Johannesburg, March 8 (DPA) South Africa's government announced Monday it had nominated Tourism Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk to head the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In a statement posted on the website of the presidency, the government said it had been approached by 'a number of our partners in the developing and developed world, including governments, business institutions and non-governmental organisations' about the

availability of van Schalkwyk to lead the UN institution 'and the global climate change negotiations.'

The UNFCCC secretariat in Bonn supports the implementation of the 1992 UNFCCC treaty on climate change and the main update, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The outgoing head of the UNFCCC, Yvo de Boer, vacates the post on July 1.

Van Schalkwyk, 50, joined South Africa's African National Congress in 2004 after the demise of the conservative New National Party that he led into elections that year.

He served five years as minister for environmental affairs and tourism under former president Thabo Mbeki. In 2009, he returned to cabinet under new President Jacob Zuma as tourism minister. The environment department became a separate ministry.

'In his previous portfolio as minister of environmental affairs and tourism, Minister Van Schalkwyk positioned South Africa as a true climate champion,' the presidency said.

'During this period he commanded significant respect across the developing-developed country divide. This will stand him in good stead in this critical phase of driving the global climate change negotiations to conclusion.'

South Africa, the continent's largest emitter of climate-changing gases, won plaudits at the Copenhagen summit on climate change last year for pledging a dramatic cut its emissions levels.

The country is set to is set to lead negotiations on a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol next year.

The final decision on the appointment rests with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon.