The Prime Minister spoke to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa today, ahead of the G20 and COP26.
They discussed how the UK and South Africa can work together on accelerating the shift away from coal and towards renewable energy, to support the effort to limit global temperature rises.
The leaders agreed on the importance of meeting the $100bn target to help developing countries address climate change, and the Prime Minister set out the UK’s intensive diplomatic work in this area and progress to date.
They also discussed the response to COVID-19, acknowledging the challenges posed by global travel restrictions. The Prime Minister agreed to continue working closely with President Ramaphosa on this issue, to ensure that safe travel, trade and tourism between our countries can recover as soon as possible.
The Prime Minister hoped to see President Ramaphosa in Glasgow for COP26, noting how critical the presence of South Africa is for successful negotiations.