Bua Briefs 148

4 December 2009
 

Final draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

The final draw on 4 December in Cape Town serves both as a celebration for the 32 teams that will participate in the FIFA 2010 World CupTM and as an important test on the state of readiness for the tournament.

South Africa is proud to welcome the FIFA family and the 32 teams that are scheduled to participate in the 2010 FIFA World CupTM in June and July 2010.
 

  • The final draw reflects the achievement of a milestone on the road to the 2010 World Cup, both for the final 32 teams as well as for the host nation.
  • We are especially proud to welcome the qualifying teams from Africa, who are vital to ensuring that the 2010 FIFA World CupTM leaves a lasting legacy on the continent.
  • Let us together sustain our tireless efforts that have brought us to this point

A successful final draw is a good indicator of the state of readiness for hosting a successful 2010 tournament.
 

  • The draw is a crucial test for our preparedness as intense international attention will focus on how the country will handle an event with such enormous logistical demands.
  • The draw will provide definitive information on where the teams are based and logistical arrangements for accommodation and the transportation of teams and fans around the various host cities, including the estimated 450 000 ticket holders who will come to South Africa.

Our nation must host the FIFA World Cup with flair and efficiency to ensure that we are recognised as a county of choice beyond the tournament.
 

  • We must all be good hosts in welcoming the world and displaying our efficiency during this event.

KE NAKO: AFRICA’S TIME HAS COME

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World Economic Forum (WEF) – Annual meeting

The annual WEF will take place in Davos, Switzerland, from 27 January to 31 January 2010. The theme is: Improve the State of the World: Rethink, Redesign and Rebuild. The event will take place in the same year as South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM and the 40th anniversary of the WEF.

South Africa welcomes the WEF’s focus on improving the state of the world. It is only through a collaborative effort that we can support global recovery.
 

  • The redefining of the global financial system and the development of effective risk- mitigation mechanisms will assist in improving the state of the world.
  • A more democratic system of global economic and financial governance is needed to bring about greater transparency in the world economy.
  • The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund need to reform to reflect the broader range of development policy and emerging market economies.

South Africa’s support in stabilising economic policies and measures is helping to improve the state of the world economy.
 

  • South Africa remains one of two countries that have not introduced trade-distorting measures such as stimulus packages.
  • South Africa supports the declaration issued by the finance ministers and central bank governors aimed at introducing measures for a robust and comprehensive framework for global regulation and oversight.
  • We support the confidence-building liquidity injection into the international monetary system, which will result in close to $1 trillion in additional resources, to enable increased access of resources to developing and low-income countries.

Deeper integration of African and developing economies extensively benefits the improvement of the world economy.
 

  • African and emerging economies play a strong role in mitigating the impact on the real economy and are key to an early worldwide recovery.
  • South Africa calls on those countries that have not yet done so, to commit to specific timelines to meet their existing aid commitments, most notably those made at the Gleneagles G-8 Summit in 2005 to double aid to Africa by the end of 2010.
  • Unless substantial progress is made in meeting these aid commitments, many developing countries will not be able to meet their millennium development goals by 2015.

Renewed buoyancy in our markets reflects that South Africa is on the path to economic recovery.
 

  • Growth of 1,5% is projected for 2010, rising to 2,7% in 2011 and 3,2% in 2012. Almost 4% trade recovery is anticipated in 2010, picking up in subsequent years.
  • Gross fixed capital formation is expected to average 6% growth, supported by continued public-sector infrastructure spending and private-investment recovery.
  • Our spending growth is strongly driven by infrastructure investment. South Africa’s R787-billion infrastructure expenditure is providing an enabling environment for investment and growth.

South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 FIFA World CupTM are on track and we are confident that a world-class tournament will be hosted.
 

  • We are on track to honour all 17 guarantees made to FIFA for the successful hosting of the tournament.
  • Most of the 2010 FIFA World CupTM infrastructure projects are nearing completion and the 2010 stadiums will be handed over to FIFA in December 2009.
  • The South African Police Service will deploy 41 000 dedicated officers for the event. These includes 31 000 permanent members and 10 000 police reservists trained in major events.
  • The 2010 FIFA World CupTM is expected to contribute R30 billion to the economy.  The construction of stadiums created 20 000 direct jobs with 400 000 other jobs created through infrastructure projects.

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United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC)

The UNFCCC will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 7 to 18 December 2009. The Copenhagen Conference will address the urgent need for a new climate protocol with the Kyoto Protocol coming to an end in 2012. At the Copenhagen Climate Change talks, the parties to the UNFCCC will meet for the last time on government level before the climate agreement is renewed.

For South Africa, a successful outcome is one that is inclusive, fair and effective; that places equal priority on both adaptation and mitigation; and creates a balance between development and climate imperatives.
 

  • A fair deal is one that keeps global warming as far below 2 degrees Celsius as possible, and delivers the necessary resources to enable developing countries to avoid and adapt to the impacts, in the short and long term.
  • On adaptation, there must be an agreement on a comprehensive international programme, with new, additional and up-scaled finance, technology and capacity- building that aim to reduce vulnerability and build the resilience of developing countries to immediate and future impacts.
  • On mitigation, we expect developed countries to take the lead; we seek an outcome that will restrict the global temperature increase to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius, limiting the impact of climate change. It requires all developed countries to commit to ambitious, economy-wide legally binding emission-reduction targets of at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2020.  

We believe that an agreement can be reached in Copenhagen.
 

  • We are participating actively in the negotiations, both within the Africa Group and the Group of 77 & China, seeking compromise positions within each of these negotiating forums, as well as working with partners to seek and understand potential areas for convergence.
  • Domestically, South Africa is in the process of developing a national climate change policy, to be finalised by the end of 2010.
  • Our strategic policy framework is based on the notion that our emissions will peak between 2020 and 2025, stabilise for a decade, before declining in absolute terms towards mid-century. To achieve this, we will require extensive international financial and technical support.
  • Developing countries are already taking mitigation actions. We are already making a meaningful contribution within our respective capabilities. We are willing to do more, and need finance, technology and capacity-building support to enhance our mitigation efforts.

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Highlights

2010 World Cup accommodation
 

  • FIFA has said that accommodation during next year's World Cup finals was no longer an issue with enough rooms now available for visiting supporters. FIFA General Secretary, Jerome Valcke, said: "We have got the bed nights we feel we need to accommodate the people, based on the estimated numbers that we are expecting”.

HIV and AIDS
 

  • South Africa announced new plans for earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive babies and pregnant women –, a change that could save hundreds of thousands of lives. President Jacob Zuma said in his speech on World AIDS Day on 1 December that the policy changes would take effect in April 2010. The plans include treatment for all patients with both tuberculosis and HIV if their CD4 count is 350 or less. Currently, patients are treated when their CD4 count is 200 or less. Pregnant women who are HIV-positive will also start treatment earlier. This is in line with new World Health Organisation recommendations.

CNN wins gold for campaign promoting South Africa
 

Expatriates rank South Africa in top 10 for quality of life
 

  • South Africa has been ranked the sixth best place for people working overseas in the largest ever global survey of expats. South Africa was ranked as the country where expats found the biggest improvement in pursuing their hobbies and was also the top country for settling down. Fifty five per cent of the expats surveyed in South Africa had been living there for more than five years.

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