Activists urge govt to honour climate commitments ahead of COP17

Environmental activists are calling on the government to honour its climate commitments ahead of COP17, which is scheduled to take place in Armenia from the 19th to the 30th of this month under the theme, “Taking Action for Nature”.

South Africa’s delegation will be led by Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Narend Singh.

The Green Connection’s Neville van Rooy explains why the exclusion of indigenous people from policy-making continues to harm vulnerable communities. [LISTEN] COP17 | Environmental activists urge government to include indigenous voices in climate policies #sabcnews https://t.co/OHZ807WR4V #sabckzn @salpatel786 — SABC News Radio (@SABCNews_Radio) October 15, 2026 “We are very much looking to our government to honour its climate commitments as we head into COP and to demonstrate how it intends to move away from fossil fuels, in particular.

From a grassroots perspective, we are concerned to see that several fossil fuel projects are still being earmarked for deep-water exploration and authorisation along both the West and East Coasts, including the Shell project on the East Coast.

This raises concerns about whether the government will truly uphold its climate commitments,” says van Rooy.