UBUNTU Magazine Issue 1 - Department of International Relations ...

FOREWORD
LETTER FROM THE MINISTER
The basis of South Africa’s foreign policy
is embodied in the Freedom Charter of
1955. The Freedom Charter proclaims
that there will be peace and friendship,
and outlines the following aspects of
foreign policy:
• “South Africa shall be a fully independent state which
respects the rights and sovereignty of all nations;
• South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace
and the settlement of all international disputes by
negotiation – not war;
• Peace and friendship amongst all our people shall be
secured by upholding the equal rights, opportunities
and status of all;
• The right of all peoples of Africa to independence
and self-government shall be recognised, and shall
be the basis of close cooperation.”
“We seek to live in peace with our neighbours and the
peoples of the world in conditions of equality, mutual
respect and equal advantage.” – Oliver Reginald Tambo,
1977, former president of the African National Congress.
South Africa’s foreign policy is an extension of our
domestic priorities and our value system. As South
Africans, we believe in a democratic and open society in
which government is based on the will of the people and
every citizen is equally protected by the law. We believe
in a society based on democratic values, social justice
and fundamental human rights. To implement this vision,
our foreign policy is based on four central pillars:
• we give priority to the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) and Africa as a whole
• we work with countries of the developing South to
address shared challenges of underdevelopment
and promote global equity and social justice
• we work with countries of the developed North to
develop a true and effective partnership for a better
world
• finally, we play our part to strengthen and transform
the multilateral system, to reflect the diversity of
our nations, and ensure its centrality in global
governance.
While working on the four pillars, Africa remains our top
priority. At a multilateral level, we participate actively
in SADC and African Union (AU) programmes and
activities, promoting African renewal, unity as well as
social and economic development.
Our country emerged from conflict to become a peaceful
democracy and we are now working for peace on the
continent and in the world. We participate in peace and
security matters in SADC, such as in Zimbabwe and
Madagascar. As part of the AU, our peace efforts include
Libiya, Sudan and Cote d’ Ivoire; and in the Great Lakes
region, participating in peace efforts in Burundi, the
Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries.
One of our major accomplishments which enable us
to participate more in peace-making, was the re-election
of South Africa to a non-permanent seat in the United
Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2011 – 12 term.
We believe we are playing a constructive role, pursuing
the interests of our country and the continent.
Our pressing priority currently is the reform of
international institutions, including the UNSC as Africa
and Latin America are not represented as permanent
members on the council. As South Africa, we believe we
can play a critical role as a permanent member of the
UNSC, advancing the interests of the continent. The time
has come for Africa to be represented at that level in this
world body.
Our foreign policy also entails effective economic
diplomacy. We work to attract investments and tourism,
remove barriers to trade, support the development of
larger markets in Africa and expand the markets for
South African products. This is linked to our domestic
imperative of eradicating inequality, unemployment
and poverty. The five domestic priorities are education,
health, rural development and land reform, creating
decent work and the fight against crime.
South Africa participates in various multilateral
forums, including SADC, the AU, the Non-Aligned
Movement, G77 plus China, the Commonwealth, the
BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa), the India-Brazil-South Africa forum and the UN.
Although we have relations with various regions and
countries, South Africa’s foreign policy is independent and
decisions are informed by our national interest – benefits
to the South African people and the advancement of our
domestic priorities.
In the three years of the third Administration, we
have been building on our achievements and lessons
learnt on the foreign policy front since 1994 through
an approach based on both continuity and change. We
have continued to consolidate our strategic advances
and areas of strength in our foreign policy and, at the
same time, found novel and innovative approaches to
improving on our work by tackling new challenges.
Eighteen years on since 1994, our country is standing
tall in the global family of nations.
Foreword
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,
Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
www.dirco.gov.za DIRCOza
@theDIRCOza thedircoza Issue 1 diplomacy in action UBUNTU
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Foreword