OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

A coalition of civil society organisations condemns the UNDP's signing of an MoU with the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) in South Africa. The letter argues that the MMSEZ is a coal-dependent project that would generate approximately 1 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifetime, jeopardising South Africa's Paris Agreement commitments and exacerbating water insecurity in the Limpopo region. The authors further claim that the UNDP's grievance mechanisms, specifically the Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM) and the Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU), are inadequate because they are reactive and do not cover non-binding MoUs that lend legitimacy to flawed projects.

• The MMSEZ is projected to generate approximately 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in direct and energy indirect emissions over its lifetime, potentially consuming 10-14% of South Africa's carbon budget under a 2°C target and 16-24% under a 1.5°C target.
• The project's estimated greenhouse gas emissions of 30-50 Megatons per annum represent about 10% of South Africa's current total emissions across all sectors, which the authors argue will hinder the country's ability to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement.
• The MMSEZ threatens water security in the Limpopo region and Southern Zimbabwe, as it requires an estimated 125Mm3 of water annually. Proposed sourcing includes siphoning from groundwater and the Limpopo River's alluvial aquifer, as well as a planned 'Musina Dam' to capture up to 60% of the Limpopo River's annual flow.
• The project conflicts with several spatial and conservation plans, including the Vhembe Bioregional Plan, the Limpopo Conservation Plan, and the Limpopo Protected Areas Expansion Strategy, and it specifically conflicts with core zones of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve.
• The environmental authorisation process for the MMSEZ is criticised for using a 'salami approach'—granting small, incremental approvals for vegetation clearance and land transformation—to avoid a full assessment of the project's cumulative impacts.
• The UNDP's grievance mechanisms, the Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM) and the Social and Environmental Compliance Unit (SECU), are described as fundamentally flawed because they only apply to funded projects or those with a project plan, leaving non-binding MoUs outside their jurisdiction.

APA

Natural Justice (2022). OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Open-Letter-to-UNDP-regarding-MoU-with-MMSEZ-4-July-2022.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME. 2022. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Open-Letter-to-UNDP-regarding-MoU-with-MMSEZ-4-July-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Natural Justice |title=OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME |date=4 July 2022 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Open-Letter-to-UNDP-regarding-MoU-with-MMSEZ-4-July-2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{naturaljustice2022open, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{OPEN LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Open-Letter-to-UNDP-regarding-MoU-with-MMSEZ-4-July-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }