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UN MILLENIUM SUMMIT

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The early and effective implementation of the UN development targets is a high foreign policy priority, especially to address the challenges of African poverty and underdevelopment.

It is imperative that timeframes, delivery mechanisms, resource commitments and monitoring are now put in place to ensure that Africa achieves the targets by 2015.

It is hoped that the Johannesburg Summit will provide some clarity in its Programme of Action.

AFRICAN UNION (AU)

The AU is aimed at consolidating the unity of African states in order to place Africa in a better position to take advantage of the benefits flowing from globalisation and to withstand the negative consequences of the globalisation process.

The transition of the OAU to the AU reflects the continuation of Africa's own resolve to deal with the legacy of colonialism, and underdevelopment and focus on meeting the needs of its people.

The immediate objective is to put in place the core structures of the AU and to ensure institutional capacity. These are:

* The Assembly of the Heads of State and Government
* The Executive Council of Ministers
* The Permanent Representative Committee of Ambassadors
* Commission, which will be providing the secretariat services of the AU

The Rules of Procedure governing the functioning of these structures are currently being negotiated to ensure that they meet with the goals and ideals of the AU, as set out in its Constitutive Act.

We are also negotiating the re-structuring of the Central Organ of the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, as it is vital to the functioning of the AU.

The review of the structures, procedures and working methods of the Central Organ is aimed at empowering this organ to pro-actively fulfil its mandate of conflict prevention, management and resolution on the continent.

This Mechanism should be provided with the means to fulfil its primary objective, and the anticipation and prevention of conflicts.

South Africa will host the Inaugural Summit of the AU in July 2002.

SADC RESTRUCTURING

A SADC Council of Ministers' meeting is scheduled to take place in Zanzibar from today (13-15 February 2002) focusing on, amongst others, the restructuring of SADC Institutions, status of membership contributions, relationship between SADC and Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and SADC's participation in NEPAD.

An Extra-Ordinary SADC Summit held on 9 March 2001, adopted a Report on the Review of the Operations of SADC Institutions.

NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD)

Good progress has been made in terms of developing and finalising the NEPAD Strategic Framework Document.

The critical phase of implementation has now begun. African Heads of State and Government, at the Abuja Meeting on 23 October 2001, established a 15-member Task Force for the implementation of NEPAD. Five task teams were established to urgently identify and prepare specific implementable projects and programmes.

The following are the five identified priority areas of the NEPAD Programme of Action:
* Capacity building on peace and security;
* Economic and corporate governance;
* Banking and the financial sector;
* Regional infrastructural projects;
* Agricultural development and market access for African products.

These five priority areas do no exclude those priorities identified previously in other processes, such as debt reduction, communicable diseases and ICT.

President Mbeki to Chair the Sub-Committee on Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution.

Capacity building is a critical cross-cutting element that permeates through all of the NEPAD priorities.

Detailed, concrete and implementable programmes and projects have to be produced under each priority area for presentation to the G8 Summit in Canada in June 2002 and to the AU Summit in South Africa in July 2002.

NEPAD will also form the basis of South Africa's engagement at the Finance for Development Conference (FfD) in Mexico in March 2002, and at the WSSD in Johannesburg in August 2002.

The South African Government strongly welcomes the participation of South African business and civil society in the implementation process of the five priority areas.

It is often stated that the crisis situation in Zimbabwe is the litmus test for the success of NEPAD. We strongly disagree with the proclivity that there should be collective punishment. The advancement and progress of Africa will not be impeded by any one country.

WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WSSD)

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which will be held in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September 2002, will be the largest international conference ever with approximately 65 000 people attending.

The total cost of the WSSD will be around R551 million.

The main goals for the WSSD are:

* The reinvigoration, at the highest political level, of the global commitment to Sustainable Development;
The forging of a North - South partnership to promote Sustainable Development, and the acceleration of the implementation of Agenda 21;
* The Johannesburg Summit agenda will see Sustainable Development as encompassing three broad areas:
* Economic Development (encompassing trade, finance, investment and technology transfer);
* Social Development (encompassing water, health, energy, education and food security); and
* Environmental Development (encompassing oceans, atmosphere, biodiversity, land degradation and climate change).
* South Africa has the following priorities for the WSSD:
* Consolidating African and G77 & China positions prior to WSSD.
* Utilising the WSSD as a showcase for a regional African plan for Sustainable Development, based on NEPAD objectives;
* Ensuring that South Africa plays an active facilitating role in shaping the WSSD outcomes.
* Realising substantial financial support for the implementation of NEPAD priority projects.

Important issues for the WSSD include:

* Establishing the link between global security and development, and strengthening the international commitment to global peace and security and the need for increased multilateralism;
* Strengthening the system of international governance for Sustainable Development by developing smart partnerships aimed at poverty eradication;
* Ensuring that all stakeholders are committed to the improved implementation of Agenda 21;
* New issues to be addressed include the biotechnology revolution, combating HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other pandemic diseases, as well as the explosive growth in information and communication technologies.

The Johannesburg Summit should mark a turning point by putting people at the centre of sustainable development.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR FINANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT (FfD)

Take place in Monterrey, Mexico, from 18 - 22 March 2002.

Minister of Finance appointed as the UN Secretary General's special envoy to the FfD.

Challenge of the Conference is to secure the financial resources necessary to meet the International Developmental Goals.

NEPAD will form the basis of South Africa's engagement at the FfD and the WSSD, the outcomes of which must enhance the objectives of NEPAD.

CONFLICT, MANAGEMENT AND RESOLUTION

Conflict prevention, management and resolution on the African continent remain a key foreign policy objective of the South African Government.

A stable and functioning democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains of strategic importance to the Great Lakes region in terms of the AU goals and NEPAD's priorities.

Following the suspension of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue (ICD), its Facilitator Sir Ketumile Masire, requested that South Africa host the event.

98 South Africans are deployed in the DRC as part of the MONUC process.

The UN Security Council emphasised four points as requirements before the UN could implement Phase III of MONUC. These are:

* Foreign countries that have not withdrawn their troops as yet must do so;
* All parties must cease support for Armed Groups;
* All parties must work together at the ICD; and that
* The city of Kisangani must be demilitarised.

Former President Mandela's appointment as the new facilitator of the Arusha Peace Process paved the way towards the groundbreaking signing of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.

Deputy President Zuma assisted by President Bongo of Gabon, has since had several meetings with the armed groups in an effort to persuade them to agree to negotiations towards a cease-fire agreement.

In Burundi, the SANDF has been providing VIP protection for members of the transitional government. It is envisaged that South Africans will, eventually, train Burundians to take over the VIP protection functions.

A proposed regional summit will take place during the first half of this year. This will include role-players such as Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the DRC to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to the peace process.

South African troops have been making outstanding contributions to the peacekeeping operation in the Ethiopia-Eritrea situation as well as UN-sponsored de-mining operations in the Horn of Africa.

ANGOLA

As members of the United Nations, we are guided by UN decisions. As such we fully support sanctions against Unita.

We are of the view that the Lusaka Protocol can still be salvaged and that it provides the basis for dialogue. There is still room for resolution of conflict through dialogue.

South Africa is committed to supporting a speedy resolution of the conflict in Angola by way of dialogue.

We are committed in Zimbabwe to continue assisting the people of Zimbabwe in exercising their political will in a conducive environment.

Government will be sending a multi-sectoral South African Observer Mission (SAOM) of fifty persons, under the leadership of Dr Sam Motsuenyane. They will be drawn from trade unions, business, agriculture and religious organisations.

The observers will be deployed in three phases, commencing on 13 February 2002 and the last on 3 March 2002.

A multi-party Parliamentary Team comprising fifteen parliamentarians will depart on 20 February 2002 for Zimbabwe.

South Africa will continue its engagement in Lesotho as part of the SADC Troika to ensure free and fair elections in May 2002.

The OAU appointed South Africa as Co-ordinator of the Countries of the Region to address the crisis in the Comoros.

Several Core Group meetings on the Comoros were held in South Africa, the recent one being hosted on 18 January 2002.

The Minister has undertaken two visits to the Comoros - the first from 4 - 7 June 2001 and the second from 19 - 21 December 2001.

South Africa contributed US$1.1 million for the implementation of the Fomboni All-Party Framework Agreement, electoral assistance, development of the health sector and humanitarian assistance.

South Africa also provided SANDF technical assistance.

Presidential elections scheduled for 14 April 2002, will be preceded by Constitutional referenda and the election of executives for the respective islands.

The Independent Electoral Commission is currently investigating possible areas of assistance and co-operation with the relevant Comorian authorities.

During the first half of this year, Mauritius will be hosting a donors' conference for the Comoros.

Israelis and Palestinians have to engage with each other as equal partners in a joint effort to reach a mutually acceptable outcome.

South Africa will continue making a particular effort to create and exploit opportunities to strengthen the pro-peace lobbies, even beyond Israel and Palestine.

The Spier Presidential Peace Retreat (PPR) has set an example followed by other leading nations (notably Germany) in bringing Israeli and Palestinian pro-peace groups together.

TERRORISM

South Africa condemns terrorism without any equivocation. Attacks against civilians cannot be justified. This approach is integral to the humanitarian values that inspired our struggle and governed its conduct.

Acts of vengeance or mobilisation directed against individuals, communities or nations simply because of their faith, language or colour cannot be justified.

The world should unite in the fight against terrorism. The challenge is to understand the root causes of these despicable acts and to eradicate them world-wide.

This medium-term challenge includes global concerted efforts to resolve conflicts in all parts of the globe, including the search for lasting peace in the Middle East. It includes the joint commitment throughout the world to eradicate poverty and under-development.

South Africa will take part in discussions on the course of world actions on this issue, within the context of regional and other international multilateral organisations to which we belong, including the United Nations.

BUILDING SYNERGY AND LINKAGES

The implementation of the UN Millennium Declaration could be aligned to NEPAD in order to address the special needs of Africa in a co-ordinated and integrated fashion.

NEPAD could be utilised in the process of review, reprioritisation and realignment of UN initiatives in Africa currently being undertaken in the context of the UN New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s (UN-NADAF) review process.

The President of the UN Security Council issued a statement on 31 January 2002, following the open debate in the Security Council on "The Situation in Africa", welcoming the ongoing transformation of the OAU into the AU and expressed encouragement and support for the principles of NEPAD. It also called upon donor countries and the Bretton Woods institutions to continue assisting Africa in implementing the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and to work with African governments, through the NEPAD to create the necessary conditions to attract and mobilise public and private sector resources in support of economic growth and poverty reduction.

If the UN development targets and NEPAD priorities are to be met, it is essential that the challenges of financing for development be adequately addressed in the outcome of the International Conference on the Financing for Development (FfD).

There is an overlap between the NEPAD and the key themes outlined for the WSSD, namely education, water and sanitation, health energy and the environment. Furthermore, NEPAD emphasises many of the issues selected in the WSSD Economic Development Outcome.

The Johannesburg Summit must relate to the development of global (i.e. UN IDGs), as well as regional (AU and NEPAD priorities), national and local strategies for sustainable development.

Issued by Ministry of Defence

13 February 2002