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Foreign relations

• Introduction
• South Africa and Africa
  • African Union (AU)
  • New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad)
• Structures
  • Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC)
  • Southern African Development Community
  • Southern Africa
  • Relations with central Africa
  • Relations with North and West Africa and the Horn of Africa
• Relations with Asia and the Middle East
  • Asia and Australasia
  • East Asia
• Relations with the Americas
• United States of America
• Canada
• The Caribbean
• Latin America
• Relations with Europe
  • European Union
  • Benelux countries
  • German-speaking countries
  • Nordic countries
  • United Kingdom and Ireland
  • Mediterranean Europe
• Multilateral diplomacy
  • United Nations General Assembly
  • Commonwealth
  • Non-Aligned Movement

Introduction

The Department of Foreign Affairs formulates, co-ordinates, implements and manages South Africa’s foreign-policy and international relations programmes throughout the world. These are guided by a commitment to promoting:

• human rights and democracy
• justice and international law
• international peace and internationally agreed mechanisms for resolving conflicts
• Africa in world affairs
• economic development through regional and international co-operation.

The department continues to implement its strategic priorities in line with government’s foreign-policy objectives, outlined in the programme of the International Relations, Peace and Security Cluster.

Representation in South Africa and abroad

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South Africa and Africa

South Africa’s development is inextricably linked to the development of Africa and the southern African region. Africa faces the challenge of positioning itself to address the marginalisation of the continent by engaging global role-players on socio-economic development and facilitating a fair and just global order.

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African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is Africa’s premier institution and principal organisation for the promotion of the continent’s accelerated socio-economic integration, which will lead to greater unity and solidarity between African countries and peoples. South Africa was instrumental in establishing the AU and its organs, namely the:

• Assembly
• Executive Council
• specialised technical committees
• financial institutions
• Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC)
• Peace and Security Council (PSC)
• Pan-African Parliament (PAP)
• Economic, Social and Cultural Council (Ecosocc)
• Court of Justice
• African Court on Human and People’s Rights
• African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

The financial institutions, namely the African Monetary Fund, African Central Bank and African Court of Justice, still have to be operationalised. The 53-member AU was officially launched in Durban on 9 July 2002, following its inaugural summit. It replaced the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The AU’s objectives include:

• achieving greater unity and solidarity between African countries and the peoples of Africa
• defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its member states
• accelerating the political and socio-economic integration of the continent
• encouraging international co-operation
• promoting peace, security and stability on the continent
• promoting democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance
• promoting and protecting people’s rights
• establishing the necessary conditions to enable the continent to play its rightful role in the global economy and in international negotiations
• promoting sustainable development at economic, social and cultural level, and integrating African economies
• promoting co-operation in all fields of human activity to raise living standards
• promoting research in all fields
• eradicating preventable diseases and promoting good health on the continent.

The AU has made notable progress towards the political and economic integration of the continent:

• the permanent home of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will be completed in 2010
• the AU has developed the PSC, which is responsible for the resolution of conflicts, peacekeeping and post-conflict reconstruction in conjunction with the United Nations (UN)
• a common defence policy has been adopted, which includes the Standby Force, with a nucleus of five brigades, one from each region
• the Human and Peoples’ Rights Court has been established with Judge Bernard Ngoepe as one of the first judges
• the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Declaration on Gender Equality is being implemented
• the Protocol on the Court of Justice is underway.

The eight existing regional economic communities (RECs), which include the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), have begun to determine time lines to achieve free trade agreements and customs unions.

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Promoting peace, security and stability on the continent

The African Union (AU) is responsible for the peaceful resolution of conflict among member states, through such appropriate means as may be decided upon by the AU Assembly.

The Peace and Security Council (PSC) Protocol took effect in December 2003 and comprises 15 member states. The PSC was launched in Addis Ababa, in May 2004. As a collective security and early warning arrangement, the PSC allows for a timely and effective response to conflict and crises in Africa.

In terms of PSC statutes, all African countries should establish their own early warning centres. The AU PSC Protocol provides for the creation of the African Standby Force, to be operationalised over 10 years. The second extraordinary session of the AU Assembly, held in Libya in February 2004, adopted the Common African Defence and Security Policy [PDF]. South Africa is sparing no effort in conflict resolution and/or peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Sudan, Comoros, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Peacekeeping operations

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Socio-economic development and integration of the continent

The AU is the principal institution responsible for promoting sustainable development at economic, social and cultural level, as well as integrating African economies. RECs are recognised as the building blocks of the AU, necessitating the need for their close involvement in formulating and implementing all AU programmes. To this end, the AU must co-ordinate and take decisions on policies in areas of common interest to member states, as well as co-ordinate and harmonise policies between existing and future RECs, for the gradual attainment of the AU’s objectives. Seven specialised technical committees are responsible for the actual implementation of the continental socio-economic integration process, together with the PRC.

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New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad)

South Africa, in collaboration with key African countries, has been at the forefront in developing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) as Africa’s premier development programme, in mobilising African and international support for Nepad and in supporting Nepad structures and processes. Nepad is a holistic, integrated, sustainable development initiative primarily established as an African rejuvenation plan that focuses on creating the conditions for sustainable development, namely:

• peace, security, democracy and political governance
• economic and corporate governance
• regional integration.

The primary objective of Nepad is to eradicate poverty, halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process, promote the empowerment and economic integration of women and achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs). The underlying principles of Nepad are:

• Accountability: Nepad recognises the importance of good political, economic and corporate governance in creating the conditions for development, with African governments embracing greater accountability to their constituents. Nepad also seeks to base Africa’s partnership with the North on mutual accountability.
• Ownership: Nepad is a long-term vision that is African-led and -owned. Ownership should be promoted through broad and deep participation by all sectors of society, and by tapping into indigenous knowledge/expertise to define needs and solutions.
• Partnership: While Nepad is a partnership between and among Africans, it seeks to accelerate sustainable development in Africa through partnerships with the South, and to forge a new partnership with the developed North that changes the unequal relationship with Africa.

Resources for Nepad are mobilised by way of increasing savings and capital inflows via debt relief, increased targeted official development aid (ODA) and private capital investment, as well as through better management of public revenue and expenditure.

The adoption of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) in 2001 was the affirmation of a shared vision, conviction and a pledge by Africa and its leaders to eradicate poverty and to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development, halting the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process. South African judge, Navanethem Pillay, was appointed as the United Nations’ Human Rights Commissioner in Geneva, Switzerland, on 1 September 2008. Pillay was a judge at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Over the past six years, the activities of Nepad evolved from the conceptualisation of frameworks for the actualisation of the new vision and onwards to implementation strategies and action plans in the identified priority areas.

Consequently, sectoral frameworks and mechanisms have been developed and are being implemented in the programmes and projects in those priority areas. Such areas include:

• the comprehensive African agriculture development programme
• the short-term action plan for infrastructure development
• the science and technology (S&T) consolidated action plan
• the environment plan
• the AU/Nepad health strategy
• the education action plan
• the tourism action plan
• standards and guidelines for the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)
• the Africa productive capacity initiative.

A significant achievement of Nepad has been in terms of its identification and processing of priority areas (agriculture, infrastructure, information and communications technology [ICT], science and technology [S&T], environment and regional economic integration) that were not among top priorities of the development agenda of international partners. As a result, within South-South and South-North co-operation, these priority areas have now become core issues. Furthermore, the successful development and launch of the Investment Climate Facility has been implemented. This facility is aimed at making African countries more attractive to investment globally.

A major achievement in terms of the health focus of Nepad has seen the emergence of the Global Fund through which resources are provided for the overarching strategy to fight HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and address their impact on development. Increased support for integrated health systems to deliver programmes and new approaches to the training and retention of health workers are emerging. Countries have moved to implement the Nepad Health Strategy and the partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) continues to yield positive results.

Other achievements include the establishment of the Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility at the African Development Bank (ADB) and notable increases in national and multicountry infrastructure project investments by the ADB and other multinational development-finance institutions (DFIs) , including the World Bank. Building on these early successes in infrastructure, the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) was established at the ADB, as part of the G-8 support to Nepad, following the 2005 Gleneagles Summit.

A major continental event regarding infrastructure development was the launch of the Pan-African Infrastructure Development Fund during the Accra Summit. This fund, with at least US$600 million at its disposal in mid-2008, aimed at passing the US$1-billion target in 2009.

Nepad has forged global partnerships with industrialised and developing countries and multilateral organisations.

At international level, the UN adopted Nepad as a framework for the programmes of its agencies working in Africa. The G-8 countries also adopted Nepad as a framework for their development support, and responded by developing the G-8 Africa Action Plan, which focuses on Nepad priorities. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the Commonwealth and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) also embraced Nepad in a similar fashion.

Nepad introduced the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), accepted by member states of the AU as an African self-monitoring mechanism.

The peer review process is aimed at addressing corruption, poor governance and inefficient delivery of public goods and services to the citizens of African countries. It encourages the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional and continental economic integration through the sharing of experiences and best practices and is important to the sustainability of Nepad.

The APRM has received international acclaim and the first sets of reviews have been completed in Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Algeria, Benin, Uganda, Nigeria and Burkina Faso. Country-review missions were completed in Lesotho, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique and Tanzania in the second half of 2008, with the possible scheduling of these countries for peer review by January 2009. At the AU Summit in Addis Ababa in July 2008, Mauritania became the 28th member state to accede to the APRM. A formal application for membership of the APRM was received from Togo, which increased the membership of the mechanism to 29 countries, representing more than three-quarters of the countries in Africa.

The Nepad Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee, at its meeting in Addis Ababa on 30 January 2008, agreed to proceed with the integration of Nepad into the AU structures and processes in accordance with the 13-point set of conclusions agreed on at the Nepad Brainstorming Summit in March 2007 in Algiers, Algeria. It was further recommended that a close working relationship be established between the Nepad Secretariat and the AU Commission in facilitating this issue. For South Africa, the implementation of Nepad, in conjunction with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) as the regional expression of Nepad, forms a critical pillar that contributes to the overall objective of the consolidation of the African Agenda.

Concerning the implementation of Nepad at national level, this is situated within the overall South African national development framework and strategy, the International Relations, Peace and Security (IRPS) Cluster and other cluster priorities, for example:

• fast-tracking implementation of Nepad priority sectors (i.e. infrastructure, ICT, agriculture, tourism, capacity-building)
• implementing the recommendations of South Africa’s Peer Review Report [PDF] in terms of the South African Programme of Action (as co-ordinated by the Department of Public Service and Administration)
• using the National Framework for Local Economic Development (LED) as a platform for development and implementation of Nepad and RISDP programmes within South Africa.

The Addis Ababa Summit decision regarding the expeditious integration of Nepad into the AU structures and processes provides a significant step forward, especially in terms of the continental ownership of Nepad and the AU serving as an implementing agent in its own right.

A critical aspect is the use of continental development funds for Nepad programmes and projects (including the Pan-African Infrastructure Development Fund, the African Development Fund, the African Infrastructure Consortium, the African Water Facility, the ADB Project Preparation Facility and the Common African Agriculture Development Programme Support Group).

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Structures

Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC)

The Nepad HSGIC reports annually to the summit of the AU. The chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission is an ex-officio member of the Implementation Committee, and the AU Commission is expected to participate in steering committee meetings.

The HSGIC comprises 20 states (four per AU geographic region), including the five initiating states: South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal and Egypt. The main function of the HSGIC is to set policies, priorities and Nepad’s programme of action.

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Steering Committee

The Steering Committee comprises representatives of the 20 HSGIC members. It is tasked with developing the terms of reference for identified programmes and projects, and overseeing the Secretariat.

Secretariat

The Nepad Secretariat co-ordinates implementation of projects and programmes approved by the HSGIC. The full-time core staff of the Secretariat, located at the Development Bank of Southern Africa in Midrand, provides liaison, co-ordination, and administrative and logistical functions for Nepad. The AU’s mechanisms for peer review and conflict resolution reflect commitment to human rights, democratisation, good governance, and peace and security.

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Southern African Development Community

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been in existence since 1980, when it was formed as a loose alliance of nine majority-ruled states in southern Africa known as the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference, with the main aim of co-ordinating development projects to lessen economic dependence on the then apartheid South Africa.

The founding member states are: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Cabinet Lekgotla, held in July 2008, decided that South Africa should focus on the following priorities:

• enhancing regional political cohesion
• advancing SADC regional economic integration (with a focus on the Southern African Customs Union [Sacu])
• intensifying efforts towards infrastructure development
• advancing the undersea cable initiative to expedite the continent’s access to the information highway
• advancing food security issues in the region
• identifying opportunities for the region that are created by the 2010 World Cup
• strengthening the capacity of the SADC Secretariat.

The Summit of the SADC Heads of State and Government was held in August 2008. South Africa took over the chair of the SADC at the summit. The launch of the Free Trade Area (FTA) and the adoption of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development were some of the highlights of the summit. The launch of the FTA will lay a firm foundation for regional economic integration.

The FTA Agreement is part of the SADC’s ongoing efforts to create strong relations with southern African countries through trade. The SADC also aims to create a regional customs union, referred to as the Southern African Customs Union, by 2010.

Other agreements signed at the summit included the Protocol on S&T and the Agreement Amending Article 20 of the Protocol on Trade. In 2008, the Seychelles was welcomed back as a member of SADC. The 2009 Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held in the DRC.

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Southern Africa

Angola

After the ceasefire of 2002 in Angola, following decades of war, peace still prevails in that country. The signing of the ceasefire agreement ended one of Africa’s most protracted and devastating wars. The Memorandum of Commitment between the Angolan Government and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, which was signed on 26 August 2002, is regarded as a watershed along the road to peace and reconciliation.

It was agreed then that elections would be held as soon as circumstances permitted. South Africa committed itself to assisting Angola with its post-conflict reconstruction projects and programmes. The first session of the Joint Commission of Co-operation (JCC) was held in Pretoria in February 2003.

Subsequently, significant progress was made in identifying, negotiating and finalising numerous agreements. The South African Government has offered to provide technical assistance, if and when needed, to the planned elections in Angola.

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Lesotho

The most significant and visible beacon reflecting South Africa’s bilateral relations with Lesotho is the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which qualifies as a Nepad project.

The project was started in 1986 as a joint venture to supply water to South Africa, especially the rapidly growing urban population of Gauteng, and to meet Lesotho’s electricity needs. The project delivers about 780 million m3 of water to South Africa per year.

South Africa and Lesotho agreed to engage in a strategic partnership to help Lesotho in accelerating its economic development to raise its status from that of a least-developed country (LDC). For this purpose, South Africa and Lesotho signed the Joint Bilateral Commission of Co-operation (JBCC) agreement in April 2001.

In addition to strategic areas of co-operation, the JBCC also promotes the process of consolidating relations between South Africa and Lesotho.

Since 2001, there has been significant sectoral co-operation between the two countries.

Various projects have been identified and implemented, such as the hydrological project, whereby the South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry is providing Lesotho with technical assistance and capacity-building to improve hydrological data quality and quantity by modernising data-collection equipment and network design.

Formal bilateral meetings under the auspices of the JBCC are held on a regular basis.

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Botswana

South Africa and Botswana signed the Joint Permanent Commission for Co-operation (JPCC) in 2003. The JPCC provides a legal and institutional framework for further co-operation in identified strategic areas. The last South Africa-Botswana JPCC meeting was held in November 2007, and took stock of progress regarding JPCC projects.

Malawi

Malawi is one of South Africa’s main trading partners in the southern African region, with the trade balance in South Africa’s favour.

South Africa-based companies increasingly interested in linking up with and establishing a presence in Malawi range from the finance, telecommunications and the retail sectors, to those in the construction industry.

South Africa’s former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, together with his Malawian counterpart, Deputy Minister Henri Mumba, co-chaired the inaugural session of the South Africa-Malawi JCC in June 2008.

Mr Pahad also co-chaired this first session of the South Africa-Malawi JCC within the context of South Africa’s priority to strengthen bilateral political, economic and trade relations with Malawi to consolidate the SADC developmental agenda.

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Indian Ocean islands

South Africa’s political, economic and diplomatic relations with countries in the Indian Ocean islands remain strong.

In March 2008, former President Thabo Mbeki attended the 40th Independence Day celebrations in Port Louis, Mauritius. Bilateral relations have been strengthened since 1994, especially in trade and investments, culture, sport and recreation. There was also progress towards the finalisation of the General Co-operation Agreement as well as agreements in other areas such as education, scientific and technical co-operation, shipping and maritime, environment and tourism as well as social development.

Comoros

South Africa and the Comoros have had official relations since 1993. Following the signing of the Fomboni All-Party Framework Agreement of 17 February 2001, presidential elections for the three sister islands and for the Union of Comoros were held in March and April 2002.

South Africa, as the AU-mandated co-ordinator of the Countries of the Region on the Comoros, is facilitating and closely monitoring the transition process.

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Mozambique

South Africa and Mozambique share co-operative and friendly political and economic relations, both in a bilateral and multilateral context.

Mozambique’s economy continues to perform well and expectations are that the average growth rate of 7% that has been seen over the past 10 years will continue.

Mozambique remains South Africa’s second-largest export market in southern Africa. South Africa and Mozambique’s economic relationship is the strongest in the southern Africa region.

In April 2008, the South Africa-Mozambique Heads of State Economic Bilateral Commission was held in Maputo.

The meeting ensured the maintenance of sound political and economic relations between South Africa and Mozambique.

Forty agreements covering various spheres of co-operation were entered into between the two countries.

These include the Maputo Harbour, agricultural development, natural gas trade, demining, the Maputo Development Corridor, a joint water commission, promotion and reciprocal protection of investment, and custom administration.

In May 2008, former President Mbeki held political bilateral discussions with his Mozambican counterpart, President Armando Guebuza, in Maputo.

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Namibia

Co-operation in various areas marks the relationship between South Africa and Namibia.

The two governments often meet at high-level engagements such as the regular heads of state economic bilateral meetings. The meetings focus on joint economic co-operation projects such as spatial development initiatives, tourism, energy matters as well as matters related to Sacu and the SADC.

The annual Joint Commission on Defence and Security aims to identify, discuss and promote co-operation regarding bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest in the fields of defence, state and public security.

The South Africa-Namibia Heads of State Commission was held in August 2008.

The Economic Bilateral Commission serves as a platform for reinforcing bilateral economic relations between South Africa and Namibia.

Since the establishment of the commission, South Africa has assisted Namibia to establish a cardiac unit at the Windhoek Central Hospital. On 23 June 2008, Namibia opened its first cardiac unit and became the third country on the continent after South Africa and Egypt to have a cardiac unit and to conduct successful heart operations.

South Africa is one of Namibia’s important economic partners. Bilateral trade between South Africa and Namibia accounts for two thirds of Namibia’s total foreign trade.

South Africa and Namibia are part of SADC and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) configuration that is negotiating with the European Commission. The two countries share a common interest in ensuring that the EPA fosters regional integration and development.

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Swaziland

In April 2008, then President Mbeki visited the Kingdom of Swaziland where he held bilateral political and economic discussions with King Mswati III about, among other things:

• economic opportunities presented by the 2010 World Cup
• the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative, which has been identified as vital for leveraging economic integration between the two countries.

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Tanzania

Bilateral relations with Tanzania are cordial and progress is being made in a wide range of fields of mutual interest. Both countries have experienced similar constitutional developments and challenges, and share similar views on multilateral issues. Trade between South Africa and Tanzania is steadily increasing and a number of exchanges have taken place at official level to enhance co-operation.

Close co-operation takes place in a number of fields between the two countries, and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and agreements on a wide variety of issues have been signed. The Presidential Economic Commission provides the necessary co-operative framework to manage the development and implementation of bilateral projects.

Zambia

South Africa has established a deep mutual bond with Zambia, as evidenced by existing bilateral agreements and an annual increase in trade and investment flow between the two countries.

Former South African President and Mrs Mbeki, supported by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, represented the Government and people of South Africa at the official funeral service of the late Zambian President, Mr Levy Mwanawasa, on 3 September 2008.

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Uganda

Official diplomatic relations between South Africa and Uganda were established in 1994. In March 2008, Cabinet approved the deployment of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members in northern Uganda as part of the AU mission.

Kenya

In March 2008, the South African Government sent a relief consignment to Kenya in response to an appeal for emergency support aimed at helping its internally displaced persons, following the elections in December, which resulted in sporadic violence.

The consignment comprised, among other things, 10 000 blankets, 1 000 chemically treated mosquito nets, 1 000 tarpaulins and 2 000 water-purification tablets. The total cost of the intervention was R4 million.

In September 2008, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mandisi Mpahlwa and the Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, addressed and opened the first Kenyan Trade Fair in South Africa. They also signed a bilateral trade co-operation agreement and an MoU on economic co-operation.

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Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe celebrated 28 years of independence on 18 April 2008. Besides their geographical proximity, South Africa and Zimbabwe also have a common and long history of regional affiliation and cultural ties. The people of Zimbabwe also played an important role in supporting the liberation struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

The relationship at government-to-government level between South Africa and Zimbabwe is cordial and high-level co-operation is taking place.

A political agreement between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was signed in Zimbabwe in September 2008 following a long process of negotiations facilitated by South Africa under the aegis of SADC and the AU.

In the agreement, parties declared their commitment to work together to create a genuine solution to the situation in Zimbabwe.

On 30 January 2009, the MDC and Zanu-PF ended more than four months of negotiations and agreed to a transitional power-sharing government.

The agreement came after an Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government meeting that was held in South Africa. The agreement is expected to last for up to two years after which elections are to be held under a new constitution.

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Ethiopia

Bilateral economic relations with Ethiopia were revived in 1995 when South Africa opened an embassy in Addis Ababa. The SANDF has been deployed in Ethiopia in support of the AU PSC.

Mr Seyoum Mesfin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, and a delegation of Ethiopian senior officials visited South Africa to attend the launch of the South Africa-Ethiopia Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in March 2008.

The two delegations recalled the signing of the Declaration of Intent in March 1998 and the General Co-operation Agreement between the South Africa and Ethiopia in March 2004.

The next meeting of officials is expected to be convened in Addis Ababa in 2009 to finalise negotiations on all draft agreements that have been exchanged between the two delegations and to further explore areas of co-operation.

This meeting will also prepare for the second session of the JMC to be held in Ethiopia in 2010.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister, Mr Mele Zenawi, visited South Africa in June 2008.

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Development co-operation

South Africa is not a donor country, but development co-operation with countries in Africa is integral to the country’s foreign policy. Assistance is wide-ranging and includes educational visits by agriculturists, establishing viable training centres, conserving the environment, and rendering medical assistance and technology-exchange programmes.

Technical and financial assistance aimed at capacity-building, especially to SADC countries, is a major instrument for promoting economic development, peace and stability, democracy and the African Renaissance on a regional basis.

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Relations with central Africa

South Africa continued to strengthen its bilateral relations with the countries in the central African region during 2008/09.

The embassies in Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Equatorial Guinea are fully staffed and officials represent South Africa in Chad and São Tomé and Principe. An honorary consul has been appointed in the Central African Republic (CAR) to assist with South Africa’s programmes in that country.

Gabon

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Gabon were established in 1992. A legal framework was created through the signing of a co-operation agreement, and further agreements were since signed.

A meeting of senior officials between the two countries took place in October 2007 in Gabon.

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São Tomé and Principe

Diplomatic relations between São Tomé and Principe and South Africa were established in May 1994. South Africa operates a satellite office in São Tomé and Principe under the accreditation of the embassy in Libreville, Gabon.

A general co-operation agreement between São Tomé and Principe and South Africa was signed in 2005.

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Congo

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and the Republic of Congo were established in March 1993. South Africa opened an embassy in Brazzaville in Congo in 2005. An MoU on Defence between South Africa and Congo was signed in April 2008 in Pretoria.

Equatorial Guinea

Diplomatic relations between Equatorial Guinea and South Africa were established in May 1993. The two countries have signed bilateral agreements in the following areas: general cooperation, defence and regular diplomatic consultation.

The South African oil company PetroSA is involved in oil-exploration activities in that country. The two countries are expected to launch a JBCC in the near future. [Top]

Cameroon

During 2006, South Africa and Cameroon signed a general co-operation agreement, a trade agreement and an MoU on economic co-operation.

These agreements set the framework for the strengthening of relations and business activity between the two countries.

Central African Republic

South Africa has enjoyed full diplomatic relations with the CAR since August 1993.

In May 2008, Cabinet approved the deployment of 15 SANDF members to CAR.

Chad

The South African embassy in Chad became fully functional in 2007. The Chadian Government is planning to open an embassy in Pretoria in the near future. Interaction between the two governments on bilateral issues continues to take place.

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Rwanda

Full diplomatic relations were established between South Africa and Rwanda in May 1995. The two countries maintain good political relations. Their co-operation focuses on the post-conflict reconstruction of Rwanda and has extended to the co-ordination of Nepad on the continent.

To further strengthen this bilateral structure, the Implementation Monitoring Committee has been established at director-general level to provide the necessary co-ordinating, planning and monitoring framework to manage effective implementation of approved programmes, and to ensure the delivery of cross-cutting training and human-resource (HR) capacity-building programmes.

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Burundi

South Africa’s good relations with Burundi are demonstrated by the leading role the Government played in the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed by representatives of the main Hutu and Tutsi political parties, the Government of Burundi, and the National Assembly on 28 August 2000.

South Africa’s contribution towards the establishment of peace and stability in Burundi included the deployment of SANDF troops, with an African peace mission in Burundi, now called the UN Operation in Burundi.

South Africa has committed itself to working with the regional leadership, the Government and the people of Burundi, including the leadership of the Palepehutu-FNL, in finding a long-lasting solution to their current challenges.

South Africa hosted a special meeting with government representatives of Burundi in June 2008 to discuss a way forward towards peace in that country.

An agreement between South Africa and Burundi was signed in September 2008 in Bujumbura to facilitate the implementation of a co-operation agreement between the two countries in the field of health, including strenthening interventions for safe motherhood, hospital services, reducing malaria morbidity and mortality and the referral of Burundian patients to the South African public health sector.

South Africa continues to contribute to the peace process in Burundi, with the Minister of Defence, Mr Charles Nqakula, being the facilitator.

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Democratic Republic of Congo

The DRC has made remarkable progress and presents real opportunities for intraregional economic co-operation, foreign direct investment (FDI) and sustained growth and development. However, cycles of conflict have severely undermined both African and foreign-investor confidence, further weakened indigenous economic development and increased dependence on foreign loans and assistance.

South Africa is fully committed to continued engagement with the DRC, and to assisting the new democratically elected Government with its consolidation of democracy, in line with its foreign-policy objectives.

South Africa has also committed to providing ongoing assistance to the new Government to reform the DRC’s economy, and is supporting measures to encourage a predictable and stable economic environment to unlock investment and trade opportunities between the two countries.

The Presidential Binational Commission (BNC) between South Africa and the DRC provides a legal framework to manage the numerous post-conflict reconstruction and development projects in that country.

In April 2008, former President Mbeki hosted his counterpart from the DRC, President Joseph Kabila, in Pretoria for the fifth BNC Summit.

South Africa’s assistance to the DRC is broadly based on five priority areas: health, education, water and sanitation and infrastructure, with security sector reform being an all encompassing priority. The BNC, which has been in existence between South Africa and the DRC since 2004, provides a legal and administrative framework to manage and implement a number of post-conflict reconstruction and development projects in that country.

The implementation of projects in the DRC remains the substance of the BNC’s work, focusing on the development of the DRC. A detailed report on the progress with respect to implementation of this Apex Priority was presented to the July 2008 Cabinet Lekgotla.

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Relations with North and West Africa and the Horn of Africa

During 2008/09, South Africa expanded and consolidated its bilateral relations with the region. The following key performance areas were achieved in the region:

• promoting the African agenda.a in North Africa
• strengthening AU structures in the region
• contributing towards peace, stability, security and democracy in North Africa
• consolidating and enhancing strategic and structured bilateral relationships with the countries of North Africa
• economic diplomacy and tourism promotion
• promoting public diplomacy
• promoting South-South and North-South agenda.

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Algeria

Algeria remains South Africa’s strategic partner in North Africa. Synergy at the executive level in terms of the African Union and Nepad has resulted in a presidential BNC. Bilateral trade and economic links have developed steadily.

South Africa’s economic reach to Algeria includes possible involvement in the energy (hydrocarbons) sector. Since the establishment of the presidential BNC in 1998, various co-operation agreements have been signed.

South Africa has continued its co-operation with three important AU institutions based in Algiers, namely the:

• Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism
• African Energy Commission
• Pan-African Youth Union.

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Côte d’Ivoire

South Africa established full diplomatic relations with Côte d’Ivoire in May 1992. Given its firm commitment to the African Renaissance and its attendant features of stability, democratisation and development on the continent, South Africa will continue to promote the restoration of peace and stability in Côte d’Ivoire.

In this regard, South Africa’s mediation efforts, under the auspices of the AU, culminated in the signing of the Pretoria Agreement in April 2005.

South Africa continues to support peace efforts in Côte d’Ivoire.

In March 2008, former President Mbeki met with President Laurent Gbagbo of Côte d’ Ivoire, in Cape Town. They discussed among other things, the:

• status of the implementation of the Ouagadougou Peace Agreement
• national identification process
• demobilisation, disarming and reintegration process.

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Egypt

South Africa and Egypt continue to enjoy cordial bilateral relations.

In July 2008, former President Mbeki held bilateral political, economic and trade discussions at the Union Buildings in Pretoria with the Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak, who paid his first state visit to South Africa.

The meeting was held to further strengthen and consolidate bilateral political, economic and trade relations between the two countries.

Sudan

The second session of the South Africa-Sudan JBC took place in May 2008 in Khartoum followed by the launch of the South Africa-Sudan Joint Business Forum. A number of agreements, including the MoU on Co-operation in the Field of Agriculture, an agreement on mutual assistance on customs administration and a letter of intent on health was signed during the JBC.

In March 2008, the AU Post-Conflict and Reconstruction Committee in Sudan, under the leadership of Minister Dlamini Zuma, visited that country and agreed that AU member states would contribute to projects that will assist with the development and reconstruction of Sudan.

South Africa is further involved in post-conflict reconstruction and development in Southern Sudan through the training of Sudan Government officials. Former President Mbeki visited Sudan in September 2008.

During the visit, the South African delegation held talks with President El Bashir on a wide range of issues that covered internal situations in their respective countries, and bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern.

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Morocco

Bilateral relations between South Africa and Morocco remain cordial, but are influenced by South Africa’s recognition of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, as well as South Africa’s principled stand on the issues of decolonisation and self-determination in relation to the illegal occupation of Western Sahara.

Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic

The issue of the illegal occupation of Western Sahara remains a foreign-policy priority for South Africa, especially in terms of the sanctity of colonial borders and the recognition of the Saharawi people’s right for self-determination.

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Mauritania

South Africa expanded the bilateral legal framework between the two countries and supported the implementation of the democratic roadmap undertaken by the military transitional government following the coup d’état of August 2005.

South Africa also supported the lifting of the AU suspension of the country.

In this regard, South Africa participated in the constitutional referendum in June 2006, legislative and municipal elections in December 2006 and presidential elections in March 2007, as part of the AU Observer Mission for Mauritania. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania opened a resident diplomatic mission in South Africa during 2006.

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Liberia

Former Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka hosted Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at a gala dinner in July 2008 at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.

Nigeria

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Nigeria were established in 1994. The two countries maintain good bilateral relations. Nigeria is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners on the African continent. In May 2008, the seventh session of the South Africa-Nigeria BNC was held.

In June 2008, the Nigerian President Mr Umari Yar’Adua, visited South Africa. This was his first state visit to South Africa.

More than 200 business people from South Africa and Nigeria converged in Johannesburg and Cape Town for the Nigeria-South Africa Business Forum that took place in Johannesburg and Cape Town, respectively, in July 2008.

The forum sought to strengthen economic ties and co-operation between the two countries by providing the necessary platform for information and knowledge-sharing, and the exploration of future collaborative business ventures.

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Ghana

Diplomatic relations were established between Ghana and South Africa in 1994.

South Africa and Ghana have agreements in the following areas: mining, defence, taxation, investment and aviation.

A number of technical exchanges took place between South Africa and Ghana in 2006, including in the fields of defence and aviation.

Burkina Faso

South Africa and Burkina Faso established non-resident diplomatic relations in May 1995. In 2006, South Africa established a diplomatic mission in Burkina Faso.

Although Burkina Faso has limited exploitable resources, opportunities exist for South African mining companies to mine gold, zinc and manganese. Since agriculture is the dominant industry, opportunities exist for the trade of various agricultural products. Trade between the two countries is limited. The South Africa-Burkina Faso JCC was established in 2007.

Benin

Diplomatic relations were established between Benin and South Africa in May 1994. South Africa and Benin maintain good bilateral relations. The two countries signed a general co-operation agreement in October 2003. They have, among other things, identified the following areas of co-operation: agriculture, arts and culture, and justice.

An embassy was opened in Cotonou in February 2007. Benin opened an embassy in Pretoria in 1999. The former Minister of Defence, Mr Mosiuoa Lekota, and Mr Issifo Kogui Ndouro, the Minister of Defence of Benin, signed an agreement to develop and formulate procedures for military co-operation between South Africa and Benin in June 2008.

The agreement also includes promoting the training of military personnel through the exchange of trainees, instructors and observers.

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Republic of Togo

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Togo were established in 1997. South Africa and Togo maintain good bilateral relations.

The South African ambassador to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, is accredited on a non-residential basis to Togo.

Cape Verde

South Africa and Cape Verde established diplomatic relations in 1994. South Africa’s ambassador to Senegal is also accredited as South Africa’s non-resident ambassador to Cape Verde, while the Cape Verdean ambassador to Angola is accredited to South Africa as non-resident ambassador.

In line with expanding South Africa’s effort to expand her diplomatic reach on the African continent, regular interaction with Cape Verde is envisaged in the coming years, including exploring mutually beneficial business opportunities. [Top]

The Gambia

Full diplomatic relations between South Africa and The Gambia were established in August 1998. While South Africa’s ambassador to Senegal is accredited to The Gambia as non-resident ambassador, the Gambian ambassador to the AU in Addis Ababa is accredited to South Africa as that country’s non-resident ambassador.

South Africa maintains an honorary consul office in The Gambia to look after South African interests.

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Guinea

Diplomatic relations were established with the Republic of Guinea in 1995. South Africa opened a diplomatic mission in Conakry in November 2005.

Guinea-Bissau

South Africa opened a diplomatic mission in Guinea-Bissau in February 2008. The opening of the diplomatic mission will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations between South Africa and Guinea-Bissau.

South Africa is also a member of the Country Specific Configuration on Guinea-Bissau with the UN Peace-Building Commission.

As part of this group, South Africa strives to mobilise the international community to contribute to the rebuilding of that country, in both political and economic terms.

In September 2008, a framework co-operation agreement was signed between South Africa and Guinea-Bissau. [Top]

Mali

Full diplomatic relations between South Africa and Mali were established in 1994. The latter established an embassy in Pretoria in December 1995. A South African embassy was established in Bamako in November 2002, and the first South African ambassador to Mali was appointed in November 2003.

Mali is a strong supporter of the African Renaissance initiative and Nepad. In August 2002, the Agreement on the Preservation of the Ancient Manuscripts in the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research in Timbuktu was concluded between the two countries.

South Africa is supporting a project aimed at improving the preservation of these ancient manuscripts.

They vary in content from religious treatises and poems to documentary letters dealing with legal and commercial matters, while others relate to slavery, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and history – all of them subjects of immense interest to scholars and the African population at large. Three major objectives of the project are to:

• implement a conservation programme to protect and improve environmental storage conditions for the manuscripts
• rebuild the Ahmed Baba Centre to one of international stature while ensuring its architectural harmony with ancient Timbuktu
• promote academic study and public awareness of the magnificent and ancient African and Islamic heritage at Timbuktu.

The two countries exhibited selected manuscripts from the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research at the Iziko Museum in Cape Town in 2008. The exhibition demonstrates bilateral co-operation between South Africa and Mali and affirms Africa’s pre-colonial literary tradition. It also brought the people of the two countries closer in the effort to create a united and proud Africa.

In January 2009, President Motlanthe attended the official opening of a new facility that was built in Mali to preserve the manuscripts.

South Africa and Mali held the review session of the South Africa-Mali JCC in February 2008. The session assessed progress in the implementation of decisions taken during the second session of the commission in December 2006.

The two countries are committed to promoting democracy and good governance, and there is substantial South African involvement in the Malian gold-mining sector.

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Senegal

Full diplomatic relations between South Africa and Senegal were established in May 1994 and the two countries’ representative offices were upgraded to embassy level. Bilateral relations between South Africa and Senegal are based mainly on the Senegalese Government’s strong support for the African Renaissance initiative and Nepad, and its strong commitment to promoting democracy and good governance.

Dr Dlamini Zuma co-chaired the inaugural session of the South Africa-Senegal Joint Commission for Bilateral Co-operation (JCBC), with her Senegalese counterpart, Dr Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, on 30 April 2008. During the session, the two countries agreed to co-operate in various areas.

The session also enabled the signing of the bilateral Defence Co-operation Agreement. Agreements on sports co-operation, agriculture, livestock development and minerals and energy were signed in 2008.

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Tunisia

Bilateral relations between South Africa and Tunisia are characterised by a substantial reservoir of goodwill towards expanding relations, including closer economic and trade ties.

In September 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma co-chaired the fifth session of the South Africa-Tunis JBC with her Tunisian counterpart, Mr Abdelwaheb Abdallah. During her visit in Tunisia, Dr Dlamini Zuma paid a courtesy call to President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Among the highlights of the discussions was the decision to embark on trilateral co-operation between South Africa, Tunisia and Mali on advanced training for Malian archivists tasked with the preservation of the Timbuktu manuscripts.

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Libya

Unofficial relations between South Africa and the Great People’s Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya are long-standing and go back to the days of the struggle against apartheid.

The first South African formal accreditation was established on 19 November 1996, when the South African ambassador to Tunisia presented his credentials to the Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Co-operation (Foreign Minister).

Relations between South Africa and Libya are solid and have been highlighted by high-profile visits to Libya by both former presidents Nelson Mandela and Mbeki. South Africa made a significant contribution to negotiations for the release of the two Libyan suspects in the so-called “Lockerbie issue”.

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Sierra Leone

South Africa and Sierra Leone established diplomatic relations in 1998. The South African ambassador in Côte d’Ivoire was accredited to Sierra Leone in December 2002.

Although the country remains poor, various accomplishments towards promoting democracy and development have been achieved.

Niger

Diplomatic relations were established between Niger and South Africa in May 1994. South Africa and Niger maintain good bilateral relations.

South Africa is represented in Niger on a non-residential basis by its ambassador in Côte d’Ivoire. Niger is represented in South Africa by its ambassador in Ethiopia.

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Relations with Asia and the Middle East

Asia and Australasia

South Africa and Indonesia were instrumental in the launch of the New Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership (NAASP) in Bandung in 2005 on the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, which cemented Afro-Asian solidarity. NAASP, in the spirit of Bandung, represents a commitment by heads of state and governments to help build closer economic ties between Africa and Asia.

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East Asia

Japan

South Africa’s bilateral relationship with Japan has expanded across a wide spectrum and is strengthened with regular interaction between the two countries under the auspices of the bilateral Partnership Forum.

The forum was upgraded to the level of ministers of foreign affairs at the end of 2006, when Minister Dlamini Zuma paid an official visit to Japan.

The Partnership Forum provides a framework within which both countries are able to continuously work towards strengthening, developing and broadening relations to the mutual benefit of both countries. Discussions are held over a wide spectrum of areas.

The exchanges in the fields of S&T constitute a priority bilateral sector and are aimed at extending such initiatives to the benefit of the region at large.

The Government of Japan has provided substantial assistance to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa). Japan established the Japanese Jipsa Working Group in Tokyo, which mobilises Japanese stakeholders from across the spectrum (public, private and civil-society institutions) to assist with HR capacity-building.

In March 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma attended the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) Ministerial Preparatory Conference. The conference laid a foundation for the Africa-Japan Heads of State Summit held in May 2008 in Japan. South Africa participated in the TICAD IV Ministerial Preparatory Conference within the context of fostering African development through the strategic partnership with Japan.

Launched by Japan in 1993 as an initiative for Africa’s development, TICAD is aimed at promoting high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners. TICAD also seeks to mobilise support for African-owned development initiatives. In this regard, key issues addressed at the ministerial conference included the acceleration of sustainable economic growth, achieving the MDGs, consolidating peace and democratisation, and addressing environmental issues.

The conference was organised around the theme “Towards a Vibrant Africa: A Continent of Hope and Opportunity”. TICAD’s guiding principles of African ownership and international partnerships are entrenched in Nepad values and principles. Both TICAD and Nepad place identical obligations on African countries and their development partners. Of the eight Nepad Programme of Action areas, Japan has identified the following four as immediate priority areas:

• infrastructure
• agriculture
• market access (trade and investment promotion, as well as private-sector development)
• HR development.

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The Koreas

As part of Korea’s contribution to Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa), the country has offered a number of skills-training opportunities to the South African youth.

Negotiations towards a bilateral air services agreement were held in Seoul in early 2008 in an attempt to reach an agreement, which if agreed to, may put into place a direct flight between the two capitals. There has been a notable increase in the number of Koreans visiting South Africa since 2005. On the trade side, a positive trade balance in favour of South Africa was achieved by the end of February 2008.

Relations between South Africa and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) are cordial. In 2007, the two countries celebrated five years of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

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Greater China

The year 2008 was significant in that it marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Africa and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The celebratory programme commemorating this historic landmark was launched with an exchange of congratulatory messages between the two presidents and their foreign ministers on 1 January 2008 with the two countries agreeing to sponsor or co-sponsor a series of events during the course of the year. A series of South African weeks celebrating the 10th anniversary were held in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong in April 2008.

The period 2007/08 saw a further strengthening and enhancement of the burgeoning Strategic Partnership between South Africa and the PRC with a number of significant high-level visits and projects reinforcing this relationship.

The third session of the BNC was held in September 2007. Among the conclusions reached at the BNC was an agreement to establish a strategic dialogue between the two foreign ministers to further strengthen and enhance the South African-Chinese Strategic Partnership.

At the invitation of Minister Dlamini Zuma, Mr Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, visited South Africa in January 2008 for the inaugural session of the Strategic Dialogue. Several high-level meetings took place in 2008.

South Africa has also confirmed its participation in the Shanghai World Expo, which will be held in 2010. The World Expo with its 150-year history is regarded as the Olympic Games of the economy and S&T and is scheduled to run from 1 May to 31 October 2010. Economic and trade relations between South Africa and the PRC have grown rapidly since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations 10 years ago.

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South Asia

South Africa and Afghanistan established diplomatic relations in September 1994. South Africa never recognised the former Taliban regime and has normalised relations with the current Government. The South Africa Liaison Office for Afghanistan was established in 2003, headed non-residentially by the South African high commissioner to Pakistan.

South Africa and Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations in 1994.

In April 2008, former President Mbeki paid an official visit to India where he led a senior South African government delegation to the inaugural Africa-India Partnership Summit.

Heads of state and government from South Africa, DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tanzania and Nigeria as well as the chairperson of the AU Commission participated alongside Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the summit that considered modalities to strengthen the co-operation between Africa and India.

While in India, former President Mbeki visited Indian President Pratibha Patil and held discussions with the incoming chairperson of the AU, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete. India is among the top 10 investing countries in South Africa. Several South African and Indian businesses belong to the Indo-South Africa CEOs Business Forum that was established in 2004 to help stimulate trade and investment between the two countries.

The existence of opportunities for closer co-operation between South Africa and India have been identified in the capital equipment, agroprocessed products, autos and components, services, ICT, S&T, health and SMME sectors.

Diplomatic relations between South Africa and Pakistan were established in April 1994. A letter of understanding, establishing a joint commission (JC) between the two countries, was signed in 1999. The lifting of the Commonwealth suspensions that had been imposed on Pakistan paved the way for the normalisation of South Africa’s relations with that country, and created the opportunity to engage on issues of mutual interest.

The first session of the South Africa-Pakistan Bilateral JC was held in Islamabad in March 2007.

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South-east Asia

The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) has emerged as one of the most important groupings within the Asia Pacific region. South Africa maintains embassies and high commissions in six of the 10 member states of Asean – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

These Asean states and Myanmar (Burma) also maintain embassies and high commissions in South Africa. Singapore is an important member of the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) of which South Africa is a member. Singapore has also played a leading role in formulating the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). This partnership mandated all Asian and African countries to give expression to their political relations by expanding trade and economic relations.

Vietnam plays an increasingly important role in South-east Asia and has vast economic potential and opportunities for mining, infrastructure development, and agricultural and manufacturing companies.

South Africa believes that there is large potential for economic relations and especially for the private sector to take up business opportunities in Vietnam. There are many long-term trade and investment opportunities for South African companies in that country. Economic relations with Malaysia and Indonesia remain important, due to Malaysian investment in South Africa and the size of the Indonesian market.

Malaysia has indicated its support for Nepad and has sought to promote the Malaysian-initiated Langkawi International Dialogue aimed at expanding co-operation among countries of the South, including those in southern Africa.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono from Indonesia paid a state visit to South Africa in March 2008.

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Taiwan

The fifth session of the South Africa-Taiwan Dialogue Forum took place in South Africa in November 2007. The dialogue forum serves as a vehicle for technical co-operation between South Africa and Taiwan in the fields of trade and investment, health, S&T education, telecommunications and arts and culture co-operation.

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Central Asia

The economies of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are all at various stages of change and development. Economic opportunities for South Africa in the Central Asian states include infrastructure development, mining technology, energy exploitation and related mining and engineering technology, agroprocessing expertise and exports, water-management expertise, and infrastructure for adventure and ecotourism.

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Australasia and the Pacific islands

South Africa and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1947 and enjoy very close political and economic ties. As campaigns for the international isolation of South Africa intensified in the 1970s and 1980s, successive Australian governments placed Australia firmly in the anti-apartheid camp, supporting UN resolutions against apartheid and implementing the oil, trade and arms embargo as well as a sports boycott against South Africa.

New Zealand maintains a high commission in Pretoria, while the high commission in Canberra represents South Africa in New Zealand. Since 1994, political, economic and social links between the two countries have improved significantly. In 1996, the Cape Town Communique was signed, seeking to strengthen co-operation between South Africa and New Zealand.

The political relationship has been further strengthened through visits by numerous high-level delegations to New Zealand to gain expertise in their different fields and to exchange knowledge to enhance capacity-building in central, provincial and local-government structures.

South Africa and New Zealand enjoy wide-ranging multilateral relations. Both are members of the Valdivia Group, which aims to promote southern hemisphere views in international environmental meetings and enhance scientific co-operation. They enjoy a close working relationship within the context of the Antarctic Treaty and Indian Ocean fisheries, and also interact within the context of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the Cairns Group.

South Africa and New Zealand also work closely on Commonwealth issues, particularly those affecting Africa. The South African Government wants to strengthen relations with the Pacific Islands. The roving ambassador to the Pacific Islands has been accredited to the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Fiji islands and the Solomon Islands.

In February 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma met her counterpart from New Zealand, Mr Winston Peters, for bilateral discussions.

The high commissioner in Canberra, Australia, has been accredited to the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Marshall Islands, the Republic of Vanuatu and the Independent State of Samoa.

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The Middle East

In the Middle East, the Department of Foreign Affairs distinguishes between two clearly identifiable subregions. On the one hand, there is the Levant, which comprises Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria; and on the other is the Arabian/Persian Gulf Region, comprising the member states of the Gulf Co-operation Council, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iran and Yemen.

The Middle East is an important economic region as it occupies a unique geopolitical position in the tricontinental hub of Europe, Asia and Africa.

It is the source of 67% of the world’s petroleum reserves and commands two of the most strategically important waterways in the world, namely the Arabian/Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, giving access to the Asian hinterland via the Gulf of Aqaba. South Africa places strong emphasis on the expansion of diplomatic representation and activities in this region, where it was formerly under-represented, particularly in the area of trade, which has grown significantly since 1994.

South Africa has embassies in 10 of the 14 countries in the regions: Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and UAE. There are also two subordinate consular missions in the region, namely in Dubai (UAE) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Of the 14 Middle East countries, 13 have embassies in South Africa – only Bahrain is not represented in this country.

The South African consulate general in Jeddah, in addition to performing important functions relating to the promotion of trade, also serves members of the South African Muslim community on their annual pilgrimage to Mecca. More than 7 000 South Africans embark on the Hajj pilgrimage each year.

South Africa supports a just, equitable and comprehensive peace process in the Middle East and an end to the illegal occupation of land that has led to conflict and violence between the peoples of the region. Peace and security for the Israelis and the Palestinians cannot be achieved without the fulfilment of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination within their own sovereign state.

South Africa has continued to call on all parties to the conflict in Israel and Palestine to avoid actions that could add to an already volatile situation.

The country has been consistent in calling for the immediate implementation of the Road Map, without preconditions, to achieve comprehensive and lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.

Featuring prominently in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is the United States (US)-initiated Annapolis International Conference, which took place in November 2007. South Africa was represented by Minister Dlamini Zuma. The conference called for ongoing negotiations between President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel, as well as steering committees led by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, to reach final status agreements.

In an effort to alleviate the humanitarian situation of Palestinians, the South African Government announced its intention to provide financial assistance to Palestine for capacity-building projects. The donation will be made annually for a period of three years from 2008 to 2010.

In February 2008 in Cairo, the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Dlamini Zuma, together with Mr Amre Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, signed an agreement formalising the establishment of the Arab League Office in South Africa. The opening of such an office in South Africa, with full diplomatic privileges, will further promote bilateral relations between South Africa and the Arab countries.

In May 2008, former President Mbeki led a high-powered government and business delegation to Qatar within the context of South Africa’s priority to consolidate bilateral political, economic and trade relations with Qatar and the other Gulf States.

Economic-related agreements signed with the Middle East region include those relating to air services, double taxation and fiscal evasion, health, promotion and reciprocal protection of investments and trade.

On 31 July 2008, the 10th meeting of the South Africa-Iran JC was held in Tehran, Iran.

Kuwait has become an increasingly important market for South African exports and several Kuwaiti companies have made major multimillion rand investments in the construction and development of hotels and real estate in South Africa, as well as on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE).

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Relations with the Americas

United States of America

The overall bilateral relationship with the USA remains strong with co-operation expanding on matters of common interest and mutual benefit. Since 1999, business, civilian and governmental links with the USA have expanded.

The bilateral relationship has been reviewed on an annual basis within the South Africa-USA Annual Bilateral Forum. The reviews focus on the achievements and challenges that have arisen and consider the way forward in various identified categories of interaction, namely:

• peace-building and security
• expansion of democracy and freedom
• spreading economic growth and well-being.

Direct high-level government-to-government contact has continued and interactions at multilateral events such as the G8 and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

In May 2007, former President George W Bush re-authorised the legislation that established the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar). Through Pepfar, South Africa was allocated a total of approximately R6 billion (US$850 million) during a four-year period. In 2007, South Africa received about R2,8 billion, of which 80% was directly disbursed to South African organisations, including dozens of community and faith-based groups.

In terms of capacity-building, the visit of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr Michael Leavitt, culminated in projects through which the South African departments of health and of social development received US support in the establishment of training programmes for clinical assistants.

During 2007, the USA remained the largest donor of official development assistance (ODA) to South Africa and one of the single largest foreign investors in the South African economy. South Africa is one of the USA’s leading trading partners in Africa, and accounts for the most diverse trade flows. Total trade between the two countries has been increasing steadily in recent years, with South Africa maintaining a trade surplus.

The USA is South Africa’s second-largest trade partner after Germany, and its second-largest export market. South Africa continues to take advantage of the benefits of the African Growth and Opportunity Act and will continue to work towards increasing export volumes and diversifying its product lines.

An important pillar of South Africa’s bilateral relations is people-to-people interaction. In this regard, a wide range of individuals and institutions continue to interact on a regular basis; notably through the process of engaging the Diaspora, increasing training and capacity-building, and concluding MoUs in areas such as S&T, education, agriculture, sister city agreements, etc. The USA is the second-largest source of tourists to South Africa.

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Canada

The annual consultations between South Africa and Canada, first launched in 2003 as a result of a Declaration of Intent signed during former President Mbeki’s state visit to Canada, remain an effective vehicle for managing relations in all spheres.

The year 2008 heralded the fifth consecutive annual consultations in Pretoria. The agenda had expanded in scope and includes official development assistance (ODA), trade and investment and co-operation in the fields of sport, arts and culture, S&T, safety and security, minerals and energy, agriculture and transport and Africa and multilateral issues. Twelve South African government departments are now participating in the annual state consultations plenary, while a further six are participating in the back-to-back ODA annual consultations between South Africa and Canada as arranged in close consultation with National Treasury.

Co-operation between the various spheres of government is ongoing with a perennial focus on skills transfer and capacity-building. A steady growth in regular high-level visits in both directions further serves to cement and expand the cordial and mutually beneficial interaction in all spheres.

In the field of ODA, Canada has provided assistance totalling more than US$200 million since 1979 with annual spending averaging about US$14 million since 2000/01. Canada’s continued constructive involvement in South Africa focuses on the strengthening of service-delivery in four key sectors, namely HIV and AIDS, governance, rural development and regional co-operation.

In the economic sphere, Canada has become the second-largest investor in South Africa after the USA and is still in an upward curve. Bombardier invested about R13 billion in the Gautrain and the announced Rio Tinto/Alcan investment in an aluminium smelter at Coega amounts to R21 billion. Mining investment also continues to show positive growth and was estimated to total R8,8 billion in 2007. With several major Canadian mining investments due to come off the ground in the next couple of years, Canadian investment in South African mining is expected to double by 2010.

South Africa remains Canada’s largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. There has been an exponential growth in trade, with figures doubling between 2000 and 2007.

Annual two-way trade between South Africa and Canada increased by more than 20% in 2007 with South African exports to Canada reaching more than R8 billion, while imports from Canada amounted to about R6 billion.

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The Caribbean

South Africa enjoys cordial relations with the countries of the Caribbean (Caricom). The South African embassy in Cuba is accredited to the Dominican Republic, while the South African high commission in Kingston, Jamaica, is accredited to 15 Caricom countries. A high commission, headed by a chargé d’affaires, was established in Trinidad and Tobago in 2006.

The majority of the people of the Caribbean are of African descent and thus have strong historical and cultural links with the continent of Africa. South Africa’s endeavour, in conjunction with the AU to strengthen co-operation between Africa and the African Diaspora in the Caribbean, has given added impetus to bilateral and multilateral relations.

New governments have recently come to power in Barbados, Belize and Jamaica. In February 2008, Cuba’s President Fidel Castro relinquished power to his brother Raul Castro as a result of ill health.

Trinidad and Tobago has vast resources of natural gas and is a manufacturing and transport hub in the region.

In formulating South Africa’s policy in relation to the emerging markets of the Caribbean, it is important to strengthen relations and develop common positions on global issues such as access to the markets of the industrial North, reform of international institutions and the promotion of the development agenda.

Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago have established resident missions in South Africa. By mid-2008, the Dominican Republic was in the process of establishing a resident mission in South Africa and an agreement had been granted to the ambassador-designate and to the high commissioner-designate of Jamaica.

The Foreign Affairs Minister of Suriname paid a visit to South Africa to, among other things, officially open that country’s diplomatic mission.

The sixth session of the South Africa-Cuba Consultative Forum was held in June 2008 in Pretoria. This historic event preceded the first Summit of the African, Caribbean, Latin American Leaders and the Diaspora.

Accordingly, it laid the basis for the Diaspora to play a pivotal role in the renewal of Africa while simultaneously cementing African-Caribbean-Latin American solidarity and co-operation.

Minister Dlamini Zuma visited Cuba for bilateral discussions in August 2008. The minister briefed South Africa’s envoys on regional, continental and international political issues, including the outcomes of the SADC Summit.

Humanitarian assistance of R500 000 was respectively rendered to Haiti and Bolivia.

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Latin America

The South American community of nations covers 17 million square kilometres, with 361 million inhabitants, a gross domestic product (GDP) of more than US$973 billion and exports of more than US$180 billion. The developing countries in Central America and the Andean Community are playing an increasingly important role in international political bodies and formations such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) under the Presidency of Cuba and the United Nations (UN).

Bilateral relations with Latin America and the Caribbean will continue advancing the development agenda of the South and the strengthening of co-operation among developing countries through active participation in groupings of the South at regional, interregional and multilateral levels. A number of important visits from Latin America during 2008 provided a platform for closer co-operation.

Of particular importance is the need to build stronger and balanced relationships with Latin American countries.

Bilateral relations with Latin America will be used to enhance economic, scientific, technical and business opportunities through bilateral mechanisms such JBCs. Opportunities for interactions with the G5 will be monitored continually.

There is also significant potential for co-operation with the Mercosur (Southern Common Market) trading bloc, which consists of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela as full members (Venezuela still to be ratified by Brazil and Paraguay), and a steadily increasing number of associate members in the Latin American region.

A partial Preferential Trade Agreement with the Mercosur was signed in December 2004, with negotiations regarding outstanding detail completed in mid-2008. Negotiations are expected to continue towards a full FTA. Brazil remains a significant player in the multilateral context, particularly regarding the interests of the South. With its like-minded approach to a number of significant issues affecting the developing world, it remains a strategic partner for South Africa.

In the bilateral sphere, a broad range of contacts and exchanges are ongoing between Brazil and South Africa. A South African investment recruitment mission visited Brazil in June 2008.

The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum also provides a multilateral mechanism for institutionalised engagement. In this context, South-South co-operation was boosted by the IBSA Ministerial Meeting in Somerset West in May 2008, which covered a broad range of topics and coincided with the first IBSA joint naval exercise.

In October 2008, President Motlanthe, Dr Dlamini Zuma and a large delegation of government officials and business people visited India for the third IBSA Summit in New Delhi. The South African delegation attended the IBSA Summit within the context of advancing South Africa’s economic interests within the framework of advancing South-South co-operation.

A range of technical and commercial agreements are either in place or being negotiated with several of the countries in the region.

The inaugural meeting of the South Africa-Argentine JC took place in Pretoria in February 2007, co-chaired by Minister Dlamini Zuma and her Argentine counterpart, Mr Jorge Taiana, with the second meeting taking place in Buenos Aires in July 2008.

The JC with Brazil also took place during 2008, as did the Joint Consultative Mechanism with Chile.

Official and study visits to countries of the Southern Cone by ministers and officials are ongoing. In the sphere of defence, for example, the navies of several Southern Cone countries and South Africa participated jointly in the 2008 Atlasur joint naval exercise, contributing to closer institutional ties.

In August 2008, former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka visited Mexico. She also led a South African delegation to the 17th International AIDS Conference.

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Relations with Europe

European Union (EU)

The European Union(EU) is a unique international organisation comprising 27 member states. Developed primarily as a single market, it is the largest economy in the world with a combined nominal GDP of almost €12 trillion in 2006. The EU has a common trade policy, a common agricultural and fisheries policy, and a regional policy (to assist its underdeveloped regions). Thirteen member states have also adopted a single currency, the Euro.

The EU has also developed the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the European Security and Defence Policy.

Since 1994, building on shared values and mutual interests, South Africa and the EU have developed a comprehensive partnership based on the Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement (TDCA). The TDCA, which was signed in 1999, provisionally came into force in January 2000, and was fully ratified on 1 May 2004, governs South Africa’s relations with the EU. Through this agreement, a partnership has been built, which rests on five pillars: trade, political dialogue, development co-operation, economic co-operation and co-operation in other areas.

Following a review in 2004, which was conducted in terms of the requirements of articles 18 and 103 of the TDCA, calling for a review within five years of its entry into force, South Africa and the EU embarked on negotiating new texts during 2007 under titles I (Political Dialogue), IV (Economic Co-operation), V (Development Co-operation), VI (Other Areas of Co-operation, and VII (Financial Aspects of Co-operation) of the agreement. Following up to five rounds of extensive negotiations in some of the negotiating groups, agreement was reached on new texts in 10 October 2007, when the two chief negotiators initialled agreed texts for 35 new and revised articles. The revised agreement was expected to be signed during 2008.

South Africa and the EU agreed at the 2005 Joint Co-operation Council (JCC) to build on the strong and productive relations underpinned by the TDCA by working towards a truly strategic partnership based on an open and concrete dialogue, pursued on the basis of mutual understanding and ownership of the process. As a consequence, the Joint Action Plan for the South African-EU Strategic Partnership was adopted on 14 May 2007 at the South African-EU Ministerial Troika meeting held in Brussels, Belgium.

The EU has developed strategic partnerships with major actors in the global economic and political spheres, including the USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Ukraine, China, India and Brazil. The Joint Action Plan for the South African-EU Strategic Partnership develops a strategic partnership that significantly enhances existing co-operation, including most notably at summit level, on issues of mutual interest at bilateral, regional, continental or global level. One of the guiding principles for the strategic partnership is that it must support South Africa’s national, regional and African priorities and programmes to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment, such as AsgiSA, Jipsa and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). This is further emphasised in the stated objective of the development partnership between South Africa and the EU to develop the Second Economy and to link it more closely to the First Economy. The broader policy dialogue with the EU and its member states includes the sharing of experiences of the regional policy of the EU, employment and social affairs, macroeconomic dialogue and education and training.

The strategic partnership does not replace but rather builds upon the TDCA. In 2007, two South African-EU ministerial troikas were held under the new strategic partnership. The first annual summit under the partnership took place in July 2008.

Implementation of the TDCA’s trade provisions has been underway since 2000 with the aim of establishing an FTA between South Africa and the EU by 2012. Total trade has developed considerably over the past decade. In 2007, South Africa’s exports to the EU amounted to R137 billion. The EU ranked as South Africa’s number one exporting region for 2006 and 2007. South Africa’s total imports from the EU amounted to R 176 billion in 2007, also ranking number one.

As a member of the SADC and the world’s oldest customs union, the Sacu, South Africa is participating in the negotiation of the SADC-Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU. The revision of the trade chapter of the TDCA has, therefore, been fully subsumed into the SADC-EPA process.

The SADC-EPA negotiating framework was presented in March 2006 by the participating member states of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania. An EU response was presented to the SADC-EPA negotiating forum in March 2007, after which full-scale negotiations began.

South Africa and the EU have signed two separate agreements on wine and on spirits. South Africa has not ratified these agreements pending the conclusion of negotiations on South African trademarks and EU geographical indicators. Negotiations to conclude a fisheries agreement have been abandoned.

The earliest agreement with the EU is the S&T Agreement (1997), which facilitated access by South African researchers into the EU’s Framework Programme – the main instrument of the EU for funding excellence-based research.

Through regular and concerted marketing of South Africa’s S&T expertise in Europe, as well as the fostering of strategic partnerships with key European research and development (R&D) organisations, South African researchers secured participation in almost 120 Sixth Framework Programme projects, resulting in direct European investment of €15 million into South African research and enabling South African participation in cutting-edge European R&D projects worth more than €500 million.

With regard to development co-operation, the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) between South Africa and the EU for 2007 to 2013 is the jointly agreed framework for development co-operation and implementation. It was drawn up by South Africa, the European Commission (EC) and 10 EU member states.

It is innovative in the sense that it constitutes a joint analysis between partners (i.e. member states and the commission) on South Africa’s developmental needs, and a joint strategy to address these needs. The goal of development co-operation will be poverty alleviation in the context of sustainable development, in line with the South African Government’s policy objectives, namely to:

• promote pro-poor sustainable economic growth, including in the Second Economy
• improve the capacity and provision of basic services for the poor, including HIV and AIDS and education
• promote good governance.

The CSP sets out a joint response strategy, which is then implemented through the Multi-Indicative Programme. It is much wider in scope than a traditional development strategy, as it aims to develop the TDCA, in the medium term, into a strategic partnership in every area. The EU is South Africa’s largest development partner representing about 70% of all official development assistance (ODA).

The financial envelope approved for South Africa for 2007 to 2013 is €980 million. The European Investment Bank has also approved a loan mandate of €900 million for South Africa after considerable lobbying by the South African Government.

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African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States – European Union relations

South Africa assumed full membership of the ACP group of countries in 1996. It became a qualified member of the Lomé Convention in 1997 and of its successor, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA), signed in Cotonou in June 2000.

The CPA is a framework for co-operation between the 78 countries of the ACP group and the EU. The new EU members that acceded in May 2004 adopted the agreement as part of the EU’s legislative infrastructure.

Qualified membership means that South Africa is excluded from the trade regime provided in the agreement and from the provisions on ODA. South Africa can, however, tender for projects in all ACP countries and participate fully in all political instruments of the agreement. South Africa’s economic relations with the EU are governed by the TDCA.

The CPA differs significantly from its predecessor in that its duration will be 20 years, with a revision clause every five years and a financial protocol for each five-year period. The agreement underscores the importance of regional economic co-operation.

The most far-reaching changes are to be introduced in the area of trade, through regional EPAs, where non-reciprocal preferences will be gradually abolished and regional integration processes encouraged. One of the key aspects of South Africa’s membership of the ACP is its active participation in the three ACP-EU joint political organs, namely the Council of Ministers, the Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ambassadors.

South Africa takes part in dialogue on important issues such as peace-building, conflict resolution, respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law. South Africa regularly participates in ACP summits, Council of Ministers’ meetings, trade ministers’ meetings and the ACP Forum on S&T.

The interest and commitment shown by the EU regarding the African continent and its development is encouraging. Within that context, the EC and the Nepad Secretariat are closely co-operating through established structures and regular dialogue and information-sharing. They have also agreed to increase coherence between EU member states and the EC in support of Nepad projects, the AU and its institutions, and the RECs.

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Benelux countries

The Benelux countries remain important trade and investment partners of South Africa, and major tourist-providers.

South Africa enjoys close political relations with the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and engages in substantial and fruitful co-operation partnerships with these countries.

The focus on establishing trilateral co-operation to promote peace, security and economic diplomacy are continuing, with special emphasis on initiatives in support of Jipsa and AsgiSA.

The Belgian Government continues to take a keen interest in South and southern Africa, and the Great Lakes Region, particularly the DRC. There is a regular exchange of views between South Africa and Belgium on the issues and the complicated processes necessary to find durable solutions to the conflicts in the region.

In October 2007, the second session of the Belgium-South Africa JC was held in Pretoria, with the focus on bilateral political and economic relations, promotion of the African Agenda, development co-operation and co-operation within the context of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Co-operation with Flanders is strong on AsgiSA and Jipsa, especially in the areas of skills development and the development of SMMEs.

The Dutch Government has consistently supported South Africa in terms of bilateral and multilateral relations. A large number of bilateral agreements have been signed and high-level bilateral ministerial meetings are held frequently.

In April 2008, former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka led a government delegation on an official visit to the Netherlands. Luxembourg and South Africa enjoy good bilateral relations. High-level visits between the two states take place regularly.

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German-speaking countries

Since 1994, the relationship between South Africa and Germany has developed into a strong socio-economic and political partnership that has shown considerable growth in many areas.

Germany has made substantial new investments in the South African economy since the 1994 democratic election and remains one of the country’s most important trading partners. Since its inception in 1996, the South Africa-German BNC has become the most significant instrument through which bilateral relations are conducted. The extent of co-operation and joint initiatives is substantial.

Germany ranks with the United Kingdom (UK) and the USA among the three largest economic role-players in South Africa regarding trade, investment, finance and tourism. Major investments by German companies include BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Siemens, Bayer and Ferrostaal.

In February 2008, the German Minister of Education and Research, Dr Anette Schavan, visited South Africa as the guest of the Minister of Science and Technology Mr Mosibudi Mangena. She was accompanied by a large delegation of scientific experts and representatives from industry to enhance technical and scientific co-operation and skills transfers.

Relations between South Africa and Switzerland have continued to grow since 1994. As a result of democratic changes in South Africa, Switzerland decided to grant South Africa special status on the Swiss foreign-policy agenda as one of the focus areas for Swiss interests outside Europe.

In December 2007, Minister Mangena signed the Agreement on Scientific Co-operation with Switzerland.

In March 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma held bilateral political, economic and trade discussions with her Swiss counterpart, Ms Micheline Calmy-Rey.

The South Africa-Switzerland Joint Working Group meeting was held in May 2008 in Berne, Switzerland.

Bilateral relations with the Republic of Austria are sound. Economic relations were significantly strengthened during the visit in September 2007 by a South African business delegation.

This was followed by a visit by a delegation of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. Besides engaging the Austrian Government at national level in support of development programmes, increased economic involvement, and support for the African Agenda, provincial partnerships with key Austrian provinces have also resulted in increased business ties and commitments to support training programmes for South African students. Closer co-operation in the field of renewable energies is expected to intensify in the future.

In April 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma held bilateral political, economic and trade discussions with her Austrian counterpart, Ms Ursula Plassnik, in Vienna.

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Nordic countries

South Africa enjoys excellent relations with all the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden). Flowing from the strong grassroots support in these countries for democratisation in South Africa, relations have been established in virtually every field at both public and official levels. The scope of Nordic development co-operation is broad and has benefited civil society and government.

Relations in the international arena have seen close co-operation on multilateral issues. The Nordic countries are strong supporters of Nepad. They are directly involved in conflict resolution and reconstruction projects in Africa, and have already entered into trilateral projects with South Africa such as in the DRC. In March 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma joined Nordic and African foreign ministers at the seventh session of the Nordic-African Informal Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Gaborone, Botswana.

They discussed, among other things, climate change and its effects on Africa, peace and security challenges in Africa and United Nations issues.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway paid a working visit to South Africa in April 2008 and signed a Joint Declaration on Climate Change and Energy Issues with former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka.

The Sweden-South Africa Business Breakfast Seminar was held in April 2008. The purpose of the seminar, which was hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry, in conjunction with the Swedish Trade Council, Swedish Embassy and Business Unity South Africa, was to strengthen economic and trade relations between Sweden and South Africa.

It focused on issues of common interest for the Swedish and the South African Business Community such as the general business climate in South Africa, possibilities and partnerships around 2010, BEE and the broader economic co-operation between South Africa and Sweden.

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United Kingdom and Ireland

The United Kingdom (UK) is one of the largest foreign direct investors into South Africa and consistently occupies the third position in terms of South African exports. With the number of tourists per year approaching half a million, the UK is also South Africa’s most important overseas tourism market.

South Africa receives about R4 billion official development assistance (ODA) per year, which accounts for around 1% of the South African total budget per annum. The UK, through its Department for International Development (DFID) as implementing arm, seeks to promote development and reduce poverty in Africa. The UK took the lead initiatives in putting the plight of Africa on the agenda of the G8 discussions held in the UK in 2005, advocating for additional resource requirements to tackle poverty and vulnerability in Africa and “make poverty history”.

South Africa’s relationship with the UK covers a very wide spectrum and remains sound. The main areas of co-operation are political, trade and investment, security, defence, finance, tourism and other technical sectors. The defence relationship remains important for the strategic interest of both countries. The UK contributed R2,3 million to the establishment of the South African National Peace Mission Training Centre in Pretoria. In the multilateral arena, good working relations exist between South Africa and the UK, where challenges are dealt with as they appear.

The eighth meeting of the South Africa-UK Bilateral Forum was held in Pretoria in July 2008.

Irish Prime Minister, Mr Bertie Ahern, paid a working visit to South Africa in January 2008, accompanied by about 50 Irish businesses investigating investment and joint venture opportunities in South Africa.

In February 2008, former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka launched the Irish and South African Heritage Project at the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island in Cape Town. The project is based on historical research of bilateral relations that both Ireland and South Africa have shared since 1994. The project will extend relations between the two countries, through potential exchange programmes on e-schools, where students from the two countries would participate.

Former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka visited Ireland in April 2008 to follow-up on AsgiSA and Jipsa projects discussed during her November 2006 visit to Dublin.

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Mediterranean Europe

South Africa and the countries of Mediterranean Europe maintain excellent relations through several institutionalised mechanisms such as the South Africa-France Political Dialogue, South Africa-Spain annual consultations and various commissions on trade and industry; health; education; arts, culture, and S&T; and sport.

These countries are among South Africa’s top trading partners and remain large investors in the South African economy, providing not only capital inflow but also thousands of jobs. Mediterranean Europe has excelled in providing several opportunities for training in terms of Jipsa through government and business interventions.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, accompanied by a large government and business delegation, paid a state visit to South Africa in February 2008. During the visit, he addressed Parliament. Both presidents attended the South Africa-France Business Forum to enhance economic ties at the highest level. South Africa and France also co-operate in various multilateral forums, particularly to improve peace and security on the African continent and support the advancement of global governance.

In June 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma met with her French counterpart, Ms Bernard Koucher, in Paris.

Italy and South Africa have agreed to deepen the level of exchanges on a number of issues critical to development on the African continent, especially regarding peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and post-conflict reconstruction in the DRC and the Great Lakes Region. Minister Dlamini Zuma visited Italy in September 2008 to strengthen bilateral relations.

At the invitation of the Spanish Government, South Africa participated in the Zaragoza Expo, Spain, from 14 June to 14 September 2008. About 100 countries from the EU, the Americas and Africa participated in the expo. The expo took place under the theme “Water and Sustainable Development”. In line with the theme, South African crafters showcased the depth of South Africa’s craft industry.

In June 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma concluded economic bilateral discussions with her Spanish counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, in Madrid. Economic relations between South Africa and Spain have grown at a very rapid pace recently, with total trade between the two countries amounting to R19 billion, having doubled over the past four years.

South Africa and Greece have strong cultural ties through the Hellenic community in South Africa, which plays a positive and constructive role in the reconstruction and development of this country. The Hellenic community in South Africa is estimated at 60 000.

In January 2008, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Sue van der Merwe, hosted the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Theodoros Kassimis, for bilateral political and economic discussions.

Greece is the oldest and the largest market for South Africa in the Balkan region. While Greece is not a major donor country, it has contributed to programmes in education and health in South Africa. These include a US$200 000-donation to a health clinic in Sebokeng and a US$40 000-donation to sports facilities in Soweto and Alexandra.

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Central Europe

Former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka paid an official visit to the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia in May 2008.

The visit was the first by a South African Deputy Head of State to the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the Velvet Revolution and the separation of the two states in 1991. The visit provided an opportunity to concretise bilateral relations between the two countries.

In June 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma visited the Republic of Slovenia for the South Africa-EU Ministerial Troika, which took place in Ljubljana. To meet the challenges of AsgiSA and Jipsa and take full advantage of the new opportunities arising in Central Europe, it is imperative for South Africa to maintain and further strengthen political and economic ties with these countries. Concerted efforts are being made by government to develop political and economic relations with the Central European region.

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Eastern Europe

Then Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka held bilateral political, economic and trade discussions with the First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, in March 2008 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

He was accompanied by the Russian Minister of Natural Resources, Yuri Trutnev who is, together with Minister Dlamini Zuma, the co-chair of the South Africa-Russia Intergovernmental Trade and Economic Committee (Itec). The intersessional Itec meeting laid the basis for the fully fledged Itec, which was hosted by Russia in May 2008.

In November 2008, another intersessional Itec meeting was held in Durban, South Africa.

In March 2008, Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Feim Chauhev, paid a state visit to South Africa. Bulgaria is one of the new members of the EU. Bulgaria has also historically been viewed as the gateway to eastern Europe and is known to be one of the stabilising countries in the Balkans. Diplomatic relations between both countries started in 1992 and economic relations now stand at about R500 million. Many areas in which South Africa can extend its co-operation have been identified – energy, transport, infrastructure development, health and especially agriculture.

In September 2008, Minister Dlamini Zuma visited Belarus and met her counterpart, Mr Sergei Martynov, for bilateral political and economic discussions. During the discussions, Minister Dlamini Zuma indicated that a process was underway to open a South African consul-general office in Belarus, which will be under the supervision of the Moscow embassy, aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

South Africa was represented by former Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka at the first Turkey-Africa Summit, which took place in August 2008, in Istanbul. The summit was held under the theme: “Solidarity and Partnership for a Common Future”.

The Istanbul Declaration, adopted by the summit, captures and promotes Nepad and REC programmes, in particular focusing on eight areas of co-operation:

• developing a concrete manifestation of solidarity and partnership for a common future
• intergovernmental co-operation
• trade, investment and management of SMMEs
• infrastructure, energy and transport
• agriculture, agribusiness, rural development and water resources
• culture and education, media and communication, peace and security.

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Multilateral diplomacy

The adoption of the UN World Summit Outcome document in New York in 2005 by more than 150 heads of state and government marked one of the most prominent efforts to protect and strengthen multilateralism. Expectations of wholesale change and reform of the United Nations (UN), however, proved not to be realistically attainable. The Review Summit nonetheless agreed on a number of reforms to address events and issues that continue to undermine global peace and security and the multilateral system of governance. South Africa remains an active participant in these ongoing efforts to implement the 2005 World Summit Outcome document to reform the UN.

It also believes that the multilateral system should be fully engaged in human development and poverty eradication, starting with the achievement of the MDGs; the common struggle to address environmental degradation; the pursuit of an overarching human-rights agenda; the promotion of democracy and good governance; and all efforts to combat terrorism and the proliferation of weapons, both of mass destruction and small arms.

South Africa maintains that issues such as these pose major threats to world peace and security. Through participation in organisations and groups such as the UN, the African Union (AU), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the G77 and the Commonwealth, South Africa seeks to ensure that national interests and objectives, as well as those of the continent and developing countries generally, are taken on board in discussions in multilateral forums and reports.

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United Nations General Assembly

South Africa’s priorities for participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), its main committees and organs, include:

• pursuing an overarching human-rights agenda, including the right to development
• promoting global peace and security
• protecting and promoting multilateralism, international law and the centrality of the UN Charter
• addressing human development, poverty eradication and environmental degradation
• advancing the active follow-up and implementation of the MDGs, international development goals and the outcomes of major UN conference
• advancing South-South co-operation through active participation in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other South-South co-operation arrangements
• promoting the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) General Assembly, Ecosocc and regional organisations, and generally revitalising the UN system
• promoting the Common Africa Position on the reform of the UN, including the equitable representation of Africa on the UNSC
• disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation of both weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms
• implementing the Johannesburg Plan of Action of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
• humanitarian assistance
• promoting the AU and Nepad in the UN context
• promoting gender mainstreaming
• supporting the global campaign against terrorism.

In September 2008, Dr Dlamini Zuma addressed the UNGA in New York.

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United Nations reform

The adoption of the 2005 World Summit Outcome by more than 150 heads of state and government, set in motion a number of reforms in the UN system that include:

• establishing a peace-building commission
• establishing a human-rights council
• implementing management reforms in the UN Secretariat
• reviewing the mandates of UN activities and programmes
• finalising the comprehensive Convention against Terrorism and developing a broader counter- terrorism strategy
• maintaining and strengthening political momentum for development.

South Africa supports and actively participates in all negotiations.

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United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It is organised so as to be able to function continuously, and a representative of each of its members must be present at all times at the UN.

The comprehensive reform of the UNSC remains work in progress. South Africa was elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC in 2007 for a period of two years.

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Science and technology

The South African Government has recognised the importance of harnessing S&T as an integral part of a wider political and economic strategy to address national and regional development priorities.

A major vehicle to achieve this objective is South Africa’s bid to host the proposed Square Kilometre Array as an extraordinary opportunity for advancing South Africa and its people through scientific and industrial development, developing regional scientific capacity, human capacity-development in the region, creating business opportunities and providing state-of-the-art infrastructure for South African scientists and engineers as well as those in the region.

In ensuring the implementation of the Tunis Commitment and Tunis Agenda for Information Society, as the outcome of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, South Africa will remain involved in the ongoing discussions on Internet governance as well as bridging the digital divide between developed and developing countries.

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Human rights

A commitment to promoting human rights is one of the central considerations in the implementation of South Africa’s foreign policy. South Africa is a major player in the development of international human-rights law at the UN, continually evaluating the effectiveness of existing human-rights treaties and proposing additional instruments and striving to advance the progressive realisation of all human rights, both globally and nationally.

South Africa played an active role in the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, which replaced the former Commission on Human Rights. South Africa is a member of the UNHRC, where it has strongly advocated for a treaty on the right to development as well as sponsored an HRC resolution on the rectification of the legal status of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which will elevate the committee to be on par with all other treaty-monitoring bodies.

For the same reason, South Africa has supported the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to create an individual complaints mechanism for the covenant, thereby strengthening economic, social and cultural rights globally. South Africa was one of the first countries to sign and ratify both the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its optional protocol, becoming a state party to the Convention in November 2007.

In compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, South Africa is preparing the third country report on the status of children’s rights to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. South Africa is also actively participating in the preparatory committees for the Durban Review Conference, which will be held in 2009, in follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, which was held in South Africa in 2001.

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Humanitarian issues

As a signatory to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol and the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, South Africa has committed itself to protecting refugees. These international treaties have been domesticated through the Refugee Act, 1998 (Act 130 of 1998), [PDF].

Fulfilling its obligations under international and domestic law, South Africa played an active role in facilitating the voluntary repatriation of Angolan refugees from South Africa after peace was consolidated in Angola. Given the large number of refugees in Africa and the critical need for burden-sharing by countries, South Africa also contributed to various initiatives to address these needs, including a contribution of R1,5 million to the UN High Commission for Refugees Return and Reintegration Programme for Sudan.

South Africa’s foreign-policy interventions on migration are guided by its adherence to the major international human-rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and the various refugee conventions and conventions related to, among other things, the rights of women and children. This includes the understanding that migration, if properly managed, could contribute significantly to enhancing sustainable development in African countries.

South Africa’s participation in humanitarian assistance is strongly embedded in the principles of UNGA Resolution 46/182 [PDF], and its guiding principles of providing humanitarian assistance on the basis of neutrality, impartiality and humanity. South Africa plays an active role in providing humanitarian assistance globally, with a particular focus on the African continent in conjunction with the UN and other international organisations, to alleviate the plight of thousands of victims of natural sudden-onset disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies.

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Environment

South Africa is committed to maintaining the political momentum gained in the sphere of sustainable development, through the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. Various UN conventions for the environment, such as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity are used by South Africa to meaningfully reduce poverty and, in so doing, meet the aims of the MDGs.

Climate change is regarded as one of the major stumbling blocks to achieving sustainable development. International efforts are aimed at both the mitigation of climate changes by stabilising the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere and measures to enable countries to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.

In terms of mitigation, the key negotiation issue is related to the future of the Kyoto carbon market. The current period of legally binding commitments of developed countries expires in 2012. The 13th conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP13) and COP/MOP 3 of the Kyoto Protocol, which concluded in Bali, Indonesia, on 14 December 2007, succeeded in agreeing to launch negotiations towards a strengthened international climate-change regime.

The decision includes a clear agenda for the key issues to be negotiated up to 2009. These are:

• action for adapting to the negative consequences of climate change
• ways to reduce (mitigate) GHG emissions
• ways to widely deploy climate-friendly techno- logies
• financing both adaptation and mitigation mea- sures.

These negotiations need to conclude in 2009 for the governments to ratify them before 2012 and to avoid any gap between the first and second commitment periods on the reduction of GHG emissions.

South Africa is firmly committed to the protection of the oceans and the sustainable management of its marine resources. It has ratified all the major treaties dealing with marine, maritime, fisheries and Antarctic matters, such as the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and its related instruments, the International Maritime Conventions, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation Compliance Agreement, and the Antarctic Treaty.

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Disarmament

South Africa continues to reinforce its position as an active and substantive role-player on disarmament, non-proliferation and arms-control issues at national, regional and international levels.

It actively participated in the various nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation forums, including the 2005 Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.

The failure by some states to implement their obligations under the NPT (particularly on nuclear disarmament) and to roll back agreements made at previous conferences created a climate that made it difficult to make progress with key challenges facing the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.

Together with other role-players in the nuclear field, South Africa actively participated in the meetings of the policy-making organs of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Important issues considered by the IAEA Board of Governors included the implementation of NPT safeguards in Iran and Korea.

South Africa actively participates in the structures of the Chemicals Weapons Convention, the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. South Africa continues to emphasise the importance of the BWC and the need to strengthen it to adequately address the threat posed by the possible use of biological and toxic weapons by terrorists and other non-state actors.

South Africa was admitted as the first African state to join the Wassenaar Arrangement (conventional arms and dual-use technology-control regime) in December 2005, and became a full participating state on 28 February 2006.

In the context of South Africa’s participation in various international arms-control bodies, such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Zangger Committee and the Missile Technology Control Regime, South Africa continues to promote the principle of access to advanced technologies for peaceful purposes, thereby ensuring that non-proliferation controls do not become a means whereby developing countries are denied access to technologies required for their development.

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Crime and crime prevention

Following its ratification of the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, [PDF] and its three supplementary protocols:

• The Protocol Against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Air and Sea, [PDF];
• the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially Women and Children; and
• the Protocol Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition, [PDF],

South Africa participated in the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention against Transnational Organised Crime in October 2005.

Following its ratification of the UN Convention against Corruption, South Africa participated in the first CoP of the Convention against Corruption in 2006.

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Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS)

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is a voluntary tripartite international forum, intent on preventing the use of diamonds in the promotion of conflict, while encouraging the contribution of diamonds to prosperity. The KPCS forum comprises all major diamond-producing, -trading and -processing countries, as well as the diamond industry and civil society.

The department participates actively in the standing bodies of the KPCS. One of the department’s primary objectives in monitoring the KPCS and participating in the business of KPCS standing and ad hoc bodies is to support government’s efforts to ensure that the collective interests of African diamond-producing countries are protected.

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North-South co-operation

The Department of Foreign Affairs serves as the focal point for North-South dialogue, engaging key global economic institutions such as the World Trade Organisation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Intellectual Property Organisation. To achieve this objective, South Africa ensures that the development agenda remains part of the focus of key economic forums, particularly the annual G8 (Group of Seven most industrialised nations plus Russia) Summit and World Economic Forum meetings.

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South-South co-operation

In advancing the development agenda of the South and within the overall context of promoting multilateralism, South Africa participated in the second South Summit in June 2005 in Doha, Qatar.

Progressively, the importance of South-South co-operation is being acknowledged, especially in terms of global, regional and country-level efforts to achieve the MDGs. Rather than being a substitute for North-South co-operation, the modalities of South-South co-operation are complementary.

South African foreign policy seeks to, among other things, persuade the international community to support the efforts of developing countries to expand such co-operation. Through active participation in other co-operation arrangements such as IBSA, South Africa seeks to contribute to strengthening South-South co-operation and the development of innovative co-operation programmes.

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Global finance

The Department of Foreign Affairs has in its engagements solicited the international community to fulfil its Monterrey commitments. It recognises the need for increased and more predictable resources for development. As such, it supports initiatives such as Action Against Hunger and Poverty to implement innovative financing mechanisms for development on a public, private, domestic or external basis, to complement ODA.

As one of the G20 countries within the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs), the department contributes to developing pragmatically the global partnership between developed and developing countries. Within this context, South Africa is committed to the continuous review of the representivity, operations and strategies of the BWIs and more effective participation by developing countries in these bodies.

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Social development

Furthermore, South Africa continues to play a pivotal role in the international arena, particularly in the promotion of the global health agenda. Having successfully chaired the G77 and China Group during the 44th session of the UN Commission for Social Development and the 39th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development (UNCPD) in 2006, South Africa further advanced the momentum created in both UN commissions.

South Africa delivered a keynote address, which set the tone for the entire session, as well as the 46th session of the commission. South Africa also participated at the 40th session of the UNCPD in April 2007. At both commissions, South Africa reiterated the country’s priority social and population-deve- lopment issues as contained, respectively, in the WSSD (Copenhagen Declaration, 1995) and the International Conference on Population and Development Plan of Action, which include, among other things, the internationally agreed development goals.

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Participation in United Nations budgetary and programmatic issues

Over the past five years, South Africa has played a prominent role in the context of UN budgetary and programmatic issues. South Africa’s Auditor-General served on the UN Board of Auditors from 2000 until the end of 2006. The Auditor-General was also re-elected in 2005 as the External Auditor for the UN Industrial Development Organisation for the period 2006 to 2008.

The former Minister of Public Service and Administration Ms Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi was elected vice-president of the second UN Committee of Experts on Public Administration and Finance for the period 2006 to 2009. Another South African, Judge Mervyn King, who chaired the King Commission on Corporate Governance in South Africa, has been elected chairperson of a high-level steering panel to evaluate governance in the UN.

Active participation in administrative and budgetary issues is aimed at ensuring, to the fullest extent possible, that UN programmes as well as budgetary and administrative priorities adequately cater for development and poverty eradication. In this regard, priority areas for South Africa include the funding of UN structures and programmes that focus on Africa and Nepad, and sufficient funding for peacekeeping operations on the continent.

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South African representation on United Nations bodies and organs

South Africa strives to be active in all bodies and functional committees of the UN dealing with its foreign-policy priorities or objectives, and thus serves on the following:

• International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (2005 to 2009): Judge J Moloto
• UNHRC, successor to the Commission on Human Rights (2006)
• International Criminal Court (2003 to 2009): Judge M Pillay
• International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (2005 to 2014): Judge A Hoffmann

South Africa serves on the following subsidiary bodies of the Ecosoc

• Commission for Social Development (2006 to 2009)
• Statistical Commission (2006 to 2009)
• Commission on Sustainable Development (2007 to 2010)
• Commission on Population and Development (2007 to 2010)
• Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (2007 to 2010).

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United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in South Africa

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) seeks to implement programmes that are relevant to government’s transformation and development imperatives. The UNDP has a country office in Pretoria, which is headed by the resident representative, who is also the UN resident co-ordinator for all UN operational activities in South Africa.

The UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is a mechanism to establish an integrated framework for co-operation for development assistance between the UN system, represented through 16 UN funds, programmes and agencies present in South Africa and government.

The UNDAF reflects the priorities conveyed to the UN by government and is based on the Common Country Assessment (CCA). The previous UNDAF ended in December 2006. The department worked with the UNCT in South Africa and numerous other departments to prepare the new UNDAF, which will guide UN support in South Africa from 2007 to 2010. In this process, a CCA has been drafted by government and accepted by the UN and the new UNDAF.

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Commonwealth

The Commonwealth comprises 53 member countries on every continent and with a combined population of 1,8 billion (one quarter of world population), making up one fifth of world trade. It is an important multilateral institution uniting countries with common historical backgrounds.

Members range from micro-states in Polynesia to members of the G8, the smallest and poorest to the richest and most populous, with cross-cutting affiliations straddling the North-South divide.

The Commonwealth is united by its shared ideals and common traditions manifested in similar structures of governance, public administration and law, a common working language, and commercial and business practices and understanding. It is an important multilateral institution, both uniting and serving its member countries and providing a lobby on global issues.

Its programmes of action, such as the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation, the Commonwealth Youth Programme and the Commonwealth Foundation, are focused on capacity-building, economic and social development, the removal of disparities in living standards across the world, and the alleviation of poverty and illiteracy. These programmes are committed to the UN MDGs, Nepad and the plight of small and less-developed countries.

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) takes place biennially. Malta hosted the CHOGM in November 2005 under the theme Networking the Commonwealth for Development, also focusing on world trade, migration and terrorism.

Aside from the Final Communiqué, which addresses different issues of concern to the Commonwealth, heads of government also issued the Malta Declaration on Networking the Commonwealth for Development, the Valletta Statement on Multilateral Trade, and the Gozo Statement on Vulnerable Small States.

South Africa made numerous contributions to the Malta Communiqué, in particular on issues relating to the MDGs, the African Agenda and Nepad, and addressing health, education and debt relief. South Africa also supported strong positions on trade liberalisation, climate change and terrorism.

South Africa actively participates in the various ministerial meetings and governing bodies of the Commonwealth. Meetings of ministers of finance have devoted resources in support of the Monterrey Consensus; justice ministers have drafted model anti-terrorism legislation and control measures over money laundering; and ministers of education and of health have adopted codes of conduct in the recruitment of health workers and teachers.

Uganda hosted the CHOGM in November 2007 under the theme, Transforming Commonwealth Societies to Achieve Political, Economic and Human Development. Trinidad and Tobago will host the 2009 CHOGM.

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Non-Aligned Movement

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with its 114 member states is the largest political grouping of countries outside of the UN, making it an important lobby group of developing countries in global affairs.

South Africa formally joined the movement in 1994 and has played a leading role ever since.

Multilateral agreements signed or ratified between 1 January 2007 and 31 March 2008

Source: Department of Foreign Affairs r = Ratification a = Accession

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Bilateral agreements signed between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2008

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Bilateral agreements signed between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2008

[Top] Bilateral agreements signed between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2008

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Bilateral agreements signed between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2008

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Source: South Africa Yearbook 2008/09
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information System

Last modified: 28 July 2009 10:23:08.