MTN one of the first companies in South Africa to sign the Cancun Communiqué
MTN became one of the first companies in South Africa to sign the Cancun Communiqué on Climate Change declaration when Group President & CEO Phuthuma Nhleko attached his signature to the global proclamation, thereby reaffirming the company’s commitment to fighting the effects of climate change.
The Cancun Communiqué aims to build on the momentum created by the Copenhagen Communiqué – a declaration in which MTN is also a signatory – in which the international business community urged governments to reverse the negative effects of climate change by formulating an effective international climate framework.
Although the United Nations Copenhagen climate conference represented an important step forward, it did not deliver the robust deal that the then signatories, including MTN, were hoping for. Tomorrow, MTN will be represented at a CEO breakfast session hosted by Cambridge University and Anglo American in Johannesburg where Africa’s leading telecoms company and its peers will have an opportunity to discuss the South African government’s position in relation to the upcoming negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, later this year.
Ms Joanne Yawitch, Deputy Director General in the Department of Environmental Affairs, will be leading the discussions and fielding questions from delegates.
Says Ms January-Bardill, MTN Group Executive: Corporate Affairs: “The Cancun Communiqué presents the business community with a unique opportunity to shape the outcome of the climate change framework that we hope will result from the negotiations. As an environmentally-conscious corporate citizen, MTN believes that the ICT industry can play a catalyst role in influencing how governments and other sectors of the economy conduct themselves in relation to the environment. We believe that we are leading by example and urge other like-minded corporates to put their shoulders to the wheel to ensure that we preserve the environment not only for us, but for future generations as well.”
As testimony of its commitment to implementing environmentally-friendly practises, MTN was placed joint 20th in the Top 1000 JSE-listed companies for its Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2010 report. The CDP is the only international source of carbon-related business information and is utilised by institutional investors with over US$64 trillion assets under management. In addition, MTN was a finalist in the recent 2010 AfricaCom Green Telecoms Award for its methane-powered tri-generation plant – the first in Africa - that utilises clean energy sources to power its head office in Johannesburg.
This article was originally posted on Africa ICT & Telecom Network
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