A meeting of environmental Ministers from the Basic countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) would take place in Cape Town on Sunday, where the Ministers would discuss developments in the international climate change arena.

It was the second meeting of this nature since the global climate change negotiations, which took place in Copenhagen in December 2009, where the Basic group played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Copenhagen Accord.

The first Basic meeting was convened in New Delhi, India in January.

The Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa said that the Basic meeting sought to build on the discussions of the January meeting, reflect on developments in the months to date; and to inform the Basic group's strategy for the forthcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings, and other strategic meetings such as the Major Economies Forum.

The next round of UNFCCC meetings would take place in Bonn, Germany from May 31 to June 11.

The Ministers in attendance at the meeting would be Minister of the Environment of Brazil Isabella Teixeira; National Development and Reform Commission of China vice chairman Xie Zhenhua; Minister of Environment and Forests of India Jairam Ramesh; and Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of South Africa Buyelwa Sonjica.

Representatives from various South African government departments were also invited to attend.

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