From Commitment to Action: Building South Africa’s Green Economy Together.

Publication Date: 29/05/2025

Sustaining Progress

Why Sustainability Matters- A Five-Year Journey Towards a Green Economy

The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) theme, “In Solidarity for a Green Economy,” emphasized global cooperation in advancing a sustainable and resilient economy. In response to this, South Africa’s agenda has been, “From Commitment to Action: Building South Africa’s Green Economy Together,” which underscores the critical need to transform global and national climate commitments into tangible, actionable steps at the local level.

This agenda focuses on the transition from high-level pledges to concrete, collaborative actions across business sectors, government, and civil society to drive South Africa’s green economy. Subsequently, the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) theme, “Peace with Nature,” was built on the existing acknowledgment of the risk that the nature and biodiversity crisis posed to business and the economy.

Both COPs spoke to the urgency of aligning public and private sector strategies, policies,
and investments in support of integrated climate, nature, and biodiversity goals, while ensuring inclusivity and empowerment for all businesses, particularly small and medium- sized enterprises (SMMEs) and women-owned businesses.

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