President’s comment

Sustainability

in practice

When the UN hosted the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, it marked a formal commitment by signatories to take a firm stance on climate change. Close to 30 years later, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) now meets annually to align on objectives and assess progress.

The UNFCCC evaluates signatories’ performance against targets via the Conference of the Parties (COP), which is the appointed decisionmaking body. COP26, also referred to as the UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021, is the next rendition, taking place from late October to November 2021 in Glasgow and, as we speak, member countries will reflect on the challenges and refocus on the objectives.

Historically, major milestones along the way include the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015, which established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For people, economies and the planet to coexist, the SDGs make it clear that there must be a balance and the freedom to implement within an enabling environment. The SDGs cover areas ranging from education to gender equality, poverty and hunger eradication, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, and place an emphasis on industry innovation and infrastructure.

NDP and NIP

In addition to their alignment with the SDGs, countries around the world have adapted them to meet their own unique experiences. A case in point is South Africa’s launch of its National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 in 2012. Key objectives include economic expansion and inclusive growth, job creation, the building of a capable and developmental state, and public-private sector participation.

All these initiatives have happened to a greater or lesser extent. However, the fact that South Africa’s Vision 2030 targets are still a work in progress shows that realignment and refocus are required to address the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. A similar experience is shared globally among developed and developing nations.

Within South Africa, this is a key rationale for the new National Infrastructure Plan 2050 (NIP 2050) gazetted by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI). The NIP 2050 is a very comprehensive document prepared by Infrastructure South Africa in conjunction with leading experts. To quote a DPWI statement, “The aim is to promote dynamism in infrastructure delivery and address institutional blockages and weaknesses that hinder success over the longer term. Additionally, the NIP 2050 will guide the way to building stronger institutions that can deliver on infrastructure-related aspirations of the NDP.”

IMESA welcomes the NIP 2050 initiative, as we continue to work with public stakeholders at national, provincial and local government level. Among the mandates of IMESA and the construction sector is to help clear procurement impediments that hinder the smooth delivery of infrastructure so that South Africa can implement the roadmap in terms of our unique NDP and NIP objectives.

Bhavna Soni, president, IMESA