It is an honour to address you in my capacity as Chair of the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP17).

At this time when the CITES Plenary is still considering the work of the Committees, I am not in a position to talk about specific proposals or substance issues.

My role is to facilitate discussions and outcomes amongst all the Parties to this Convention. Consequently, questions related to South Africa’s national positions on various issues before CITES should please be directed to the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, in her capacity as leader of the South African delegation.

 My intention today is to highlight the importance of CITES and of this particular Conference and to share my impressions on the status of our work thus far.

CITES, as you would be aware, is an international agreement between governments that seeks to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. With trade in wildlife across international borders growing exponentially in recent years, a multilateral rules-based approach to ensuring the sustainability of this trade has never been as important as it is today.

International cooperation and regulation of trade is a prerequisite for safeguarding both irreplaceable wildlife resources for future generations and the livelihoods of many millions of people worldwide. No category of people is as directly affected as the rural communities who live in direct proximity to wildlife and who depend on wildlife for their very survival.

CITES provides this basis for collective action and it is one of the multilateral conservation agreements with the largest memberships (183 Parties) and most impressive track records. This is a Convention about the intrinsic link between people and wild fauna and flora and it is located at the nexus between conservation and human development. As such, its work speaks directly to the realization of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Turning now to the significance of CoP17, I am pleased to report that this is the largest ever meeting of Parties to this Convention, with the highest number of Ministers present. The agenda before us is also the most comprehensive yet with over 120 documents being considered. This is a reflection of the growing awareness of the magnitude of the challenges we face together and the increased political will to find collective solutions. We are meeting here to strengthen our understanding of the challenges, to review the effectiveness of past actions and to determine the next steps.

This work is of great political and socio-economic importance, but it is first and foremost technical work based on science and biology. CITES has proven most successful when its Parties have adhered to the strict scientific criteria they have developed to regulate trade in accordance with the degree of protection required for each species.

Not all of these species will grab the media headlines and capture the hearts and minds of the international community in the way that lions, elephants, rhinos, tigers and now pangolins do, but they are equally important. I assure you that the full range of species are receiving attention at this conference from many of the world’s leading specialists.

Behind each decision or resolution that will be rapidly gaveled through in the Plenary, is a considerable body of work carried out inter-sessionally and during this CoP itself on issues such as improving enforcement, capacity-building and the regulatory frameworks for trading in each species.

The mood in this conference has been particularly constructive and Parties have worked together in a spirit of mutual understanding. They have demonstrated a willingness to compromise and find solutions and as a result, agreements have been reached on even some of the most seemingly intractable issues.

I wish to commend the Parties and encourage them to maintain this momentum in the closing Plenary. I also call on the wider public to take ownership of the outcomes of this CoP and to help ensure that the decisions and resolutions are implemented.

Finally, it is particularly fitting that this CoP is taking place on African soil. Africa has shown leadership on conservation and the sustainable livelihoods of local communities and is one of the last strongholds of some of the world’s most iconic species of wild fauna and flora.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

How CITES works (Source: extract from CITES website)

CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species.

The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need.

Appendices I and II

Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

The Conference of the Parties (CoP), which is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention and comprises all its member States, has agreed in Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP16) on a set of biological and trade criteria to help determine whether a species should be included in Appendices I or II. At each regular meeting of the CoP, Parties submit proposals based on those criteria to amend these two Appendices. Those amendment proposals are discussed and then submitted to a vote. The Convention also allows for amendments by a postal procedure between meetings of the CoP (see Article XV, paragraph 2, of the Convention), but this procedure is rarely used.

Appendix III

This Appendix contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. Changes to Appendix III follow a distinct procedure from changes to Appendices I and II, as each Party’s is entitled to make unilateral amendments to it.

 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

It is an honour to address you in my capacity as Chair of the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP17).

At this time when the CITES Plenary is still considering the work of the Committees, I am not in a position to talk about specific proposals or substance issues.

My role is to facilitate discussions and outcomes amongst all the Parties to this Convention. Consequently, questions related to South Africa’s national positions on various issues before CITES should please be directed to the Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, in her capacity as leader of the South African delegation.

 My intention today is to highlight the importance of CITES and of this particular Conference and to share my impressions on the status of our work thus far.

CITES, as you would be aware, is an international agreement between governments that seeks to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. With trade in wildlife across international borders growing exponentially in recent years, a multilateral rules-based approach to ensuring the sustainability of this trade has never been as important as it is today.

International cooperation and regulation of trade is a prerequisite for safeguarding both irreplaceable wildlife resources for future generations and the livelihoods of many millions of people worldwide. No category of people is as directly affected as the rural communities who live in direct proximity to wildlife and who depend on wildlife for their very survival.

CITES provides this basis for collective action and it is one of the multilateral conservation agreements with the largest memberships (183 Parties) and most impressive track records. This is a Convention about the intrinsic link between people and wild fauna and flora and it is located at the nexus between conservation and human development. As such, its work speaks directly to the realization of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Turning now to the significance of CoP17, I am pleased to report that this is the largest ever meeting of Parties to this Convention, with the highest number of Ministers present. The agenda before us is also the most comprehensive yet with over 120 documents being considered. This is a reflection of the growing awareness of the magnitude of the challenges we face together and the increased political will to find collective solutions. We are meeting here to strengthen our understanding of the challenges, to review the effectiveness of past actions and to determine the next steps.

This work is of great political and socio-economic importance, but it is first and foremost technical work based on science and biology. CITES has proven most successful when its Parties have adhered to the strict scientific criteria they have developed to regulate trade in accordance with the degree of protection required for each species.

Not all of these species will grab the media headlines and capture the hearts and minds of the international community in the way that lions, elephants, rhinos, tigers and now pangolins do, but they are equally important. I assure you that the full range of species are receiving attention at this conference from many of the world’s leading specialists.

Behind each decision or resolution that will be rapidly gaveled through in the Plenary, is a considerable body of work carried out inter-sessionally and during this CoP itself on issues such as improving enforcement, capacity-building and the regulatory frameworks for trading in each species.

The mood in this conference has been particularly constructive and Parties have worked together in a spirit of mutual understanding. They have demonstrated a willingness to compromise and find solutions and as a result, agreements have been reached on even some of the most seemingly intractable issues.

I wish to commend the Parties and encourage them to maintain this momentum in the closing Plenary. I also call on the wider public to take ownership of the outcomes of this CoP and to help ensure that the decisions and resolutions are implemented.

Finally, it is particularly fitting that this CoP is taking place on African soil. Africa has shown leadership on conservation and the sustainable livelihoods of local communities and is one of the last strongholds of some of the world’s most iconic species of wild fauna and flora.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

How CITES works (Source: extract from CITES website)

CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species.

The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need.

Appendices I and II

Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

 The Conference of the Parties (CoP), which is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention and comprises all its member States, has agreed in Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP16) on a set of biological and trade criteria to help determine whether a species should be included in Appendices I or II. At each regular meeting of the CoP, Parties submit proposals based on those criteria to amend these two Appendices. Those amendment proposals are discussed and then submitted to a vote. The Convention also allows for amendments by a postal procedure between meetings of the CoP (see Article XV, paragraph 2, of the Convention), but this procedure is rarely used.

Appendix III

This Appendix contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. Changes to Appendix III follow a distinct procedure from changes to Appendices I and II, as each Party’s is entitled to make unilateral amendments to it.

 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

Comments by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa

We have just concluded very good discussions between ourselves and the First Vice- President Taban Deng of South Sudan. We invited the Vice President Taban Deng and his delegation to come, so that we can be briefed about what has been happening in South Sudan.  

He has given us a detailed briefing about the developments in South Sudan.  We congratulated First Vice-President Taban Deng for his appointment as First Vice-President replacing Dr Riek Machar who has now fled South Sudan.  We took note of his briefing in relation to how they are doing everything they can, to consolidate the peace in South Sudan.

We can say now that the guns have gone silent and they are working together in cooperation with President Salva Kiir. The government has become stable, the parliament has opened and we were very pleased and heartened to hear all these developments. 

On conclusion on all this, we have decided together that we will setup a Task Team, between the two offices of the first Vice-President Taban Deng and our office as Deputy President to work on matters of mutual interest which will be decided on at both government level and our two Presidents will then take be able to take all these matter to another level.  

So we’ve had really good discussions and we are now confident that peace will finally be entrenched in South Sudan and they will now be moving to the development plane and were very pleased to hear about their determination to ensure that peace does reign in South Sudan. 

Comments by First Vice-President Taban Deng

Thank you, Your Excellency, Gentlemen of the Press; we flew to Cape Town to visit him. Cyril Ramaphosa the Deputy President of South Africa  an old friend of South Sudan. He has been with us in Juba for a number of years.  He has been following the developments in South Sudan very closely.

We came here to come and assure him of the positive developments taking place in the Republic of South Sudan. We are implementing peace because we have no other option than having peace.  More violence is not an option in Africa, in South Sudan or anywhere elsewhere in Africa.  We have to settle so that people develop, so that people can have health services, people have roads, people are food secure.

We came to visit him as an old friend. Many of you have followed the role he has been playing in making peace in South Sudan and also uniting the SPLM, the bigger party that have liberated the country called South Sudan now.

We brought greetings from His Excellency President Salva Kiir, to his brother President Zuma. We came here to ask for solidarity. As an elder brother, South Africa of course is one of the giants of Africa. We are relying in South African people to participate in cementing peace and developing the nation, moving forward.  South Sudan is a potential country there are huge resources in oil and other minerals. South Africa has the technology; they have the capacity to help us tap into those resources so that people can move forward with developing their country. 

Yes we are very serious in implementing peace there is no going back to any crisis or war.  But people don’t eat peace in the first place, what they eat is the dividends that follow peace. Those dividends are roads, schools and health services. 

Once again I thank the Deputy President. We really appeal to the people of South Africa to know more about South Sudan and to help us moving forward and tapping into those huge resources that I have just mentioned.

Once again I thank you, Your Excellency, I almost said that you go back to your second lovely city Juba, so that we move forward all of us and that then tomorrow we celebrate that Juba  is moving forward.  The country is peaceful now.  There is no crisis. Deputy President, the government is running now-We have a united government. We have a co-operating Presidency. We have one government. The programme of that one government is peace implementation- which shall be the programme for the next thirty months. I am happy to be with you here in Cape Town

Question from media:

In the absence of Riek in the government of national unity what is being done to bring him back to the negotiating table to bring him back to the government of national unity. What is being done to bring him back or is the government saying ok well now lets cut our losses let us move forward. And in the absence of him, can there be peace and stability and when we talk about a government of national unity in his absence, is it not a flawed concept?

Answer: Vice President Deng

The dilemma is not with Salva Kiir or Taban Deng. The dilemma is Riek Machar himself. He has been asked to return to Juba, but how is he going to return? Is he going to return with the same crisis that brought fighting in Juba, like for example, moving with huge forces, parallel armies.

Riek is impatient, he is not waiting for elections, he sees himself as a president-in-waiting, he is seeing himself a parallel president. So if he has removed himself from all those difficulties, if he goes back to Juba a peaceful person, then he is welcome to Juba. Otherwise, we are telling him the option is not going back to war.

The option is continuing with the implementation of peace, so that you can have a peaceful country, so that we can have elections in 30 months to come. We want him to denounce violence, that is the only message we have given him,

ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY,

Cape Town,

13 September 2016

Transformation through Tourism – a catalyst for change

As we celebrate 22 years of our democracy, we celebrate the escalating growth that tourism has contributed to our country. This recognition resulted in the subsequent establishment of tourism being made into a stand-alone department in 2009. Tourism had come into its own!

The growth in this sector has been so steady, yet silently churning in the background while the rest of the economy has been volatile. Subsequently, it has been identified as one of the six key growth sectors in the New Growth Path. This is evidenced by its contribution to the GDP which measures 3.9% - more than most labour-intensive sectors, Indeed, the crowning achievement was the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2010! What more validation could we ask for?

To reflect, in 1993, the country received just over 3.4 million international arrivals. Last year we welcomed 8.9 million visitors to our shores. While this reflects a good growth curve, the performance of the last two years was below the global average – as the Minister mentioned. Following high level intervention into the visa regulations, we have demonstrated that our democracy is healthy in that we are circumspect enough to carefully balance and not all let our economics overshadow our state security.

Tourism has become so much more than revenue. Apart from being hailed our economic gold, tourism is a great social unifier of what was also once a very elitist activity in this country. The very thing that set us apart from each other is the same thing that is now the catalyst for social cohesion. Since the dawn of democracy and the enactment of the Constitution 20 years ago this month, the way was paved for change in this landscape. Because as this is a people-driven sector, it stands to reason that we should put people first. And this meant advancing the transformation agenda.

To give expression to the National Development Plan, our focus is on inclusive economic growth and job creation. As mentioned in the President’s State of the Nation Address, tourism has been identified as a vehicle for accelerated and sustained economic growth. The National Department of Tourism, together with its sector partners has made transformation an imperative. Through its robust programmes, it is committed to redressing past inequalities.

What does this translate to? Economic development is not possible without people development. By empowering our people, we give them the tools with which to participate in the economy in a meaningful way and take advantage of what South Africa has to offer.

I am proud to say that we were the first sector to establish BBBEE codes for the industry. This has therefore set the tone for redress. Let us take a look at how we have fared. As a social unifier, this sector birthed many niche markets which is indicative of social inclusion and cohesion. These markets include township tourism, culture and heritage tourism, sports tourism and social tourism. All these attractions contribute significantly to domestic tourism – which is the backbone of this industry. This serves to enhance South Africa and to position it as a destination of choice.

Domestic Tourism spurred by these niche markets is an area of high potential for growth from which tourism can benefit. More collaboration with these sectors is necessary to realise the socio-economic impacts with regards to job creation, improved revenue for small business and community beneficiation.

In terms of gender parity, studies show that majority of workers in the tourism sector are women. Yet many of these women are still relegated to menial or junior roles within our tourism establishments. The establishment of the Women in Tourism Forum in 2014 is aimed at addressing the economic inequalities and challenges faced by women within the sector.

To address these disparities, we have, in partnership with the University of South Africa (UNISA) Graduate School of Business Leadership launched the Executive Development Programme (EDP) for Black women tourism managers. The programme is aimed at building strong business skills and leadership capabilities amongst black women in the tourism sector to lead key parts of tourism businesses and form a pool of future top leadership, entrepreneurs and industrialists in the sector. The pilot for the programme will run for a period of 12 months starting with an intake of 20 Black women in July 2016. The response to this has been overwhelming and I appeal to industry to partner with us to increase the subsequent intakes. I also want to further implore industry to absorb graduates of this programme and to enable them to flourish in your organisations.

Our department has been significantly instrumental in building capacity. We started by instilling a love for this industry at secondary school level. This gave birth to the National Tourism Careers Expo (NTCE) which serves as an intrinsic platform for introducing learners who are interested in pursuing a career in tourism. This newfound upsurge in tourism as a career has also resulted in more tourism graduates. To recalibrate the supply and demand ratio, we appeal to our partners to assist to absorb these graduates and enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.

At this stage, not everyone has the opportunity to be introduced to the tourism sector via the school curriculum. To target the youth, we have developed a series of learnership programmes to bridge the skills gap in this sector as well as address the scourge of unemployment among the youth. And we have done so with much success. Allow to share a few with you.

The National Youth Chefs Training Programme qualification is recognized internationally. It ensures world-class service standards and promotes South African indigenous cuisine. In the 2015/16 financial year, the department has enrolled 577 learners. The programme will continue in 2016/17 and the budget for the programme over the two financial years is R63 million. Since its inception in 2011, this programme produced over 1400 graduates. 712 have been absorbed.

The Tourism Buddies programme is an experiential hospitality training programme targeting the unemployed youth to enable them to acquire skills and gain work experience to enhance employability in the hospitality and tourism sector. There are 2214 learners that have graduated. The budget for the programme is R140 million. Since its inception, this programme has produced 2654 graduates. 688 has been absorbed for 14/15 cycle.

The Sommeliers (Wine Servicing) programme specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role is much more specialized and informed than that of a wine waiter in fine dining today. There were 245 learners that graduated and the budget for the programme was R15 million. 121 are formally employed.

Food Safety is a scientific discipline aimed at handling, preparing, and storing food in ways that prevent food borne illnesses. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. As a pilot project, 100 FET hospitality and tourism unemployed graduates were trained and have completed the programme with a 55% absorption rate. In the 2016/17 financial year, the department plans to recruit and place 500 learners in this programme.

A vital aspect of hospitality is service excellence as this has a huge effect on the visitor return rate. Our programme on Service Excellence is increasingly becoming popular among the provinces and institutions because it equips attractions with skilled staff to render high quality services to tourists.

Transformation is not just about community beneficiation but also creating an enabling environment to redress social inequality in the multi-layered geopolitical landscapes. It means taking ownership of what we are custodians of – our beautiful country. The department realises the importance that entrepreneurship plays in job creation and transformation and is establishing a dedicated programme within the department to drive enterprise development. We are proud to announce that we will be showcasing this as part of our Tourism Incentive Programme at the annual Tourism Indaba in Durban next week.

The Tourism B-BBEE Portal was also developed for black owned enterprises to accelerate SMMEs empowerment in the tourism sector, to facilitate matchmaking and monitor compliance to the Amended Tourism B-BBEE Sector Code. All of these initiatives will be further advanced in this financial year.

Transformation is also about inclusivity and removing access to barriers. Prior to the birth of our democracy, tourist activities have not been enjoyed by all South Africans. Our department, in collaboration with the other spheres of government and related government agencies, plans to develop an inventory of all government owned parks and resorts and discounted rates will be offered to designated groups. This Social Tourism initiative not only aims to boost domestic traveller numbers but more importantly to inculcate a culture of love for travel.

South Africa is renowned not only as a sought after leisure destination because of our vast array of products but also as a business and events destination. This robust industry includes meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. Business tourism has a higher economic impact as travellers usually spend time on leisure activities pre or post their business event. Hosting these events not only generates revenue but also contributes to our knowledge economy. The National Conventions Bureau is expertly helmed by Amanda Kotze-Nhlapo, who recently was awarded the IMEX academy award for outstanding service to the meetings industry – for the Africa Middle East region. I wish to heartily acknowledge and congratulate Amanda! She and her team have already secured 66 international conferences between 2017 and 2022 as well as 45 bids pending outcomes.

Most importantly, transformation is about willingness to embrace change and I would like to sincerely thank all our partners – in trade, government and civil society – for their invaluable contribution in transforming this industry and subsequently making it the vibrant, dynamic sector that it is. I especially want to thank Team Tourism led by the Honourable Minister Hanekom for his visionary leadership. I look forward to continue our collaboration as we plot the way forward for the next twenty years.

Enquiries:

Natasha Rockman

Office of the Deputy Minister

Tel: 0764292264

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Issued by GCIS on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism

03 May 2016