancing projects across energy, green industrialisation, municipalities, skills and affected communities. As this momentum grows, the role of the private sector becomes increasingly important. Co-hosted by the Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit (JET PMU), the We Mean Business Coalition and the National Business Initiative (NBI), this session will bring government and business together to take stock of progress, showcase where the JET is already unlocking investment and economic value, and ask what is needed to deepen private-sector participation. The discussion will challenge the idea that we need to be moving beyond debates about the pace and affordability of the transition, to focus on how meaningful participation and real investment across all sectors can ensure that the transition is implemented in a just and sustainable way, while unlocking economic value, new opportunities and tangible benefits for workers and communities.
The session will bring together the JET PMU and key public finance and investment partners such as National Treasury (if they are at COP), DBSA and the IDC, alongside business leaders, investors, organised business and companies already demonstrating practical leadership. Perspectives could include businesses investing in renewable energy, grids, green industrialisation and new value chains, as well as corporate foundations and companies delivering tangible community-level transition initiatives. These examples will provide a basis for an honest discussion about what has worked, what can be scaled, where investment opportunities and financing gaps remain, and what businesses need to participate with greater confidence and ambition.
Ultimately, the session will seek to move the conversation from “at what pace can South Africa afford to transition?” to “how can business help South Africa capture the value of a transition that is already underway?”, using COP31 to strengthen the partnerships needed to move projects from pipelines to investment and implementation.
Financing Climate Solutions through the Global Climate Action Agenda
Hosted by: Climate Champions (with BCG and Global Climate Action Agenda partners)
-
Facilitator:
Reitumetse Molotsane, Africa Director (Climate Champions Team)
Speakers:
Reitumetse Molotsane, Africa Director (Climate Champions Team)
Shameela Soobramoney, Chief Executive Officer (National Business Initiative)
Bruna Cerqueira or Giovana Costa de Figueiredo, COP30 Presidency
Nigel Topping, Co-founder (Ambition Loop and Earth Investment Engine Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) Lead)
Wendy Walford, Head of Climate and Nature (Legal & General)
Santino Lacanna, Managing Director and Partner (Boston Consulting Group)
Representative, Development Finance Institution – TBC
Representative, COP32 Presidency – TBC
Project Developer, Nature-Based Solutions Company – TBC
Representative, Plan to Accelerate Solutions (PAS) in Energy, Industry and Transport – TBC
Project Developer, Energy, Industry or Transport Company – TBCEvent Brief:
Convened by the Climate Champions Team, in collaboration with BCG and partners engaged in the Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA), this event will showcase high-potential climate solutions and investable projects, while advancing the objectives of the GCAA, with a particular focus on emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), including Africa.
The event will comprise an overview of the Global Climate Action Agenda, with contributions from the COP Presidencies and the National Business Initiative (NBI), followed by two thematic segments focused on Nature and Bioeconomy, and Energy, Industry and Transport. Each segment will feature a representative from a relevant Plans to Accelerate Solutions (PAS), outlining key objectives, progress and priorities, followed by a project developer presenting concrete solutions, implementation experiences and opportunities to accelerate deployment and scale regarding the PAS thematic sector. The session will also include perspectives from philanthropic organisations and financial institutions on mobilising investment and overcoming financing barriers for climate solutions.
Ministerial launch of the South Africa Pavilion
Hosted by: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), South Africa
Building a Regional Just Steel Transition in Southern Africa: From Vision to Implementation
Hosted by: Southern Transitions
-
Facilitator:
Manav Khanna
Speakers:
Kudakwashe Manjonjo – Power Shift Africa
Yann Louvel – Reclaim Finance
Marta Torres Gunfaus – IDDRI
Representative – Mission Possible Partnership (TBC)Event Brief:
Southern Africa has significant potential to develop a competitive, regionally integrated green iron and steel value chain that supports industrial resilience, energy security, economic self-reliance and decent employment. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia bring complementary assets, including iron ore and steelmaking capacity, abundant renewable-energy resources, emerging green hydrogen and green iron production, regional infrastructure and an interconnected power market. Yet these opportunities remain insufficiently coordinated, while existing industries face competitiveness pressures, carbon-related trade risks, barriers to accessing technology and finance, and the social and economic consequences of industrial decline.
Building on the SADC Just Energy Transition Framework, this event will explore how a regional “corridor of cooperation” can move Southern Africa from potential to implementation. The discussion will consider the policy, investment, trade, infrastructure, energy, technology, skills and social partnerships needed to develop an integrated and just regional steel transition. It will also explore how regional cooperation can protect existing livelihoods, create new jobs and downstream industrial opportunities, mobilise investment and ensure that the transition delivers shared economic, social and environmental value across Southern Africa
Powering Inclusive Skilling and Employment for a Just Energy Transition in South Africa
Hosted by: National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Gugu McLaren-Ushewokunze
Speakers:
JET SEP CEO Champion – ESKOM, Vikesh Rajpaul
NBI (JET SEP); – Anthony Gewer
JET Skills Desk (DHET) – Mampho Khuluvhe
Board Member: Lumko Mtimde
Energy Council – James MackayEvent Brief:
This event will showcase South Africa’s commitment to the realisation of a JET, with government driving a strategy that addresses barriers to access to demand-led skills development and active partnerships with the private sector are established to ensure inclusive economic opportunities in the energy transition can be unlocked at scale. The event will demonstrate how the highly progressive aspirations of the JET Implementation Plan will be realized in practice and contribute to fundamentally transforming key sectors of the economy that are decarbonising and reindustrialising, so that high levels of inequality and unemployment can be addressed through the green transition.
As such, South Africa has the potential to provide a blueprint for how collaboration between government and the private sector can realise the benefits of the journey towards a low carbon society for inclusive economic growth. Specifically, the event will unpack the broad JET Skilling Strategy, the analysis of where and how jobs are going to be created, and the implementation model as expressed through JET Skills Development Zones. The event will interrogate how the government, the private sector and other key roleplayers the skills ecosystem can work together to solve challenges associated with inequality and unemployment in the context of a Just Energy Transition.
Climate Finance at Speed and Scale: Meeting Southern Africa’s Needs
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
TBC (4 speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how African countries can move from climate ambition to implementation by building integrated, country-led climate finance ecosystems. With a focus on Country Platforms, the discussion will examine how governments, development partners, financial institutions and the private sector can coordinate effectively, build investable project pipelines and combine public, private, concessional and development finance to mobilise capital at speed and scale. Drawing on experiences from South Africa and across Africa, the session will identify practical approaches to strengthening country ownership and ensuring climate finance responds to African development and Just Transition priorities.
From Commitment to Delivery: What International Cooperation Looks Like on the Ground
Hosted by: Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit
-
Facilitator:
Queen Neo Mopeli, PCC Commissioner – Presidential Climate Commssion
Speakers:
Maesela Kekana, Deputy Director General: Climate Change and Air Quality Management – Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment
Rudi Dicks, Office of the Presidency of South Africa
Representative from IKI
Dorah Modise, Executive Director – Presidential Climate Commission
Joanne Yawitch, Head of the JET PMU
Olympus Manthata, Head: Climate and Environmental Finance – Development Bank of Southern Africa
Zira Quaghe, Deputy Head of Programmes – African Climate Foundation (ACF)Event Brief:
Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) and GIZ partnerships are supporting South Africa’s transition from climate ambition to implementation through programmes that strengthen institutions, build local capacity, support innovation and help translate Just Energy Transition priorities into practical interventions. This COP31 side event would deliberately profile the IKI programme and key GIZ-supported partnerships in South Africa, showcasing what these collaborations are delivering, the implementation lessons emerging from them, and how German cooperation is contributing to South Africa’s broader Just Energy Transition. The conversation would provide an opportunity to move beyond high-level commitments and put specific partnerships, programmes and the people implementing them at the centre of the discussion.
Bringing together Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), GIZ, the Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit and South African implementing partners, the session would explore what has worked, what is being learned and where the partnerships could go next. Selected IKI and GIZ initiatives could be used as practical case studies, allowing implementing partners to speak directly about their work and impact. The discussion could also consider how successful interventions can be strengthened or scaled as South Africa moves further into JET implementation, and what lessons the South Africa–Germany experience offers for designing international climate cooperation that responds to local priorities and delivers tangible outcomes.
Unlocking Carbon Markets for Cities: Financing Local Climate Action and Urban Resilience
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
-
Facilitator:
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa -SALGA
Speakers:
MEC Musa Zondi – KwaZulu Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi – SALGA
Ms. Thembeka Mthethwa– SALGA
Dr Renard Siew – Malysia Carbon Market Association
Mr. Mkhuthazi Steleki – Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment (DFFE)Event Brief:
Cities are at the heart of the climate transition, yet many lack the financing and market mechanisms needed to translate ambitious climate plans into tangible projects. This side event will explore how high-integrity carbon markets can help cities mobilise climate finance, accelerate urban decarbonisation and support nature-based solutions from low-carbon mobility and buildings to waste, renewable energy and urban nature.
Bringing together city leaders, policymakers, carbon market practitioners and investors, the discussion will examine what is needed to connect city-level action with national carbon market frameworks, while ensuring environmental integrity, transparency and meaningful local benefits. The session will highlight practical lessons from emerging markets, including Africa and Asia, and explore how cities can become active participants in the next generation of carbon markets.
Empowering Youth through Clean Technology and Innovation: Advancing Inclusive Green Enterprise in South Africa
Hosted by: Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Vivian Phetla
Speakers:
Solveig (Solla) Zophoniasdottir – Climate KIC
Vincent Mosebe – Entrepreneur
Louis Whaley – Embassy of IrelandEvent Brief:
Across South Africa, young entrepreneurs and innovators are developing practical clean-technology solutions to challenges affecting their communities, including unreliable energy, water scarcity, waste, food security, mobility and resource efficiency. This session will showcase these innovations through practical experience from Indalo Inclusive’s programmes, highlighting the people behind the solutions, the problems they are addressing, and the potential of their enterprises to create both environmental and economic impact. A short impact video will complement the discussion, bringing the experiences and achievements of participating enterprises to life.
The session will also show how different actors from the private sector, public sector, civil society and development partners play a role to enable an environment where clean-tech enterprises thrive. The discussion will highlight what can be done to advance clean technology enterprises, and how stronger collaboration across the ecosystem can help promising clean-tech enterprises move from innovation to sustainable businesses with greater impact, particularly in rural, township, peri-urban and emerging market contexts.
The Business Case for Decarbonisation in South Africa
Hosted by: Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) and National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Gillian Maree, Senior Programme Manager, National Business Initiative
Speakers:
Rosalind Dos Santos, Business Unity South Africa
Dr Lerato Khumalo, Exxaro
Representative from IDC
Representative from BusinessEvent Brief:
This session will provide an opportunity for business and business organisations to explore how the South African private sector can undertake decarbonisation and support economic growth, industrial competitiveness and job creation. The discussion will draw on recent work completed by NBI and BUSA building a case for decarbonisation. It will showcase practical examples of business leadership and investment in the transition, examine the policy and market conditions needed to enable greater climate action, and highlight opportunities for collaboration across sectors. The session aims to position South African business as a key partner in driving climate action and shaping a competitive, resilient and low-carbon economy.
Powering South Africa’s Future: Electrification for Growth and Competitiveness
Hosted by: National Business Initiative (NBI), with We Mean Business Coalition
-
Facilitator:
Gillian Maree
Speakers:
Alex McNamara (NBI, framing presentation); WMBC; Eskom or the Department of Electricity and Energy; CEBDS (Brazil); possibly a South African company
Event Brief:
Electrification is emerging as one of the defining drivers of global economic competitiveness. Rapid advances in clean electricity, electric mobility, digital technologies and electrified industrial processes are creating opportunities for efficiency and productivity gains, energy security and competitive industrial development. For South Africa, electrification has the potential to reduce operating costs, improve export competitiveness, unlock new green industries and support economic growth, while strengthening resilience in an increasingly carbon-constrained economy.
Electrification is not a simple or uniform transition. South Africa faces opportunities and challenges as a coal-dependent economy with declining energy-intensive industries, developmental priorities and complex socio-economic realities. The session will examine the nuances of accelerating electrification in a manner that supports industrial competitiveness, energy security, employment and a just transition. Bringing together business leaders, policymakers and international experts, including speakers from other BRICS countries, the discussion will explore lessons from different development pathways, opportunities for cross-country collaboration, and the policies, investments and partnerships needed to ensure electrification becomes a catalyst for inclusive, low-carbon growth in South Africa and across emerging economies.
Convened in partnership with We Mean Business Coalition, this South African Pavilion side event will explore the South African findings from global business polling on electrification and the Electrification Competitiveness Index, leading international perspectives on the growing business case for electrification, and what an emerging “electrotech revolution” could mean for South Africa’s economic future.
Mobilising Finance for a Just Transition: Co-Designing South Africa’s Just Transition Financing Mechanism
Hosted by: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
-
Facilitator:
Olympus Manthata
Speakers:
TBC: DBSA; PCC; IKI; AFD; another MDB representative
Event Brief:
South Africa’s just transition requires more than policy commitments. It requires financing mechanisms capable of directing capital towards communities, workers, women, youth, SMMEs and municipalities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and economic transition. The proposed Just Transition Financing Mechanism (JTFM) seeks to address this challenge by creating a nationally anchored platform capable of mobilising, blending and directing finance towards just transition projects while crowding in public, private, philanthropic and climate finance capital.
The JTFM is being developed through a partnership between the DBSA and PCC as an innovative financing mechanism designed to support South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Just Transition Framework and Just Energy Transition objectives. It aims to support projects across mitigation, adaptation, resilience, economic diversification and social inclusion while ensuring that the benefits of the transition are equitably shared. COP31 presents an opportunity to engage global and domestic funding partners, climate finance institutions, development finance institutions, philanthropies and private investors in shaping the future design, governance and capitalisation of the JTFM.
Green Intelligence: can AI grow within planetary boundaries? From the footprint of AI to what users can demand
Hosted by: Prosus-Naspers
-
Facilitator:
TBC
Speakers:
ITU (TBC)
Prajna Khanna – CSO, Prosus-Naspers
Hyperscaler / data-centre operator (e.g. Kyndryl – TBC)
AI developer (AWS / Tencent – TBC)
Start-up or AI-native impact organisation (TBC)
Moderator (TBC)Event Brief:
AI is growing faster than almost any technology before it. So is its demand for electricity, water and hardware. Most of the debate focuses on data centres. But users also decide the footprint: which model they choose, how they use it and what they ask of their providers.
Green Intelligence is the Prosus programme to build thought leadership on how AI can be built and operated within planetary boundaries. Prosus will share the measured impact of its own AI use – more than 65,000 agents – and the actions it takes to manage that impact.
Hyperscalers will show what is changing in data-centre design, energy sourcing and cooling. AI developers and impact organisations will show where AI reduces emissions elsewhere in the economy.
Participants leave with a practical view of the levers that matter most and a short list of questions every AI user should ask their provider.
From Transition Ambition to Jobs: Building the Skills Ecosystems for South Africa’s JET
Hosted by: National Business Initiative (NBI)
-
Facilitator:
Lindiwe van Staden, National Business Initiative (NBI)
Speakers:
Presentation or panel – Noluthando Mthimkulu
Board Member: Lumko Mtimde
AfDB – Gareth Phillips/ Arona Soumare
NBI (JET SEP) – Gugu McLaren-Ushewokunze
IDC JET PMO: Nathan Fredricks (NEV)
JET PMU (tentative) – Kaloli Tsekoa/ JoanneEvent Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) offers significant potential to drive decarbonisation while creating new opportunities for green employment, enterprise development and inclusive local economies. However, realising these opportunities requires more than estimating future green jobs; it requires understanding where opportunities will emerge, the occupations and skills they will demand, who can access them, and whether local skills and training systems are equipped to respond effectively.
Drawing on evidence from the NBI’s Just Energy Transition Skilling for Employment Programme (JET SEP), the session will explore lessons from the Skills Ecosystem Report, JET Atlas and Skills Development Zones Report. It will examine how South Africa can translate JET investment into accessible livelihood opportunities by strengthening skills systems and ensuring that people, institutions and local economies are prepared for the transition. Given the diverse labour-market conditions, industrial capabilities, training institutions and vulnerabilities across regions, a more localised and granular approach to skills planning is essential.
Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Nature-based Solutions: Strengthening Climate Resilience Through Local Action
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and SANBI
-
Facilitator:
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa-SALGA
Speakers:
Cllr Mluleki Nkosi – SALGA
Mr Rabelani Tshikalanke – SALGA
Mr. Leandro Gomes – Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of Brazil
Dr Kate Strachan – ICLEI
Ms. Mandy Barnett – SANBI
Anshul Abbasi, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in IndiaEvent Brief:
Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of disasters such as floods, droughts, wildfires, and heatwaves, while ecosystem degradation is reducing the ability of nature to protect communities. Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR) and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) provide practical approaches to enhance resilience by conserving, restoring, and sustainably managing ecosystems. These approaches deliver multiple benefits, including disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, water security, and improved livelihoods.
This COP31 side event will showcase how local and subnational governments are using ecosystem restoration, ecological infrastructure, and nature-based approaches to strengthen climate resilience and support sustainable development. The session will highlight lessons from municipalities and partners, explore opportunities for finance and partnerships, and discuss how Eco-DRR and NbS can be integrated into local planning, disaster risk management, and climate adaptation strategies.
The event aims to promote locally led action, share practical experiences, and strengthen collaboration among governments, development partners, civil society, academia, and the private sector to scale nature-based solutions for resilient communities and landscapes.
Gender Equality and Equity are at the heart of Transition in Mpumalanga Province
Hosted by: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga and Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Ms Reitumetse Molotsoane- Africa Director Climate Champion Team
Speakers:
Ms. Shamiela Reid – Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Ms Dorah Morema -South Africa Local Government Association
Ms Swasti Raizada -International Institute of Sustainable Development- India
Mr. Nathi Nkonyane – Representative, Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA)
Ms Shivi Dwivedi- Stakeholder Engagement and EMDE Lead: Climate ChampionsEvent Brief:
The gender voices and gender justice should be at the center of the Climate Change and Just Transition discussion, emphasizing that a Just Transition is not only about shifting to a low-carbon economy, but also about ensuring those most affected by the transition and particularly women are not only represented in planning but are also part of the decision -making process. This is the way in which social cohesion, inclusion, and fairness can be achieved. The discourse emphasizes that the Just Transition must be fair, just and inclusive without leaving anyone behind. Gender Responsive actions cannot be top-down, the approach must be bottom-up whereby all communities including women participate and engage meaningfully in developing sustainable and innovative responses to reduce the transition risks and vulnerabilities.
Projects are already being built through co-creation and co-design in Mpumalanga. These models are working and are fostering community-owned projects, stronger local entrepreneurship and better project success rates. We are seeing evidence of women taking ownership and being independent to improve their livelihoods, dignity, protection and quality of life. These lessons speak directly to implementation of the UNFCCC’s Belém Gender Action Plan (2026 – 2034), including its emphasis on multidimensional and intersectional inequalities, safer participation, stronger evidence and the violence against women and girl’s nexus (UNFCCC, 2025). The session is designed to shift Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Transition from symbolic participation towards proper planning/ decision-making power, leadership, collaboration and entrepreneurial knowledge sharing
The session’s objectives are to:
- To explore the understanding of Just Transition and green economy interventions and opportunities in new and emerging sectors
- To facilitate entrepreneurial knowledge ownership and climate finance access for Just transition
- To explore the establishment of collaboration, partnerships and learning professional networks to support women-led interventions.
- To shift Gender-Responsive and Socially Inclusive Transition from symbolic participation towards proper planning/ decision-making power and leadership
South African Perspective on a Nature-Positive Just Energy Transition
Hosted by: International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Eskom
-
Facilitator:
Vhalinavho Khavhagali
Speakers:
Ms Gabisile Mkhatshwa, Senior Manager: Climate Change & Sustainable Development (Eskom)
Tlou Ramaru, Chief Director: Climate Change Adaptation (DFFE)
Funanani Muremi, Director: Climate Change Adaptation (SANBI)
Garth Barnes, Programme Manager: Water and Biodiversity (PCC)
Rachel Asante, Senior Programme Manager: Energy Transition (IUCN)Event Brief:
This panel session at UNFCCC COP31 will explore how South Africa can advance a nature-positive just energy transition that delivers climate, biodiversity and development benefits together. It will bring together representatives from government, energy, finance, conservation, business, labour and communities to examine practical pathways from ambition to implementation. The discussion will highlight opportunities to align renewable-energy and transmission investment with South Africa’s climate commitments, biodiversity priorities and restoration goals. Panellists will consider how integrated spatial planning can steer infrastructure away from sensitive ecosystems while strengthening water security and landscape resilience. The session will also examine opportunities for green jobs, local enterprise, community ownership and equitable benefit-sharing in areas affected by the transition. It will showcase how applying the mitigation hierarchy and cumulative-impact assessment across the project lifecycle can improve environmental and social outcomes. Key challenges will include financing constraints, policy and institutional fragmentation, transmission bottlenecks, skills gaps and uneven implementation capacity. The panel will also address potential trade-offs involving land use, biodiversity impacts, energy affordability, reliability and the rights and livelihoods of workers and host communities. Participants will identify investable solutions, partnerships and South African pilots that could demonstrate how energy security, decarbonisation, nature recovery and social justice can reinforce one another. The session will conclude with priority actions for scaling a nature-positive just energy transition and climate resilience in South Africa and sharing lessons with the wider international climate community at COP31.
Utility Green Tariffs for South Africa’s Just Transition: Supporting Municipal Revenues, Scaling Renewable Energy and Expanding Corporate Procurement
Hosted by: Climate Group and National Business Initiative (NBI)
Who Pays for Nature? Financing Locally Led Nature-Based Solutions in Africa
Hosted by: African Centre for a Green Economy
-
Facilitator:
Dr Mao Amis
Speakers:
Ms Dorothy Maseke. Lead, Nature Finance & TNFD (FSD-Africa)
Mr Olympus Manthata, Head Climate Finance, DBSA
Dr Mandy Barnett, Chief Director, SANBI
Ms Inonge Sakala, Programme Manager, Southern Africa TrustEvent Brief:
Africa’s ecosystems underpin water security, climate resilience, livelihoods and essential municipal services. Nature-based solutions, including watershed restoration, wetland protection, urban greening and ecosystem-based flood management—can help municipalities and other subnational institutions address infrastructure and service-delivery challenges. Yet these solutions often remain small, grant-funded projects rather than becoming part of mainstream local development and investment planning.
This panel discussion will examine how subnational institutions can develop, finance and implement nature-based solutions at greater scale. It will explore project preparation, institutional capacity and practical financing mechanisms, including blended finance, green and nature bonds, payments for ecosystem services, insurance and public procurement.
The discussion will also consider revenue models, investment readiness, community rights and opportunities for local enterprises. It will identify practical steps for integrating nature-based solutions into municipal infrastructure, climate-resilience and service-delivery programmes while ensuring equitable local participation and benefits. It will highlight approaches that attract capital without weakening ecological or social outcomes.
Strengthening Climate and Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment through Innovation, Data and Strategic Partnerships
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
-
Facilitator:
Ms. Thembeka Mthethwa
Speakers:
Cllr Mluleki Nkosi – SALGA
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa – SALGA
Mr. Gabriel Mazzola Poli de Figueiredo – Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of Brazil
Ms Nomkita Fani-UN HabitatEvent Brief:
As climate-related hazards place growing pressure on municipal infrastructure, housing, public spaces and essential services, local governments are central to creating built environments that are resilient, inclusive and responsive to local needs. This side event will examine how innovation and data can help municipalities anticipate climate risks, strengthen planning and investment decisions, and climate-proof the built environment. Drawing on the emerging partnership between the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Institute for Technological Research (IPT) of Brazil, the session will highlight practical approaches from South Africa and Brazil, including climate and geospatial data, risk assessment and mapping, environmental monitoring, resilient housing and infrastructure, early warning systems, and evidence-based urban planning.
The event will explore how local governments, research institutions and development partners can co-develop, adapt and apply innovative technologies, data platforms and knowledge products to address local climate vulnerabilities. Speakers will share experiences and lessons on translating climate science and data into municipal policies, plans, projects and service-delivery interventions. The discussion will also consider the governance, institutional capacity, financing and partnerships required to scale locally led solutions and accelerate the transition towards climate-resilient, sustainable and inclusive cities.
Going Local: Lessons on Financing Locally-Led Adaptation from Pilots to Scale
Hosted by: Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and partners
-
Facilitator:
Ms Haley St. Dennis, Head of Just Transitions (IHRB), or Natalie Donback, Adaptation Lead (JUST Stories)
Speakers:
Mikko Ollikainen, Head (Adaptation Fund)
Chitembo Kawimbe Chunga, Head of Resilience Portfolio (Climate Investment Funds)
Amiya Prapan Chakraborty, CEO (DYDF, Bangladesh)
Cristiane Azevedo, Managing Director (ISPN, Brazil)
Paul Mitchell, Senior Associate (IIED)
Pietro Bertazzi, Chief Policy & Interim Growth Officer (CDP)Event Brief:
To adapt to increasing temperatures, droughts, and other forms of extreme weather, low- and middle-income countries need between $310 billion to $365 billion per year by 2035, including for projects that can improve the resilience of everything from infrastructure and agriculture to entire cities and ecosystems. While adaptation has historically been seen as a public good that can only be financed with public resources, the scale needed can only be reached with additional finance from the private sector, which must start thinking of adaptation as both an opportunity and a necessity for business continuity.
This event, co-hosted by IHRB and partners, will bring together key stakeholders from climate funds, network organizations, and local NGOs implementing adaptation projects on the ground for an honest and practical conversation about how we can scale local, bankable projects by learning from those who are already doing and financing it. The panel will share real-life case studies of what successful implementation looks like on the ground and share lessons learned from funders to NGOs aiming to scale their impact through locally-led adaptation.
Application of CCUS Technologies Toward Realising Clean Coal Development in South Africa
Hosted by: Council for Geoscience
-
Facilitator:
Gabi Mkhatshwa, Eskom
Speakers:
Dr Thuli Khumalo, Executive Manager; Dr Taufeeq Dhansay, Acting Executive Manager: Integrated Geoscience Development; Ms Zama Sibewu, CCUS Project Lead (all Council for Geoscience)
Event Brief:
The Council for Geoscience is undertaking research and development towards the first Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) facility in South Africa. The results of this integrated and fundamental research have highlighted that South Africa, and much of Southern Africa, has significant underground geological potential for CCUS development. Importantly, much of this storage potential is located in close proximity to the region’s vast coal reserves. These reserves continue to feature prominently in many countries’ energy, economic, and social development strategies. However, the development of cleaner coal technologies is imperative to ensure that such development remains aligned with the principles of a Just Transition. CCUS is therefore being explored as an intervention that can enable pragmatic coal development while mitigating the associated carbon emissions.
Empowering Municipalities through Innovative Finance: Accelerating Climate Action
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and Development Bank of Southern Africa
-
Facilitator:
Mr Mthobeli Kolisa-SALGA
Speakers:
Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi – SALGA
Ms. Thembeka Mthethwa – SALGA
Mr. Muhammed Sayed – Development Bank of Southern Africa
Mr. Stuart Mangold – Department of Forestry Fisheries & the Environment (TBC)
City of Johannesburg (TBC)Event Brief:
This side event will explore how innovative and blended financing approaches can unlock and accelerate municipal climate and biodiversity action. As the level of government closest to communities, municipalities play a critical role in implementing climate adaptation, mitigation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable development initiatives. However, many local governments continue to face significant financial and technical barriers in preparing and implementing bankable projects.
Co-hosted by SALGA and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the session will showcase practical financing solutions, investment mechanisms, and partnership models that can support municipalities in accessing climate, biodiversity, and sustainable infrastructure finance. The discussion will highlight lessons from South African municipalities and development finance institutions, opportunities to strengthen project preparation and investment readiness, and strategies for mobilising public and private capital to deliver resilient, inclusive, and nature-positive development outcomes.
The event aims to foster dialogue between local governments, development finance institutions, national government, investors, and development partners on advancing scalable financing solutions that empower municipalities to achieve national climate commitments while improving service delivery and community resilience.
Africa’s Competitive Advantage: Culture, Knowledge and Partnerships for Climate-Resilient Economic Transformation
Hosted by: Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
TBC (4 speakers)
Speakers:
TBC (4 speakers)
Event Brief:
This session will explore how Africa can leverage its cultural capital, indigenous knowledge, skills, entrepreneurship and regional partnerships to build competitive, climate-resilient economies. The discussion will consider opportunities to translate African knowledge and creativity into economic value, green industries and jobs, while using mechanisms such as the AfCFTA, regional value chains, climate finance and South-South cooperation to strengthen trade, economic diversification and inclusive growth.
Accelerating National and Global Decarbonisation Through Business Coalitions
Hosted by: CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development)
-
Facilitator:
Lucas Costamilan
Speakers:
Fernanda Monteiro (CEBDS)
Alex McNamara (NBI)
Andrew Prag (WMBC)
Arthur Ramos (BCG Brazil) TBC
Clea Kaske-Kuck (WBCSD)Event Brief:
The session explores the internationalization and cross-regional replication of private sector coalitions for decarbonization, drawing lessons from Brazil’s Sectoral Coalitions model and the South African business context. Building on the engagement at London Climate Action Week and New York Climate Week, the session addresses how business councils and global partners can transition from high-level shared ambition to shared risk management and disciplined, pre-competitive implementation. It highlights how domestic business coalitions can be structured to endure political and financial shifts, maintain private sector ownership, and drive tangible competitiveness and emission reductions in heavy-emitting and transition-critical sectors.
Furthermore, the session focuses on scaling the coalition model globally towards COP31 and beyond, accelerating transition pathways across emerging economies. By analyzing regional case studies and international frameworks, panellists and participants will examine which governance elements must remain consistent across geographies and which must be tailored locally. The event will foster open dialogue among global business leaders, multilateral partners, and coalition facilitators on establishing the key pre-conditions, tools, and institutional support required to expand high-impact, business-led decarbonization coalitions worldwide.
Building a People-Centered, Climate Responsive Action and Sustainable Just Transition in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa
Hosted by: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, Mpumalanga and Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
-
Facilitator:
Nompumelelo Mashaba (Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC)
Speakers:
Ms. Shamiela Reid : Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Ms. Martha Nkosi : CIIVIC Project Beneficiary
Mr. Nathi Nkonyane : Representative, Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA)
Mr Jonas Kueli : International Institute of Sustainable Development : Global South CountriesEvent Brief:
South Africa’s Just Energy Transition presents an opportunity to reshape local economies, protect livelihoods and advance climate-resilient development, particularly in coal-dependent regions such as Mpumalanga. Yet an inclusive and sustainable transition cannot be achieved through technological innovation and investment alone; it demands meaningful community participation, inclusive decision-making and stronger partnerships between civil society, government, the private sector, development partners and local communities.
Drawing on the Community Institutional Infrastructure and Voices for Inclusive Change project’s focus on strengthening civil society engagement and collaboration across the Just Energy Transition ecosystem, this session will explore how communities and civil society organisations can play a more meaningful role in shaping climate and energy transition processes. It will examine how stronger partnership pathways can connect community priorities with institutional planning, implementation and decision-making, ensuring that the needs and experiences of affected communities inform the transition.
Through perspectives from civil society, community representatives and local development stakeholders, the discussion will explore barriers to meaningful participation, opportunities for improved coordination, and approaches to strengthening accountability and collaboration among different actors. Attention will be given to how stakeholders can move beyond consultation towards more inclusive, coordinated and community-responsive approaches to planning and implementing Just Transition initiatives.
The session aims to identify practical recommendations for strengthening partnerships across the Just Transition ecosystem in Mpumalanga, ensuring that communities are not merely recipients of transition interventions, but active participants in shaping priorities, influencing decisions and contributing to sustainable development outcomes.
Expected Outcomes
- Identify practical partnership pathways to strengthen collaboration across the Just Transition ecosystem.
- Highlight opportunities for communities and civil society organisations to influence climate and energy transition planning and decision-making.
- Develop recommendations for improving stakeholder coordination, meaningful participation and accountability.
- Strengthen recognition of community knowledge, priorities and experiences in shaping locally responsive Just Transition initiatives.
Clear Skies Ahead: a 2040 roadmap to cut aviation’s climate impact through navigational contrail avoidance
Hosted by: Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA)
-
Facilitator:
Brandon Staats, Policy, Strategy and Business Development Manager, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
Speakers:
- Dr Samuel Gabra, Director, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
- Edmund Dickens, Senior Project Manager, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
- Brandon Staats, Policy, Strategy and Business Development Manager, Aviation Impact Accelerator, University of Cambridge
Event Brief:
Aviation is responsible for a significant and growing contribution to climate change and is a hard-to-abate sector with few options for significant near-term decarbonisation. Contrail avoidance is one solution that has the potential to almost halve aviation-related climate warming over the short term; it can be achieved using the aircraft flying today, and involves asking a small proportion (~5%) of flights to make small vertical deviations (~2000ft) to avoid most (~80%) of this warming.
This event will raise awareness of the climate opportunity associated with contrail avoidance and outline a policy roadmap to achieving this. It will be based on recent research from the Aviation Impact Accelerator at the University of Cambridge that shows how we can build up an avoidance system at a global scale by 2040. Success could enable us to recover 9% of the remaining Paris-aligned temperature budget, delivering climate mitigation at a cost as low as $1/tCO2e avoided.
From Fragmentation to Scale: Building the Global South Cleantech Entrepreneurship Alliance
Hosted by: Startup Genome
-
Facilitator:
Naira Bonifácio
Speakers:
Lucy Chatburn (Cleantech Group); Stephan Kuester (Startup Genome); a South Africa representative (TBC); Anna de Souza Aranha (Quintessa), Vusi Skosana
Acting Executive: Innovation Enabling & Head of Technology Stations
Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)Event Brief:
“From Fragmentation to Scale: Building the Global South Cleantech Entrepreneurship Alliance” is a high-level panel session that addresses the critical “Climate Tech Gap” the paradox where Global South nations bear the most severe climate impacts yet remain structurally positioned as raw material exporters and passive consumers of Northern-developed cleantech solutions. The panel will present preliminary findings from the Global South Cleantech Entrepreneurship Alliance (GSCEA) Opportunities Report, showcasing how seven founding member nations (Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Senegal, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Oman) can transition from isolated innovation efforts to a unified, scalable regional platform. Through a polycentric governance model anchored in national and regional institutions, the GSCEA aggregates cross-border demand, harmonizes regulatory frameworks, and unlocks industrial capacity to generate high-value employment, technological sovereignty, and climate resilience across the Global South.
The session will convene ministerial leaders, impact investors, and policymakers to validate the Alliance’s strategic vision and formalize institutional commitments. Participants will engage with initial diagnostic findings on cleantech subsector opportunities, ecosystem competencies, and critical infrastructure gaps and invite new governments to join the coalition. By demonstrating how market consolidation and coordinated policy action can transform fragmented entrepreneurial ecosystems into competitive global players, this panel positions the Global South as an active agent in the global cleantech transition rather than a passive recipient of external solutions.
Municipal Leadership in the Just Energy Transition: Sharing Lessons and Best Practises
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)
-
Facilitator:
Ms. Dorah Marema- SALGA
Speakers:
Mr. Blessing Manale – Presidential Climate Commission
Ms. Babalwa Mbobo – SALGA
Mr. Sergio Chaparro – Ministry of Environment in Colombia
Ms. Dudu Sibiya-Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Ms. Titi Sontoro- Aks! – Indonesia
City of Tshwane (TBC)Event Brief:
Municipalities play a critical role in advancing South Africa’s Just Energy Transition by translating national energy and climate commitments into practical local actions that promote energy security, economic development, climate resilience, and social inclusion. Through its Municipal Just Energy Transition (JET) Council, SALGA has created a platform that enables municipalities to collaborate, exchange knowledge, identify common challenges, and develop locally relevant solutions to support a just and inclusive transition.
This event will provide an opportunity to share lessons, experiences, and good practices emerging from SALGA’s Municipal JET Council and municipal JET initiatives across South Africa, while drawing insights from Global South partners. Discussions will focus on municipal leadership, governance, financing, capacity building, and partnerships required to accelerate implementation, foster peer learning, and strengthen the role of local government in delivering an equitable, resilient, and sustainable energy transition.
Women and Youth at the Forefront of Climate Resilience: Advancing a Just Transition through Inclusive Local Governance
Hosted by: South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and SAIIA
-
Facilitator:
Dorah Marema
Speakers:
Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi – SALGA
Ms. Shamiela Reid – Indalo Inclusive South Africa NPC
Mr Lehlohonolo Jack – South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
Ms. Olfa Jelassi- Climate, Sustainability & International Development, TunisiaEvent Brief:
Women and youth are among those most affected by climate change, yet they are also powerful drivers of innovation, leadership, and sustainable development. This event will provide a platform to explore how local government can strengthen the participation of women and young people in climate governance, green economy opportunities, entrepreneurship, skills development, and community resilience initiatives.
Through dialogue and the sharing of practical experiences, the event will highlight pathways for inclusive leadership, climate justice, green jobs, food security, digital innovation, and climate finance, while promoting partnerships that empower women and youth as equal partners in advancing a just transition and building climate-resilient municipalities and communities.
Beyond Decarbonisation: Business, Human Rights and a Just Transition for People and Nature
Hosted by: United Nations Global Compact
Investing in Africa’s Green Transformation: Building Sustainable Enterprises, Circular Value Chains and Climate-Resilient Markets
Hosted by: Kenya Platform for Climate Governance (KPCG)
-
Facilitator:
Faith Ngige, HSC – National Coordinator – KPCG
Event Brief:
The proposed dialogue, “Investing in Africa’s Green Transformation: Building Sustainable Enterprises, Circular Value Chains and Climate-Resilient Markets,” will explore how Africa can convert the green transition into commercially viable enterprises, stronger local and regional value chains and growing markets for sustainable products and services.
The session will bring together business leaders, investors, financial institutions, policymakers, entrepreneurs, civil society and community perspectives to examine the enabling conditions required for sustainable enterprises to start, grow and compete. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between investment, enterprise development and market demand, recognising that businesses become more investable when there is a clear and growing market for the products and services they provide.
The dialogue will therefore move beyond the traditional discussion of financing green businesses to examine the broader ecosystem needed to sustain them, including consumer awareness, green procurement, credible standards, market incentives, accessible finance and supportive policy and regulatory frameworks.
The event is expected to strengthen understanding of the relationship between enterprise development, consumer demand and investment within Africa’s green transition. It will identify commercially promising sustainable-enterprise opportunities, explore approaches for growing circular and climate-resilient markets and highlight how communities can participate more actively as consumers, producers and market actors.
The dialogue will also help identify practical measures for strengthening green-consumer awareness, sustainable procurement, market confidence and enterprise bankability. It will provide an opportunity for businesses, investors, policymakers and civil society to identify possible partnerships for scaling sustainable products, services and value chains across African markets.
Ultimately, the event will contribute to a stronger African narrative in which climate action is not viewed primarily as a cost or obligation, but as an opportunity to build competitive enterprises, stronger markets and more resilient economies.
About South Africa’s Pavilion
The South African Pavilion brings together government, business and partners to drive action on climate, nature and people. We showcase solutions, facilitate dialogue and position South Africa’s private sector as a partner in a just and ambitious transition.
