Business Talk – David Martinon unpacks how France and South Africa are combating climate change

In this Business Talk with Michael Avery interview, David Martinon discusses how France and South Africa are working together to take action against climate change.

Martinon is the French Ambassador to South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, and is a veteran in international public relations with over thirty years of experience.

He has worked with the French government for over a decade, having served as an Ambassador for Cyberdiplomacy and the Digital Economy, and as the French Ambassador in Afghanistan before assuming his current position in 2023.

Martinon has also held many other important roles throughout the decades he’s worked in public service.

These include:

• Representative to the Committee on Human Rights, General Assembly of the United Nations – French Mission to the UN
• Consul General of France – French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Press Secretary and Communications Director – Presidency of the French Republic
• Diplomatic Advisor to Minister Nicolas Sarkozy – Ministry of the Interior and Regional Development
• Director of International Relations and European Affairs – Union pour un Mouvement Populaire

Martinon also worked as a professor of international relations at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques and an advertising consultant for CLM/BBDO-Acte Public Communication.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Political Economy from the University of Paris and a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques.

The interview

In this Business Talk interview, Martinon outlines the path that led him to his current role as the French Ambassador to South Africa.

He then explains why it’s strategically important for France and South Africa to deepen their relationship relating to climate change.

Martinon provides his assessment of the current global mobilisation for climate action, given that we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

He also outlines how France is responding to the recent demands for greater support from developing countries during the recent COP negotiations.

Martinon concludes the interview by sharing how France aims to tackle the concerns of those working in the coal mining sector when it comes to the move towards alternative energy solutions.

Watch the full interview with David Martinon below.