Department of InternatIonal relatIons & cooperatIon Budget · – Peace and friendship amongst all our people shall be secured by upholding ... , 1976 whose heroes and heroines were

Department of InternatIonal relatIons & cooperatIon

Budget

The deparTmenT of InTernaTIonal relaTIons & cooperaTIon

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contentsextracts from the freedom charterAdopted at the Congress of the People, Kliptown, on 26 June 1955

We, the PeoPle of South AfriCA, declare for all our country and the world to know:• thatSouthAfricabelongstoallwholiveinit,blackandwhite,andthatno

governmentcanjustlyclaimauthorityunlessitisbasedonthewillofallthepeople;

• thatourpeoplehavebeenrobbedoftheirbirthrighttoland,libertyandpeacebyaformofgovernmentfoundedoninjusticeandinequality;

• thatourcountrywillneverbeprosperousorfreeuntilallourpeopleliveinbrotherhood,enjoyingequalrightsandopportunities;

• thatonlyademocraticstate,basedonthewillofallthepeople,cansecuretoalltheirbirthrightwithoutdistinctionofcolour,race,sexorbelief;

• Andtherefore,we,thepeopleofSouthAfrica,blackandwhitetogetherequals,countrymenandbrothersadoptthisFreedomCharter;

• Andwepledgeourselvestostrivetogether,sparingneitherstrengthnorcourage,untilthedemocraticchangesheresetouthavebeenwon.

• ThePeopleShallGovern!• AllNationalGroupsShallhaveEqualRights!• ThePeopleShallShareintheCountry’sWealth!• TheLandShallbeSharedAmongThoseWhoWorkIt!• AllShallbeEqualBeforetheLaw!• AllShallEnjoyEqualHumanRights!• ThereShallbeWorkandSecurity!• TheDoorsofLearningandCultureShallbeOpened!• ThereShallbeHouses,SecurityandComfort!• ThereShallbePeaceandFriendship!

– SouthAfricashallbeafullyindependentstatewhichrespectstherightsandsovereigntyofallnations;

– SouthAfricashallstrivetomaintainworldpeaceandthesettlementofallinternationaldisputesbynegotiation-notwar;

– Peaceandfriendshipamongstallourpeopleshallbesecuredbyupholdingtheequalrights,opportunitiesandstatusofall;

– ThepeopleoftheprotectoratesBasutoland,BechuanalandandSwazilandshallbefreetodecideforthemselvestheirownfuture;

– TherightofallpeoplesofAfricatoindependenceandself-governmentshallberecognised,andshallbethebasisofcloseco-operation.

Let all people who love their people and their country now say, as we say here:tHese freeDoms We WIll fIgHt for, sIDe BY sIDe, tHrougHout

our lIves, untIl We Have Won our lIBertY

address by the minister of International relations and cooperation, ms maite nkoana-mashabane, to the national assembly on the occasion of the Budget Vote 1 – 27

reply to the Budget Vote by the deputy minister of International relations and cooperation, mr ebrahim Ismail ebrahim, to the national assembly 29 – 37

reply to the Budget Vote by the deputy minister of International relations and cooperation, ms sue van der merwe, to the national assembly 39 – 49

statement on the Budget Vote by mr Thulas nxesi, member of parliament and chairperson of the portfolio committee on International relations and cooperation 51 – 61


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honourable Speakerhonourable President Jacob Zumahonourable Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthehonourable Members of the National Assemblyhonourable Members of the Portfolio Committee of international relations and Cooperation and the Select Committee on trade and international relationsMembers of the Diplomatic CorpsActing uN resident representative Dr Stella Anyangwe Comrades and friendsDistinguished Guestsladies and Gentlemen:fellow South Africans

IN hiS StAte of the NAtioN ADDreSS PresidentJacobZumaidentifiedtheprioritiesofourGovernment.In

thatcontextthePresidentalsoarticulatedavisionofSouthAfrica’s role; taking into cognisance that working togetherwiththerestoftheworldwecandomoreinbringingglobalpeace and prosperity.Ourmandate as theDepartment ofInternationalRelationsandCooperation is to contribute totherealisationofthisAgenda.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

address by the minister of International relations and cooperation,

ms maite nkoana-mashabane, to the national assembly on the occasion of

the Budget votethursday 18 June 2009


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honourable Speaker

ItisourfirmconvictionthatSouthAfrica’sdestinyisinextricablylinkedtoourMothercontinentandthat;workingtogetherwiththe sister people of the continent;will contribute towards abetterAfricaandabetterworld.Thus,aswebeginthistermofourGovernmentwearecalledupontoredoubleoureffortstoseekpeace,securityanddevelopmentinAfrica.Webelievethattheseareinterlinked,aswecannothopefordevelopmentwithoutpeaceandsecurity.Kagobane–Tautsahlokathobelakemojano.Ebilentlolerolegaetswalekgosi.

We therefore wish to take this opportunity to stress thefollowingpillarsforourengagementwiththecontinent.

First, the strengthening of regional integration. From the

honourable Members

ItablethisBudgetVote,twodaysafterthe33rdanniversaryofJune16,1976whoseheroesandheroineswereinspiredamongstothersbythevisionoftheFreedomCharterwhose54th anniversary we celebrate next week. I mention thisbecausetheFreedomCharterdeclaredthat“ThereshallbePeaceandFriendship”.Thus,thepresentationImakebeforeyoutoday,isanattempttocontributetowardstherealisationofthisvision.

Today we present the Budget of the Department ofInternational Relations and Cooperation. The importantdecision of our Government to change the name of theDepartmentspeaksoftheneedforustofocusonpartnershipsandsustainable relations thatwilladvance the interestsofour country, contribute to the development of Africa andmake the world a better place. We have committed thatthiswillalsobemanifestedthroughthecreationofaSouthAfrican Development Partnership Agency (SADPA). Workhasstartedtowardstherealisationofthisgoal.

Wewant the creation of thisAgency to take our work ondevelopment cooperation to greater heights in termsof its focus aswell as its depth. It will be recalled that in2008Cabinet requested theMinister of ForeignAffairs, inconsultationwiththeMinisterofFinance,todevelopapolicyframeworkondevelopmentassistancebySouthAfrica.TheAgency is therefore locatedwithin thatcontextandwillbethekeyvehicleforthedeliveryofdevelopmentcooperation.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane presenting the Budget Vote Speech to Parliament. Seated from right to left (front row) are Deputy Ministers

Mr Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim and Ms Sue van der Merwe. Seated behind the Minister (on the right in the second row) is Mr Thulas Nxesi, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the

Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation.


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areas.Wealsocallupontheinternationalcommunitytoliftsanctions and fully engage the government of Zimbabweandhelprespondtothecallsforhelpfromherpeople.

Through SADC we are also seized with the situation inMadagascar andwehope thatwe can contribute to bringnormalcy to that country. Tomorrow, the leadership of theSADCOrganTroika(Swaziland,MozambiqueandAngola)andSouthAfricawillmeethereinourcountryaheadofanExtraOrdinarySADCSummitonSaturday,20thJune2009,specificallytofocusonhowtorestoredurablepeaceinthatsistercountry,Madagascar.

AtthecontinentallevelwewillcontinuetobefullyengagedinthestrengtheningoftheAfricanUnion.WeareprioritisingourcontributiontotheimportantdiscussiononthequestionoftheUnionGovernment.Thisdebateisdrawnfromthelongstanding vision of someof the illustrious leaders ofAfrica

experienceofotherregionsoftheworldwehavewitnessedthebenefitsthatcomefromstrongregionalintegration.Whensuccessful,regionalintegrationhasbeencloselyassociatedwithpeaceanddevelopmentamongstothers.Weseekthesameforourbelovedcontinent.

It is therefore imperative that we focus on the furtherdevelopment and strengthening of SADC and theAfricanUnion(AU).RegionalEconomicCommunities,suchasSADC,arealsokeypillarsforthebroadercontinentalintegration.TheAfricanUnioncannotbestrongifAfrica’sregionaleconomiccommunitiesareweak.Itisthisperspectivethatforcesustoworkforgreaterpoliticalcohesionandastrongereconomicintegration in our region.Wehavemadeadvances in thisregard,asevidentfromthelaunchoftheSADCFreeTradeAreainSouthAfricalastyear.

Ofcourse,weknowthatthepathisnotgoingtobesmoothasevidencedby thecurrentdifferenceswehaveamongstourselves on the question of the Economic PartnershipAgreements(EPAs).Butwearefirmlyoftheviewthatnoneof thesechallengesare insurmountableas longasweactguidedbytheundisputablerealityofourinterdependence.

Weshallcontinuetoworkwith thepeopleofZimbabwetosupport the implementationof theall inclusiveagreement.Wecall on the leadershipofZimbabwenot towaiver andimplement fully the letter and spirit of the Global PoliticalAgreement.Wepledgetostepupeffortstopromotebilateralcooperationbetweenourtwocountriesonawiderangeof

South African President, Mr Jacob Zuma in discussion with SADC Executive Secretary Dr Augasto Salomao at the start

of the SADC Extraordinary Summit. SADC met to discuss the situation in Madagascar – Sandton, Johannesburg.


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for the achievement of thissocio-economicdevelopment.NEPAD programmes oninfrastructure, food securityand others would addresspriority challenges faced by

African countries. The underdevelopment of infrastructurelimitsthechancesforAfrica’sdevelopmentandalsodelayseven the closer integrationof our economies. It is for thisreasonthereforethatwebelievethattheimplementationofNEPADprogrammesatalllevelsneedstobeenhanced.

Second, support for peace, security, stability and post-conflict reconstruction initiatives. We know from our ownexperiencethattheachievementofpeaceandstabilitycanbeapainstakingeffortrequiringpatienceandperseverance.However,wealsoknowthedividendsthatcomewithpeace.It is this understanding that has informed our cooperationwith the sister peoples of the DRC, Burundi, Sudan,Comores, Zimbabwe, Cote d’Ivoire and many others, astheyseektobringpeacetotheirowncountries.Thepeacedividendthatallthesecountriesseekiseconomicgrowthand

such as Kwame Nkrumah,Julius Nyerere and others,whowished to seeadeeperunityof our continent.Theseforebearersbelieved that thestrengthofAfricalayinunity,Sepedi sa re Tau tsa hlokaseboka di shitwa ke nare ehlotsa.

It therefore behoves ourgenerationtocontinuetoworktowardsthisvision.Ourgeneration,however,hastoengageinthisdebatefullycognisantofthepositionandtheplaceofourcontinenttoday.Wehavethebenefitoflearningfromthehistoryandtheexperience.Wealsoneedtobeguidedatalltimesbythefactthattheintegrationofourcontinentisnotanendinitselfbutratherabasistohelpaddressthemyriadof challenges facingAfrica, at the centre ofwhichare thescourgesofpovertyandunderdevelopment.

We will also enhance the work that we have started inbringingcloseralignmentbetweenSADC,COMESAandtheEastAfricanCommunity(EAC).

Thestabilisationofourcontinentneeds tobeanchored invisibleprogrammesofsocio-economicdevelopment.InthisregardwerecognisethatNEPADremainsakeymechanism

COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Summit, (from left): Thomas Salamao, SADC Executive Secretary; Kgalema Motlanthe, Former President of South

Africa and Chairperson of SADC; Paul Kagame, Rwandan President

and Chairperson of the EAC; Yoweri Museveni, Ugandan President; Mwai

Kibaki, Kenyan President; Jakaja Kikwete, Tanzanian President.

Kampala, Uganda, 22 October 2008.


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undertakinginvariouspartsofthecontinent.These,amongothers, range from the electricity generation project inGuinea-Conakry, thericeandvegetableproductionprojectconductedjointlywiththegovernmentofVietnaminGuinea-Conakry, theIBSALivestockDevelopmentandAgriculturalprojectinGuinea-BissauandtheCubanMedicalBrigadeinMali.

Ofsignificancein2009isthatSouthAfricaandNigeriawillcelebratetenyearsofformaldiplomaticrelations.Thisisanimportantopportunitytoevaluateprogressmadeandidentifyfurtherareasofcooperationbetweenourtwocountries.

Therecanbeno lastingpeaceontheAfricancontinentaslong as the people of Western Sahara continue to sufferand to live in conditions of occupation.Weare convincedthat urgent steps are needed to resolve this last case ofdecolonisationonourcontinentinlinewithUNprocesses.

As we seek more cooperation and the integration of ourcontinentweareconvincedthatAfricacannotonlybedefinedbygeography,butweshouldalsocometogetheraroundasetofvalues thatdefineourhumanity.For this reasonthepromotionofdemocracy, therespect forhumanrightsandthe improvement of governance are vital for our successas a continent. Indeed we see progress being registeredin all these areas throughout the continent. In our ownregion,SouthAfricaandMalawiarethelatestcountrieswhohavejusthelddemocraticelections.ThesevaluesarealsosupportedbytheprinciplesoftheAfricanUnionsuchasits

development.Weareenjoinedtoplayourroleincontinuingwiththisimportantwork.

South Africa’s men and women continue to serve inpeacekeepingmissionsinvariouspartsofourcontinent.Weareproudoftherolethatthesepatriotsplay.Thus,weneedtoensurethattheoperationalisationoftheSADCBrigade,the strengthening of the Regional Peacekeeping TrainingCentre in Harare and the launch of the Regional EarlyWarningCentreinGaboronereceiveourfocus.

honourable Speaker

Thethirdpillarofourcontinentalstrategyisthestrengtheningof bilateral political and socio-economic relations withcountriesofthecontinent.Weenjoystrongbilateralrelationswith countries on the African continent. Through thesepartnerships we wish to foster stronger political relations,people-to-peoplesolidarity,trade,investmentsandtourism.Our relations with the countries on the continent findexpressionthroughvariousbilateralpoliticalagreementsandcommissionsthatwehaveenteredinto.TheDepartmentisdoinganauditofthesepartnershipsinordertoidentifywaysinwhichwe can strengthen them, focusingparticularly ontheinterventionsnecessarytopromoteintra-Africantradeinmutuallybeneficialandsustainableways.

TheevolutionofourForeignPolicyhasusheredinaneraoftrilateralcooperationwhosepracticalexpressionoftheseisalsofoundinthedevelopmentalprojectsthatSouthAfricais


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waysofenhancingtheimplementationofthetwentybilateralagreementsalreadysignedinthistrilateralinitiative.ThroughIBSAweplan to further increase the levelsof trade to thetargetofUS$25billionby2015andfinalisethemodalitiesforIBSAOutreachtoothercountries.IBSAhasindeedbecomeastrategicmechanismfor linkingourthreecontinents.Weareconvincedthattheimplementationoftheagreementswehaveenteredintoshouldelevatetheselinksfurther,includingthroughairandsea.

InadditiontoourpartnershipthroughIBSA,wewillcontinuetostrengthenourstrategicbilateralrelationsbothwithIndiaand Brazil.With India we share strong historical relations

continuedrejectionofunconstitutionalchangesofpower.Inthisregardanotherimportantstructureonwhichweshouldfocus is theAfrican Peer ReviewMechanism. TheAPRMholds thepotential to enhance thepopularisationof theseprogressivevaluesonourcontinent.

honourable Speaker and Members

Duringhisaddresstothenation,PresidentZumareiteratedaneedtoworktogetherwiththecountriesoftheSouthwithintheframeworkofSouth-SouthCooperation.OurcommitmenttoSouth-Southcooperationisdrivenbyourneedtopursuestronger political relations with countries of the South butalsotofocustheserelationstowardsadvancingourdomesticpriorities. It isaboutexpanding thehorizonsofopportunityforourcountry.

It is now a reality that the global economic geographyis changing; with growing importance of the emergingeconomiesoftheSouthascontributorstoglobaleconomicactivity.ThereisalsogrowingrecognitionthattheemergingeconomiesoftheSouthwillbekeycatalystsofglobalgrowthasweemergefromthecurrenteconomiccrisis.Wehavetoseekoutandgrasp theseopportunities.This isbothgoodintheshorttermbutalsoimportantlyhelpsusstrategicallydiversify our economic partnerships so as to be able towithstandboththecurrentandfutureeconomicshocks.

InOctober2009wewillparticipateinthe4thIBSASummittobeheld inBrazilwhere theemphasiswillbeonfinding

3rd IBSA Forum Summit (from right): Former South African President, Kgalema Motlanthe, Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and Brazilian

President, Lula da Silva.


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spanning through every stage of the evolution of moderndaySouthAfrica through the20thcentury.Ourshasbeenarelationshipsteeped inpoliticsandstruggle.That iswhywewishtocongratulatethepeopleofIndiaforthemannertheyconducted their recentlyconcludedelections, therebyonce again entrenching the place of India as the largestdemocracyonearth.Weoweittoourforbearerstocontinuethecurrentencouragingtrendofincreasesinbothtradeandinvestment between us.We recognise and appreciate theroleplayedandcommitmentmadebyIndiatohelpustrainouryouthforthechallengesofthemoderneconomy.

BilateraltradewithBrazilisalsoontheincrease.OfcoursewehavetoattendtothestructureofthetradewhichcurrentlyistiltedinfavourofBrazil.Brazil,havingthesecondlargestconcentration of Africans - second only to Nigeria - is alogicalpartnerofourcontinent.Weareencouragedbytheincreasing realisation of this fact by the government andpeopleofBrazil.

BeyondIBSAwearebroadeningourpoliticalandeconomicrelations with countries of the South in general, in Asia,MiddleEastandLatinAmerica. It is fromtheseexpandingrelations that SouthAfrica seeks to also leverage supportforourdomesticpriorities.Amongstothers,webelievethatourfocusshouldbeoninvestments,two-waytradeaswellastourismopportunitieswith thesecountriesof theSouth.AlreadysomeofthebiggerinvestmentsinSouthAfricacomefromcountriesoftheSouth.Wehavealsoformedstructuredbilateral relations using joint commissions with some of

thecountries inAsia,MiddleEastandLatinAmerica.ThecountriesoftheMiddleEastinparticular,inspiteoftheglobaleconomiccrisis,continuetobeasourceofFDIwhichwecanaccessbyleveragingthehugeresourcesintheirSovereignWealthFunds.

In2008wecompletedasuccessfulcelebrationofthe10yearsofdiplomaticrelationswiththePeoplesRepublicofChina.Partofthefocuswastoensurethevisibilityofourtwocountriesineachother’sterritoriesbutalsoenhancepeople-to-peoplerelations.Webelievethatweachievedtheobjectiveswehadsetourselves.ThishasalsosetthestageforourpreparationstoparticipateintheShanghaiExponextyear.

Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Sue van der Merwe, on the Occasion of the “Showcase South Africa, Leverage China Opportunities”

Expo 2010 Shanghai China Roadshow, 29 May 2009.


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At thepolitical level our relationswith countriesof theSoutharecriticalinaddressingsomeoftheglobalchallengesthatweface.ThereforeourcontinuedpartnershipwiththesecountriesinthecontextoftheNon-AlignedMovementandtheGroupof77remainsimportant.InJulywewillparticipateintheSummitoftheNon-AlignedMovementinEgyptwhereinweshallseektoenhancethepoliticalsolidarityoftheSouthasaforcefortheresolutionofsomeofthechallengesfacingtheworldtoday.

The 2nd South America-Africa Summit to be hosted byVenezuela inSeptember 2009will also be a key event inthecontextofourpursuitofSouth-Southcooperation.TheSummitaimstoexpandtheknowledgeamongthecountriesofAfricaandSouthAmericaandtoencouragetheexchangeofinformationandexperiences,aswellastoworkcollectivelyon matters of mutual interest, especially in the fields ofpoverty alleviation, sustainable development, science andtechnologyandculturalexchange.

honourable Speaker

South Africa remains extremely concerned with the lackof progress in the Middle East peace processes. TheestablishmentofaviablePalestinianstateexistingsidebysideinpeacewithIsrael,aswellastoIsrael’swithdrawalfromotheroccupiedArabland,suchastheSyrianGolanHeightsisourrequest.Wehaveduringourtenureasnon-permanentmember of the UN Security Council, strongly condemnedtheIsraeliairandgroundassaultonGaza.Wethereforecallonallpartiesinthepeaceprocesstorefrainfromanyacts

ofviolenceandcounterviolencewhichcould further impede thepeace process and also for the inclusion of all key role playersin theprocessonnon-ideologicalgrounds.Thechallengeof thetime for the Israeli andPalestinian leaderships is the immediateresumptionofthenegotiationsastheonlybasisforstablepeace.WealsowelcomePresidentBarackObama’soverturesonthetwostatesolutionthusreiteratingourlongheldviewonthecorrectnessofthe“twostatesolution”approach.

honourable Speaker

WehavealsostatedtheimportancethatourGovernmentattachestoourrelationswiththedevelopedcountriesoftheNorth.WealsoparticipateintrilateralpartnershipswithsomecountriesoftheNorthinsupportofpeaceanddevelopmentontheAfricancontinent.OurfocusinthecomingperiodwillbetoplaceourGovernment’sstrategicprioritiesatthecentreofourrelationswiththedevelopedcountriesoftheNorth.Thevariouscooperationmechanismsthatexistwiththesecountrieswillbestructuredtoachievethisobjective.

InSeptember2009wewillhosttheSouthAfrica-EuropeanUnionSummit.ThisisthesecondSummitsincethelaunchoftheStrategicPartnershipbetweentheEuropeanUnionandSouthAfrica.

It is important that our European partners should support thedevelopmentfocusofourregionalintegration.ItisregrettablethatthediscussionsandplansfortheEPAshavesofartendedtomovecontrary to thisspiritdespiteourbestefforts.Wereiterateagainthatthisprocesscouldhavemajorramificationsfortheunityandeconomicdevelopmentofourregion.


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Thisyear,marksthecentenaryofourrelationswithJapan.Thisaffordsustheopportunitytoreflectonhowtobetterfocusourpartnershipintrade,developmentandinvestment.

We shall continue to strengthen our bilateral relations withRussiathroughourstructuredcoordinationframework,ITEC.

Our bilateral relationship with North America and theUnitedStatesinparticulartousiskey.InthisregardwewillcontinuetoexplorewaysofdeepeningthepoliticalrelationsbetweenSouthAfricaandtheUnitedStates.Wehavenotedthe various policy pronouncements by the newAmericanadministrationinwhichtheyexpressanintentiontoengagewiththeworldonZimbabweindifferentterms.SouthAfricawelcomesthistrajectory.

Our foreign policy has always been informed by a strongbeliefinthemultilateralsystemofglobalgovernance.Ithasbeen through themultilateral system thatwehavealwayscometogethertoaddressthemanychallengesthatconfronttheworld today.Atno timehas thiscooperationunder themultilateral system been more important than it is today.Nationsoftheworldhavetocometogethertodealwiththeeffectsoftheglobalfinancialcrisis.Wehavetotakeactionwith others to address climate change. Indeed these areamongtheurgentprioritiesthatwewilladdressthisyearinourmultilateralengagements.

ThroughtheGroupof20aframeworkhasalreadybeensetforcommonresponsestotheglobalfinancialmeltdown.We

allhave tocommitourselvesandshowpoliticalwill to theimplementationof thedecisionsof theG20.ThenextG20Summit inSeptembershouldhopefullybeanoccasion fortakingstockofprogressmadewithimplementation.

WealsosupporttheactionstakenwithintheUnitedNationsto address the financial crisis.We believe that theUnitedNationswillallowallnationsoftheworldandthosethatarenot part of theG20process an avenue to participate andvoicetheiropinionsonthisglobalcrisis.

The international communitywill gather inCopenhagen inDecember 2009 to lookat steps that need to be taken toaddressclimatechange.Thisisanimmediateandpressingproblemforallcountries.NumerousstudiesshowthatAfricawill be one of the most vulnerable regions as a result ofclimatechange.We thereforeexpectabalancedoutcomefromCopenhagenthatwilladdresstheneedsofallstates.

Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the Russian Federation Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, Mr Yuri Trutnev during the Inter-governmental Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) held at

the Izulu Hotel in Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal province, South Africa.


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Wewill have an opportunity to address these issues alsothroughourengagementwiththeGroupof8(G8).The2009SummitoftheG8,underthePresidencyofItaly,willprioritizetheglobalimpactofthefinancialcrisis,climatechangeandbiodiversity, illegal immigration and food security, Africa’sdevelopment cooperation and commitments made by theG8throughtheAfricanActionPlan.TheSummitwillfurtherreceiveareportontheHeiligendammDialogueProcess.AsamemberoftheG5countries,SouthAfricawillprioritisetheimplementation of commitments from the Kananaskis andGleneaglesSummitsandpursueamore inclusiveprocesswithin the G8, based on partnership, equality andmutualrespect.

SouthAfrica’sexperienceasamemberoftheUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilhasredoubledourcommitmentandsenseof urgency towards reform of this institution. SouthAfricaisactivelyengagedinthenegotiationsonSecurityCouncilreform thatarecurrentlyunderway inNewYorkunder theauspices of the United NationsGeneralAssembly. In thiscontextwe have stressed our commitment to the broaderreformof all the institutionsof global governance.Wewillthereforeworkwithothercountriestorealisethesereformsinorderfortheseimportantinstitutionstobeabletorespondtothemanychallengesthatcurrentlyfaceus.

honourable Speaker and Members

Itisalsoimportantforusthatweshouldcontinuetobuildonthepartnershipswedevelopedduringourtenureasanon

permanentmember of theSecurityCouncil.Thiswill helpus to advance specific initiatives such as security sectorreform and the enhancement of cooperation between theUnitedNationsandregionalorganisations.TheUNSecurityCouncil remains a critical institution for South Africa andAfrica ingeneral given itsmandateof themaintenanceofinternational peace and security. Its agenda is still largelyfocusedonchallengesinourcontinent.

The UN Durban Review Conference which took placeearly this year in Geneva was a success in the struggleagainstracism,racialdiscrimination,xenophobiaandrelatedintolerances.Wewillcontinuetoplayourpartontheinternationalfronttoridtheworldofthescourgeofracism.Atthesametime,ourDepartmentwilldeepenitscollaborationwithcivilsocietyandotherplayerstoimplementourNationalActionPlaninthefightagainstracism,xenophobiaandallintolerances.

In the field of disarmament, non-proliferation and armscontrol South Africa will continue to actively pursue andpromotetheimportanceofcooperation;assistanceandequalaccesstoadvancedtechnologiesforpeacefulpurposes.Thisincludesaccesstoadequaterenewablesourcesofenergytounderpinsustainabledevelopment,includingaccesstonuclearenergyforallstates,consistentwithSouthAfrica’sdomesticenergypoliciesandprogrammes.Inourinteractioninmultilateralfora,wewillalsocontinuetostrivetoidentify,togetherwithourAfricanpartnersandotherdevelopingcountries thoseareaswheretheyhaveimplementationchallengesintermsoftheirinternationalobligationsandundertakings.


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OurGovernmenttookadecisiontosupportthecandidatureofAmbassadorAbdulMintyforthepositionofDirector-Generalof the InternationalAtomicEnergyAgency (IAEA).WeareconvincedthatAmbassadorMintyiseminentlyqualifiedforthispositiongivenhisbackgroundandexperience.

honourable Speaker

The name change presents us with an opportunity toreposition our brand as the Department of InternationalRelationsandCooperation,hereathomeandabroad.Inthisregardwewillcontinueengagingonmassiveimbizowithourpeople,stakeholders,organsofcivilsocietyand themassmedia.

The nature of international relations work means thatthe success of the Department of International Relationsdepends on its people.These are the fineSouthAfricanswho serveour country bothat headquarters aswell as inourmany Embassies, Consulates andHighCommissionsabroad.Ourthree-yearhumanresourcesstrategylaunchedin2007 is focusedondevelopinga cadreof “Peoplewhoare committed tomaking a difference for SouthAfrica”. Itplacesemphasisonpeopleissuesandthefacilitationoftheachievements of our foreign policy objectives. The focusof this Human Resource strategy is aimed at creating aconducive work environment that enhances performanceandnurturestalentandretainsitfornowandthefuture.

South Africa’s increasing role in international relationsalsocallsforacapableandcommittedcadreofdiplomats.The expansion of our representation abroad, particularlyin Africa, necessitates that we increase our capacity interms of numbers, and deepen our skills in various areasof Diplomacy. Therefore we have continued to increasethecapacityofourDiplomaticAcademy.Ithasbecomethestrategicnervecentrefor thetrainingofourdiplomatsandfor the provision of broader ongoing training programmesincluding theparticipationofSADCandAUcountries.OurDiplomaticAcademyhasalsopartneredinthetrainingofthediplomatsoftheDemocraticRepublicofCongoinKinshasa,WesternSaharaandSudan.

WeareconvincedthatthelaunchofaMastersinDiplomacyDegree with the University of Pretoria will increase the

Ambassador Abdul Minty during a press conference

reflecting on issues pertaining to the IAEA


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knowledge base of our managersand generally contribute to higherstandards of professionalism in ourinternationalwork.

In line with the President’s call for“the creation of decentwork”,DICOisconsolidatingitsCadetProgrammewhich recruits and grooms younggraduates to be the future of SouthAfrican diplomats. To date, almost95youngSouthAfricanshavebeentrainedandabsorbedbyDICO.

Aswe continue to expand ourworkandwiththegrowingimportanceofourcountry–wecontinuetowitnesshighlevelsofbothoutgoingandincomingvisits,aswellasincreasingactivitybythediplomaticcommunityaccreditedtoourcountry.Weshallcontinuethework of strengthening our protocol services, including ourhospitality services, namely our Diplomatic Guesthousesand theProtocolLounges,bothatORTamboandhere inCapeTown.ThisisnecessarytoprojectourspiritofUbuntuandensurethatourvisitorsatalltimesfeelwelcomeonourshores.

A key area of focus in the coming years is the need toanchor our policy perspectives and approaches among

our people. The work we do must be connected to ourpeople in very concrete and visible ways and theymustnotonlyunderstand,butbeable to find their bearings inthemidstofconfusionthatissometimesdeliberatelymeanttodiscreditourpoliciesandcreatedivisionsamongstus.Thiswebelievewillalsohelpavoidtherecurrenceof thexenophobicincidentsofyesteryear.Inaddition,guidedbyour belief that indeedworking togetherwe can domore,

Young graduate recruits from the Cadet Programme 2008/9 being groomed to be future South African diplomats.


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wecommit toenhancedpartnershipandcooperationwithnon-state actors (business, labour, research institutions,academia and so forth) to advance our internationalrelationsframeworkandbetterpositionourcountry intheworld.

All of this unfortunately requires resources. We say thismindful of the current challenges and the competingneeds facing our country in these difficult times. But wehave to say that a number of requests wemade duringthe budget process could not be met, thereby puttingpressure,especiallyonouroperatingbudget.Wearealsoapprehensive about the impact of the economic crisison exchange rate volatility since a significant part of ourbudgetisspentabroadandis,therefore,verysensitivetothesefluctuations.Weshall,however,work togetherwithourParliamentaryCommitteestoshareinformationonanongoingbasis.

Amajormilestone our Department will achieve this yearis the housing of our cadre ship at the new campus inTshwane.Thisprocesshasalreadycommenced.IwishtothankourGovernment for this significant investment andpledgethatunderourwatchweshallensurethatallofusfully appreciate that, as servants of the people, we areexpectedtohonourthisproductoftheirsweat,theirtearsandtheirblood.

WealsocommittoplayourroletoensurethattheongoingConfederationsCupbecomesaresoundingsuccess.This

willbeourbuildingplankaswe joinallSouthAfricans ininvitingtheworldtoourshoresforthe2010FIFAWorldCup–whichwillbethegreatesteverspectaclethatwillindeedaffirmthatKenako–AFRICA’stimehascome.

Thisyear,2009,marksthe91stbirthdayofourgreaticon,heroandleaderofourpeople:NelsonRolihlahlaMandela,whocontinuestoinspirehopeinmillionsofourpeopleastheystruggleforabetterlifeforall.

AsPresidentZumaindicated,“thatonthe18thofJuly,eachyear,ourpeople,togetherwiththerestoftheworld,willhaveanopportunitytodosomethinggoodtohelpothers”Inthisregardwecalluponallourmissionsabroad topropagateubuntu. Working together with the Nelson MandelaFoundation,theMissionswilldedicatetimetoparticipateinhumanitariancausesthathonourMadiba‘slegacy.

Withallhumility,ItakethishugeresponsibilityassignedtomebyourGovernmentandourpeople,tothankPresidentJacobZuma,DeputyPresidentKgalemaMotlantheandourleadershipcollectiveforthisexpressionofconfidence.

I also wish to pay tribute tomy predecessors – one; anoutstandingson-theother;anoutstandingdaughterofourpeople.Tobothcomrades,thelateAlfredNzoandmysisterNkosazanaDlaminiZuma– I say thankyou for theworkyouhavedonetopositionourcountrywhereitistoday–arespectedandprincipledmemberoftheglobalcommunityofnations.


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MyappreciationalsogoesouttoDeputyMinistersEbrahimEbrahimandSuevanderMerwefortheirunwaveringsupport,MrTNxesi,ChairofthePortfolioCommitteeonInternationalRelationsandCo-operation;andMrGDGamede,ChairofSelectCommitteeonTradeand InternationalRelations fortheiroversightroleandguidanceinourwork. IwouldalsoliketothanktheDG,DrAyandaNtsaluba,andallmanagers

andofficialsoftheDepartmentfortheirhardworkandcontinuousreadinesstoserve.Toallofthem,Isaylet’swalkandworktogetheras;Workingtogetherwecandomore.

HonourableSpeaker, it isourhopeandwish that thehousewillapprovetheBudgetof theDepartmentof InternationalRelationsfor this financial year.Thebudgetallocation for the2009MTEFBudgetAllocationsisasfollows:

1 Administration: 9931002 ForeignRelations: 31280003 PublicDiplomacy&ProtocolServices: 2153004 InternationalTransfers(UN,SADC,ARF,AU): 1000000 total: 5 337 000

NdolivhuwaKealebogaNikhensile

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International

Relations and Cooperation, Mr Thulas Nxesi, during the Budget Vote Speech presentation to parliament, 2009.


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Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ebrahim Ebrahim

honourable Speakerhonourable President Jacob Zumahonourable Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthehonourable Members of the National Assemblyhonourable Members of the Portfolio Committee of international relations and Cooperation and the Select Committee on trade and international relationsMembers of the Diplomatic CorpsDistinguished Guestsladies and Gentlemen,

Ithasoftenbeensaid thatForeignPolicy is theartof thepossible,whichmakesforeignrelationsthemeansbywhichweintendtoachieveourgoals.Ourapproachtointernationalrelationsoverthenextfiveyearswillbedrivenbytheneedtodelivertothemassesofourpeople,whichisatthecoreof our National Interest. Given that the gap between richandpoor iswider inourcountry than inanyother, it isallthemoreimperativethatourforeignpolicyprioritiesreflectourdomesticagenda.Whileactivelypursuingournationalinterests,wewillalsoplaceagreateremphasisonhumanrightsissuesandthepromotionofpoliticalsolutionstoviolentconflictsaroundtheworld.

reply to the Budget vote by the Deputy minister of International relations and

cooperation, mr ebrahim Ismail ebrahim, to the national assembly,

thursday 18 June 2009


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To achieve these objectives, the main priority of ourGovernment in implementing its international relationswillbe the consolidation of theAfricanAgenda.Wewill focusondeepeningpoliticalandeconomiccontinentalintegration,strengthening bilateral relations with strategic countries,resolving civil conflicts peacefully, and preventing grossviolationsofhumanrights.BeyondtheAfricancontinent,ourforeign relations will focus on strengthening South-SouthcooperationbybuildingonourstrategicallianceswithIndia,Brazil,andChina.WewillcapitalizeonthegoodrelationswehavewithcountriesoftheMiddleEasttobolstertrade,whileatthesametimesupportingthemotiveforcesintheregionseekingdemocraticchangeandjusticeforthePalestinians.We will also continue to further North-South cooperation,particularly within the context of the G-20. As committedmultilateralists, we will sustain our robust engagement inmultilateralfora,whilepushingforthereformoftheUnitedNationsandtheinternationalfinancialinstitutions.

AsaDepartment,weoweadebtofgratitudetoourformerMinisterofForeignAffairsDr.NkosazanaDlaminiZumaandherDeputyMrAzizPahadwho,overmanyyears,laidasolidfoundationforourinternationalrelations,andpositionedourcountry as a significant regional power and an importantmember of the global south.Without their leadership andforesightwewouldnotbetheforceontheinternationalstagethatwearetoday.UndertheexperiencedstewardshipofourPresidentJacobZuma,andournewMinisterMaiteNkoana-Mashabane,weintendtocapitalizeonthegainsmadeandsteer our country towards new heights in the pursuit of a

moral foreign policy that makes a better life for all SouthAfricansitsfirstpriority.

honourable Speaker, inorder tobuildanenvironment inwhich socio-economic development can take place bothinSouthAfricaand the region,weneed toensuregreaterlevelsofhumansecurityforourpeople.Ourunderstandingofhumansecurityisthefreedomfromwantandthefreedomfromfear.Oneofthewaystoaddressthepervasivelackofhumansecurity onour continent is topromotepeaceandstabilitybyresolvingongoingviolentconflicts.

Confrontingthetragedyofourcontinent’sconflictsbringsacertainimagetomind–thatofalittlegirlinDarfur.ShewalkshandinhandwithadoctorfromDoctorsWithoutBorders,her

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and former Deputy Minister of Foreign

Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad at a farewell function to honour his (Mr Aziz Pahad) long standing contribution to the

department and government as a whole.Galagher Estate, Midrand, 26 November 2008.


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nakedbodysothinandfrailthatshecanbarelysupportherownstructure.Shehasn’teatenfordays,shehasbeenraped,herfamilydestroyedafterhervillageburnttotheground,theeffectsafterascorchedearthpolicyhadbeenexacted.Thisis the reality of our children,ourAfricanchildren, in someof themost neglected corners of our continent. It is suchchildrenthatwaitverypatientlyforustosaysomething,dosomething,whilewetalkofanAfricanRenaissance.

IsthiswhatitmeanstobeAfricanifyouarecaughtinthearcofconflictthatcutsalargeswathethroughtheheartofthecontinent?Itistheimagethatwehaveallfoughtagainst-itistheimagethatwehaveworkedsohardtochange.Someofussat throughsleeplessnightsofnegotiationsbetweenthewarringpartiesinBurundi,ledbyPresidentZumaatthetime–weeksthatturnedintomonths.Weworkedtirelesslyto

convincetheRwandantroopstowithdrawfromtheDRC,andwepainstakinglymonitoredprogressintheComprehensivePeaceAgreementbetweenNorthandSouthSudan.

As South African policy-makers we have made thesesacrifices out of our commitment to reverse the image ofAfricaasacontinent fraughtwithendlessbloodletting.WehavemadethesecontributionsaswebelievethatAfricaistheplaceofendlesspossibilities,acontinentrichinhumanpotentialanduntappednaturalresources,acontinentrichincultureandhistory,aplacethatcanregainitssouloncethegunsfallsilent.

Ultimately we have witnessed the dividends of peace inBurundi;wehavewatchedanewdemocraticdispensationemerge in the DRC that has developed new levels ofcooperation with its neighbour Rwanda. The peaceagreement between North and South Sudan still holdsas the country prepares for national elections early nextyear.Our efforts, and those of other peace loving nationswithin theAfricanUnion,haveborne fruit.Wewillstrive toconsolidatepeaceandpost-conflictreconstructioninthosecountriesemergingfromwar,andassisttheAUtoforgenewandsustainablepeaceprocesseswherepeacehasso farbeenelusive,suchasinDarfurandMadagascar.

SouthAfrica’scentralinvolvementintheresolutionofthelongstanding conflict inSudanwill continue inorder toensureimplementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA).Wealsoneedtoplayamoredirectrole inbringing

Burundi Peace Talks. From right: Mr Jacob Zuma (Deputy President 1999 – 2005), Mr Pierre Nkurunziza, Mr Nelson Mandela (President 1994 – 1999),

Mr Domitien Ndayzeye and Jean Minani.


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peace to Darfur, a conflict which does not fall within theparametersoftheCPA.TheongoinghumanrightsviolationsbeingcommittedagainstciviliansinDarfur,andtheworseninghumanitariancrisisareofsuchamagnitudethatwecannotafford to dissociate ourselves from this ongoing conflict.FailuretoaddresstherootcausesofconflictinDarfurcouldultimatelyleadtotheunravellingoftheCPAitself.

OurGovernmenthaspaidparticularattentionoverthepastdecade to the root causes of conflict in the DemocraticRepublicofCongo(DRC).Thishasassistedusinformulatingan effective strategy for moving the country towards asustainable peace. Given the geo-strategic importance ofthe DRC and the implications for the region of continuedinstability in that country, it is imperative thatSouthAfricaremains involved in solving the immense political anddevelopmental challenges that exist. The DRC providesimmenseopportunities forSouthAfricanbusinesses in thefuture,andhasresourceswhichcouldbeharnessedforthebenefitoftheentireSouthernAfricanregion.Bysupportingdemocratic processes in that country, and assisting thegovernment of the DRC with long term developmentalplanning,SouthAfricaisnotonlyinvestinginitsfuture,butthatoftheregion.

We recognize that our region is also directly affected bythe economic and political instability in Zimbabwe, whichnecessitates that Zimbabwe remains a top priority for ourGovernment.Wearewellawareofthenegativeimpactthatconstant flowsof refugeesand illegal immigrantshaveon

oureconomy-anexcessivelyheavyburdenatatimewhenweare facedwithseriousdomesticchallengesofourownin termsofservicedeliveryandprovision forbasicneeds.WewillprioritizetheneedtoassistinthereconstructionofZimbabwe’sshatteredeconomy,andwillbothsupportandpressuretheGovernmentofNationalUnity(GNU)tooperateasaunified team.AsourPresident has said,weneed tomake theGNUwork as there is no other alternative, andwe call on Western countries to lift all sanctions againstZimbabweandassistinthereconstructionofthecountry.

WecannotconfineoureffortsatconflictresolutiontoAfricaalone.As ourFreedomCharter of 1955 stated, “we strivetomaintainworldpeaceandthesettlementofinternationaldisputesbynegotiationnotwar.”Manywarringpartiesaroundtheworldhavesought,andcontinuetoseek,SouthAfrica’s

Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim welcoming the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe during SADC

arrivals at OR Tambo Airport.


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assistanceinbringingprotagoniststothetable,andsharingwiththemtheSouthAfricanexperienceinconflictresolution.Some of us have responded to the calls for interventionin places likeSri Lanka,Nepal, Kosovo, Bolivia,NorthernIreland,andPalestine.Itisanhonourtoshareourlessonslearnedandmakesuggestionsonhowourexperiencescanbeadaptedtodifferentconflicttheatres–thisispartofourprogressiveinternationalism.Wemustcontinuetoplaythisroleinternationallyasitispartofauniquenichethatwehavecarvedforourselves,emanatingfromourspecifichistoricalexperience.

TheconflagrationintheMiddleEastisofparticularconcern,as tension continues to escalate between Israel and thePalestinians as well as Israel and its neighbours. Thesituationonthegroundhasdramaticallydeteriorated,andwearenowfacedwithasituationwherethereisanescalationasopposedtoascalingbackordismantlingofillegalIsraelisettlements. Palestinian water sources and agriculturallandarebeingannexedatanunparalleledrate.Therecentdisproportionateuseof forceby the Israeli security forcesagainst the civilianpopulationofGazahasonly served tofurtherinflamethepassionsofthoseseekingtoestablishaPalestinianstate. While the region welcomed the statement made in Cairoby President Barack Obama which advocated forwardmovementonthepeaceprocess,therecentstatementmadebyIsraeliPrimeMinisterBenjaminNetanyahuhasdestroyedthehopeofmanyintheregionforaspeedyresolutiontothe

conflict.Weacknowledgeour limitedability to significantlyaltertheconflictdynamics,butwewillcontinuetoadvocateforanimmediatereturntopeacenegotiationsthatisinclusiveofallstakeholders,includingHamas.

Asamiddlepowerwealsorecognizethelimitsofourabilityto reverse human rights abuses globally, but this doesnot absolve us from standing on principle and speakingout against casesof gross violations of human rights andinternational law.As the IndiannovelistandpeaceactivistArundhatiRoyhassaid,

“It has become clear that violating human rights is an inherent part of the process of implementing a coercive and unjust political and economic structure on the world. Without the violation of human rights on an enormous scale, the neo-liberal project would remain in the dreamy realm of policy.”

Weintendtomorerobustlyflexourmusclesonhumanrightsissues so thatwe can never be accused of betraying theidealsonwhichourdemocracywasfounded.

In conclusion, to give meaning to our new name as theDepartment of International Relations and Cooperation,weneedtoensurethatourinternationalcooperationyieldsconcrete results in terms of social upliftment, more jobopportunities,andagreatermeasureofhumansecurityforthemassesofourpeople.

Ithankyou.


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Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Sue van der Merwe.

SpeakerMinister Nkoana-MashabaneMinistersDeputy Ministershonourable Membersexcellencies high Commissioners and AmbassadorsMembers of the Diplomatic CorpsDistinguished Guests

We gather here today at a very difficult time in modernhistory.Acrosstheglobefamiliesareindistressasjobsandlivelihoodsarelost.Wearenotimmunetothis,hereinourowncountry.Itwillbeourchallengetomitigatetheeffectsofthiscrisisforourpeople.

President Zuma said in his inauguration address: “Thedreamsandhopesofallthepeopleofourcountrymustbefulfilled. There is no place for complacency, no place forcynicism,noplaceforexcuses.”

Weintheinternationalrelationsfieldhaveourownimportantparttoplayinthefulfilmentofthesedreamsandhopes.

Thework of theDepartment of ForeignAffairs in the past

reply to the Budget vote by the Deputy minister of International relations and

cooperation, ms sue van der merwe, to the national assembly,

thursday 18 June 2009


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administration, and now the Department of InternationalRelationsandCooperationispremisedontheprinciplesandphilosophiesofourconstitution.Itarisesfromourhistoryandhasbeenforgedandhonedbygreatleadersofourmovement,theAfricanNationalConference.Theseprinciplesstillguideour work today and are anchored in our belief in humandignityandtheassertionofuniversalhumanrights.

Intheintroductiontoabookentitled“LegacyofFreedom:TheANC’shumanrightstradition”thethenSecretaryGeneraloftheANCandnowDeputyPresidentofthecountry,KgalemaMotlanthe,wrote:

“As demonstrated by the Africans’ Claims, the ANC has always linked national unity and international solidarity. Today, our commitment to multilateral participation in the international arena is evident in our efforts to

advance the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the vitality of the United Nations.

Of the African Union, formed during the year of the 90th anniversary of the ANC, it can truly be said that it seeks to live up to the outlook presented to our people more than 90 years ago by Pixley ka Seme when he said: ’There is today among all races and men a general desire for progress, and for cooperation, because cooperation will facilitate and secure that progress.’

Hefurtherwrote:“… we are convinced that we share this vision and value system with the overwhelming majority of the Africans masses everywhere on our continent.”

TheANCtraditiontoadvancehumandignityandopportunityforallSouthAfricans,underpinsourworktothisday.

Iremindusheretodayofthishistorysothatwedonotforgetthe great and extraordinary leaders of our movement whobegunnearlyacenturyagotocraftandframeourcountryandourworld.ANCfounderPixleykaSemeattemptedasearlyas1923toformulateaBillofRights.Others,extraordinarypeopleandordinarypeopleinourcountry,continuedthiswork.

OurSouthAfricanhistoryisrepletewithexamplesofhowourANCleaderssawusasintegrallylinkedtotheinternationalcommunity,howweseeourselvesasnotgreaternorlesser

Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Sue van der Merwe during the Budget Speech presentation, 2009.


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thanotherpeopleoftheworld,butlinkedasonehumanity.Icontinuetobeinspiredbythevisionofourearlyleadersinthisregard.

IsayallthisnowasIbelievethatthewritingsandthinkingof our extraordinary leaders can serve to guide us, like athread,throughallthedifficultchallengesthatwefaceatthebeginningofthe21stcentury.

TheMinisterhasmentionedtheeconomicintegrationofourregion.Shehasunderscoredtheimportanceofbuildingourregion into a cohesive political and economic block. Thisis both necessary, ifweare to compete in theworld, anddesirable ifweare truly toshare thevaluesandprinciplesourleadersfoughtfor.

Wehavedeeppoliticalandhistorictieswithourneighboursin theSouthernAfricanDevelopmentCommunity (SADC).Theongoingworktoharmoniseoureconomicinfrastructureandplanning iskey toouradvancementasa region.LastyearwelaunchedtheFreeTradeAreaattheSADCSummitin Sandton. The next steps are more intricate, but notunattainable.Itisourbeliefthatthesenextstepsshouldbebasedondevelopmentalimperativesandshouldstrengthentheregionasaneconomicblock,fortradewiththerestofthecontinentandtheworld;andstrengthencooperationamongstthecountriesintheregionaspeoplewithacommonhistoryandacommondestiny.

Regional Integrationisalsothebasisforfuturecontinental

unity,adreamofourleadersthroughoutthedecades.

TheMinisterhasalludedtothedifficultiesthathavearisenin the negotiations around the Economic PartnershipAgreementbetweenSADCmemberstatesandtheEuropeanUnion.This isacomplexprocess,and it goes to theveryessenceofhowweasSouthAfrica,andindeedhowweinSADC,seeourfuturetogetherasanintegratedregion.

I have mentioned that the FTA was launched in 2008 atthe Summit in Sandton where SouthAfrica took over therotational Chair of the Community. This FTA needs to besubstantially implemented as part of the process towardsa full SADC Customs Union, which will involve, amongstotherthings,thesettingofacommonexternaltariffamongcountrieswithvastlydifferingprofiles.


43

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg co-chaired the 8th Ministerial meeting between South Africa

and the European Union, 16 January 2009, Kleinmond, Western Cape.


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Webelieve thatweneed toprioritise sectoral cooperationand infrastructure programmes including human resourcecapacity as essential elements of creating conduciveconditionstoadvancetheintegrationagenda.

Webelieveweneedtosetrealistictimeframesinourplansand continue to harmonise and implement those commonpolicieswhichareinplacesuchastheProtocolonFacilitationofFreeMovementofPersons,amongstothers.

In other words we favour a developmental approach tointegration, including importantly, the implementation ofinfrastructure projects in association with NEPAD and otherinternationalinvestorsanddonoragencies.Thedevelopmentof infrastructure is essential in creating the atmosphereand conditions for successful and sustainable economicintegration.

Weplan in thecomingweeksandmonths to takeup thisdebatewithourneighbouringcountriesintheSADCfamilyinarobust,openandtransparentmanner,tothrashoutourcommonvisionforourregionandtomovethedebatetoanactivephasewherewecanconsolidatethegainswehavemadeandmovetowardsasustainableandcohesiveregion,oneofthebuildingblocksforeventualContinentalUnion.

Itisunfortunatethat,despitethegoodintentionsoftheEuropeanMemberstates,theEPAnegotiationshadtheoppositeeffect.Thosenegotiationstendedtodivideusasaregionandhave,webelieve,setourintegrationagendaback.

We therefore also plan a robust engagement with ourpartnersintheEuropeanUnioninthisregard,togetherwithourSADCcolleagues.

Linkedtothisandaspartofourpursuitforamorecohesiveand integrated region and continent, is the developmentof the SouthAfrican Development PartnershipAgency asdescribed by the Minister. Already South Africa’s foreignpolicyapproachhasbeentoalignourdomesticprioritiesandinterestswithourworkwithneighboursonthecontinent.Thisisnotaltruism; this ispurposeful fulfilmentof thosehopesanddreamsofourpeopleofwhichPresidentZumaspoke.Asweworkwithoursisterdepartments togive life to thisAgencywewillrememberthatthisisanotherstage,notonlyin fulfilling thedreamsandhopesofSouthAfricans today,

President Jacob Zuma greets Swaziland King Mswati at the SADC Extraordinary Summit on Madagascar. Minister of International Relations and Cooperation,

Ms Maite Nkoane-Mashabane looks on.


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butinrealisingthedreamsofourleadersintheANC,pastandpresent.

The Agency should therefore be responsible for theimplementation of South Africa’s international developmentcooperationandpartnershippolicy.Itwillinvolvecooperationwithdevelopedanddevelopingcountriesandwillfocus,althoughnotexclusively,onourworkinAfrica.ItwillarticulateSouthAfrica’sobjectivesinjointprogrammeswithcountriesoftheSouth,andwillseektostrengthenourrelationshipwithNorthernpartnersthrough,amongstothers,tri-lateralcooperation.

The thread of our history will be drawn through in thisprocess. We will seek in this Agency to strengthen democraticinstitutionsandeffectivegovernancestructures.Much of our work will focus, as it has done, on peacemaking,peacebuildingandpostconflict reconstructiononthecontinentandwewillseektoimproveandmanagetheeffectivenessofSouthAfricaneffortsinthisarea.

Also, we will seek to build capacity in areas includingeducationandinhealth,andcooperateinmanyotherareaswith our neighbours on the continent and our partnerselsewhere.

Overthenextthreeyears,theAfricanRenaissanceFundisexpectedtoexpendoverR1billion,andthis isprovidedforinourmediumtermexpenditure framework.HowwealigntheworkoftheARFwiththenewAgencywillbeamatterfordiscussionanddecisionoverthenextfewmonths.

During thecourseof this year, thework indeveloping theAgency will be taken forward by our Department as leaddepartment, working together with our sister departmentsandthedetailsof itsfunctionsandmodusoperandiwillbearticulatedmorefullybytheendofthefinancialyear.

Speaker, Ministers, honourable members,

Inthesedifficulttimes,weremaincommittedtothefulfilmentofthehopesanddreamsofourpeople.Webelievethiscanbeachievedinthebroadeningofourinternationalcooperationefforts-whetherthisbe:• inourregionaleffortsatdeepeningintegration;• orthroughoursupportforpost-conflictreconstructionin

Sudan;• withourpartnersinthenorththroughtrilateralcooperation;• throughdeepeningourcooperationwithcountriesofthe

SouthsuchasIBSApartners;• withourengagementonsuchmattersastradeagreements

withtheEuropeanUnion.

All thiswork is reflectedhereathome in thewayourowncountrydevelops.Itreflectsin:• howwegrowoureconomyandseejobsbeingcreated;• how we cooperate with other countries to expand and

betteroureducationsystemsoourpeoplebecomeskilledintheareasappropriatetomodernglobalrealities;

• itwill reflecthowtheworldseesusandwe them–willtheyvisitusastouristsandbusinesspeople,willwevisitthem?


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All these things will improve the lives of our people. Ourelection slogan… “Together we can do more”, applies asmuchathomeasitdoesinworkwedointheinternationalsphere.

Speaker, honourable members

AsIhavetheprivilegetoreturntothispositionhavingservedfor5yearsinthepreviousadministration,Iwouldliketotakethis opportunity to thank those I haveworkedwith duringthesepast5years.ToformerForeignAffairsMinisterDlaminiZumaandDeputyMinistersPahadandHajaig,Ithankyoufor your wisdom and guidance. I learned an enormousamountfromallofyou.Andtothededicatedandresourceful

officialsof thedepartment, ledbyourexceptionalDirectorGeneral,AyandaNtsaluba,Ioweadebtofgratitudeforallofyourprofessionalisminthepast5years.Iamdelightedtobeworkingwithyouallagain.

AsthePresidenthassaid,thereisnotplaceforcomplacency,for cynicism or excuses.We havework to do… andwithguidance of Minister Nkoana-Mashabane and DeputyMinisterEbrahim,and the support of ourDirector-Generalandadedicatedandresourcefulstaff inourDepartment, Iamsurewecanachieveourgoals.

Thankyou.Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Fatima Hajaig and

Iraq Undersecretary, Mr Labeed Abbawi.


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Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation,

Mr Thulas Nxesi MP.

honourable Speaker,Members of Cabinet,honourable Members of the National Assembly,Members of the Portfolio Committee,Members of the Diplomatic Corps,ladies and Gentlemen,fellow South Africans,

honourable Members, letme start by congratulating theMinister of the Department of International Relations andCooperation (DICO) for a comprehensive and forwardlooking speech which sets an ambitious agenda for thecomingsessionandbeyond.ButbeforeIgothereallowmetodigressforamoment.

As a newmember of thisHouse, and especially sincemynomination as the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee,I have been asking the question: What is my role here?WhatistheroleofthePortfolioCommitteeinrelationtotheDepartment?Yes,Iknowabouttheoversightroleweplay,andIaminspiredbytheinjunctionfromPresidentZumatoholdministerstoaccount–butwhatdoesthismeaninpractice?

For enlightenment I turned to the Sunday newspapers: inparticular an analysis of the State of the NationAddress

statement on the Budget vote by mr thulas nxesi, member of parliament and chairperson of the portfolio committee on

International relations and cooperation


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inCity Press (7June)whichquotespoliticalanalystChrisLandsbergonforeignpolicy:“It’s an institutionalized strategic and policy legacy; even if you want to change it radically you can’t.”NowI’mworried–noradicalchangepossible?AcommentatorIrespectgreatly-ProfessorSiphoSeepe-supportsthisview:‘differences now are about style and not policy.’

AsHonourableMembersof thisHouse I thinkweneed toquestionthisconclusion–otherwisewebecometherubberstampthat thePresidentwarnedagainst.TothisendIamgoingtomaketwopropositions,whichItablefordebateandcomment.

1 Parliament and the Portfolio Committee in particular,needtoplayaroleinfacilitatingdebateonforeignpolicyissues, to foster public understanding and awareness,andtoprovideaplatformforsolidarityandcivilsocietytoraiseissuesofconcern.

2 Our understanding of international relations will beenriched by greater knowledge of the social structuresof the countrieswe interactwith, so thatweassumeadepartureawayfrominternationalrelationsbeingthestrictpreserveoftherulingelites,academiaandthediplomaticcommunitybutthatweintegrateotherinterestedpartiesandstakeholders.

This needs to be democratised and transformed. Let megive an example.We all hailed NEPAD as a progressivepolicy, which sought to place Africans in charge of their

owneconomicdestiny–anditwasamassivestepforwardfromtheneo-colonialdependencymodelswhichprecededit.ButtheSouthAfricanandAfricantradeunionmovementraised questions: where was the input from civil societyorganisationsandlabour?TheeconomicmodelunderlyingNEPADlookeduncomfortablyclosetothatofneo-liberalism.Weneverhadthatdebate.

It has been noted, albeit with great concern that Africa’sdevelopment initiatives, including NEPAD, tend to relyheavily on assistance from external partners that do nothave obligations towards the AU. This means that suchinitiatives may suffer should the partners decide to shifttheirpriorities.Assistancefromourinternationalpartnersiswelcomeprovidedthatitdoesnotcomewithconditions.OuraimshouldbetoavoidthelegacyofthedisastrouspoliciesakintotheStructuralAdjustmentProgrammesthatleftmanyAfricancountriespoorandwithweakgoverningstructures.

HonourableMembers,asSouthAfricanswebenefitedgreatlyfromthesolidarityoftherestoftheworldwhowereappalledbytheracistoppressionthatprevailedunderapartheid.Anti-apartheidmovements, trade unions, faith and civil societyorganisations,movedbyourcommonhumanity,pressuredtheir governments to take a progressive stance. In thisthey were often assisted by political parties, legislaturesand parliamentary committees in other countries. I thinkwe have sometimes been slow to show the same kind ofsolidarity – basic humanity – that we ourselves benefitedfrom.IdefinitelyseearolehereforthePortfolioCommittee


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on InternationalRelationsandCooperation inpromotingamassbased,activistapproachtointernationalrelationsandinternationalsolidarity.

Letmealsosaythatitisdangeroustoexcludethemassesfromourdebateson international relations.Yes,economicdeprivationwasarootcauseofthexenophobicoutbreakoflastyear.Yes,delayedresponsesinmanagingtheinfluxofforeign nationalswas a contributory factor. But I also feelthat the absence of public debate and understanding onimmigration set the scene for the xenophobic catastrophelastyear.Inraisingthesedebates,thePortfolioCommitteehas an important role to play in combating racism andxenophobia, and the implementation of recommendationsfrom the World Conference against Racism, XenophobiaandotherformsofDiscrimination.

Let us start right now by celebrating the decades-longinteraction between the workers of South Africa and therest of the sub-continent which under-pinned the miningindustry and the economic development of South Africa.LetusrememberthattheleaderofSouthAfrica’smassiveIndustrialandCommercialWorkersUnion(ICU)inthe1920s,ClementsKadalie,hailedfromMalawi.

Mysecondproposition is thatSouthAfrica’s foreignpolicysince1994,crudelystated,wasshortonclassanalysis.Letmepauseandpaytributetotheprinciplesthathaveguidedthis country’s foreign policy since democracy. We haveboldlystatedaprogressiveposition:anti-imperialistandanti-colonialist;supportfornon-alignmentandnon-interference;respect for the sovereignty of nations and an agenda forAfrican empowerment and development. But if we don’trecognisethesocialdivisionswithinnations,weruntheriskofsidingwiththeelitesagainstthosewhoareoppressed.

LetmegiveanexamplethatIknowwell.InEthiopiatoday200,000 teachers are denied the right to join the tradeunion of their choice. The independent Ethiopia TeachersAssociation (formed in 1949) has been systematicallyrepressedsince1993. Itsassetswereseizedandhandedtoapro-governmentgroup.LeadersandmembersofETAhavebeen imprisoned, torturedandassassinated.Despitecomplaints fromthe ILO, therehasbeen littleprotest fromAfrican leaders.Currently two individualsarestilldetained–WubitLegamoandMeqchaMengistu.Bothweretortured,in the caseofWubit leading to the lossof her fivemonth

World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia and other forms of

Discrimination.Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and

Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Ms Mary Robinson during a press conference –

September 2001, South Africa.


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old foetus. Hon Members, African countries must openlyembracetheAfricanPeerReviewmechanismsandstrictlyabide by recommendations therefrom. This will eventuallyallow for open debates on where headquarters of ourcontinental organisation should be. HonourableMembers,it isourduty to raise theseuncomfortablequestionsevento our ownExecutive.OurConstitution is founded on theprincipleofrespectforhumanrights.Weneedtoemphasisethatworkers’rightsarehumanrightsaswell.

Let me take forward this train of thought. As a result ofSouth Africa’s relatively strong economic position on thecontinent,SouthAfricancompanieshaveexpandedrapidlyintotherestofthecontinent,bringingjobsandinvestment.Alesscharitable interpretationisthatSouthAfricancapitalactsasasub-imperialistpoweron thecontinent inpursuitofprofitatanycost.Can Isuggest that thisHouseneedsto be developing a code of conduct for such companies,which respects labour and human rights whilst acting inpartnership with other countries to promote sustainableandsociallyresponsibledevelopment.TheShellCompanywasrecentlyembarrassedbyitsactivitiesinNigeria.SouthAfricancompaniescanlearnfromthis.

As this legislature, I believe that we have to come downheavilyonthesideofpromotingpeaceanddemocracyonthecontinent.LetmequotefromanANCbriefingdocumentfrom2008onForeignAffairs:

“In reality, a symbiotic relationship exists betweenarmedconflictsandeconomicpoverty.Wherearmed

conflictiswidespread,economicpovertyexacerbatesand sustainable development becomes impossible.In countries where poverty increases, the risk ofinstability and violence grows. Which means thatpovertyandunderdevelopmentare,nothinglessthan,threats to democracy, peace, and stability becausethese economic realities generate conflict betweenindividuals,communitiesandcountries.”

LetmetakefromtheconcludingwordsofPresidentObama’srecentspeechinEgypt:

“TheTalmudtellsus,thewholeoftheTorahisforthepurposeofpromotingpeace.TheHolyBibletellsus,blessedarethepeacemakers,fortheyshallbecalledthesonsofgod.”

But,wewillnotbeabletomovetowardsfindinglastingpeace

US President Barack Obama (Left) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak during a bilateral meeting at the presidential palace in Cairo on June 4, 2009.


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throughouttheglobeunderthecurrentofglobalgovernance.Itisourdutytoensurethatwefosteraworldwherethereisuniversalrespectforhumanrights,andwhereinternationalsecurity, development and adherence to international laware actively promoted. The debate on the reform of theUnitedNations,andinparticular,theUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil(UNSC)hasbeengoingonforawhilenowwithoutanysignificantmovement.Itisunderstoodthatitisagreatchallengetoforcechangefromabove,asthecountriesthathold vetopower in theUNSCare reluctant to change therulesofthegame.

HonourableMembers,Ithankyouforyourindulgence.Ihavedigressed longenough.To return to theMinistersspeech,let me comment briefly on the proposed South AfricanDevelopmentPartnershipAgency(SADPA),crucialIbelievetostrengtheningtheAfricanAgenda.AsSouthAfricansandAfricans–fortoolongwehavebeenthepassiverecipientsofaid(oftenwithconditionsattached).ItiswithprideIlookforward to theday that asSouthAfricanswebecomenetexportersofdevelopmentaid.

I believe that this development reflects our commonlyheld belief that the economicwell-being of this country isinextricablylinkedwiththedevelopmentofthecontinentatlarge.InparticularIbelievethatwehaveanobligationtoassistinthedevelopmentofthe“frontlinestates”andneighbouringstates who sacrificed so much in the fight against theapartheidregime.Letusremembertheraidslaunchedfromthis country by the racist apartheid armyagainst Lesotho,

Namibia, Botswana, Angola and Mozambique, where theinnocent were butchered in their sleep. Those countriessufferedindefenceofourcourse.TheAgencyclearlyhasaroletoplayinexpeditingtheimplementationofcooperationagreements,notonlywithourneighboringcountries,butalsowiththerestofourdevelopmentpartners,especiallyintheSouth.Wehopethiswillleadtowiderregionaldevelopmentandcontributetosustainedpeacethatwillbethefoundationforbuildingdemocraticsocieties.

South Africa should broadly seek to strengthen bilateralrelations with African states at all levels of interaction,including at grassroots level. SouthAfrica should seek tobuildbridgeswithfellowAfricanstatesandworkwithothercountries tomitigate theeffectsof the foodcrisis thathasbeenexacerbatedbytheglobaleconomicmeltdown.InthisregardGovernmentshouldforgestrongpartnershipswiththecountry’snon-governmentalorganizations,particularlythosethatwork in thehumanitariansectorandengage theseonwaystolendassistancetoothercountries,byamongotherthingsformingallianceswithcounterpartsinthosecountries.Government isobligated toworkwith civil society throughcommitments made under NEPAD and the African PeerReviewMechanism.

Minister, I am concerned by the R10 million cut in theprogramme for Public Diplomacy. This country needs tocontinuepromotingitsvalues,policiesandimage–thishasbecomeevenmorenecessaryduringthecurrenteconomiccrisiswithallitsattendantpoliticalrisks.


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Since1994thiscountryhasbeenprominent in thecallforsupportforinternationalpeaceandmultilateralism.Thesignsarepositive.TheObama presidency hassent out clear signals thatitwishestoturnawayfromthe unilateralism of theprevious administration.Thereisanewspiritabroad:a respect for peoples ofdifferent cultures and faiths.AsSouthAfricans, Ibelievethatwecanidentifywiththisspiritandneedtosupportthesedevelopments,alwaysmindfulofcourseof thecontinuingthreatfromthecorporateelitesthatdominate theworldeconomy.Oursmustbeanchoredonhuman rights, solidarity, peace, anddemocracy, basedon mutual respect and human rights, not just expandingmarketsandprofits.

ButIwanttosendoutawordofcautionagainstthosethathaveobjectionsontherelationshipbetweenSouthAfricaandChina.Our cooperationwithChina is underpinned by ourcommitmenttostrengtheningSouth-SouthrelationsandtheconsolidationoftheAfricanAgenda.Chinaisalsoapartnerinefforts to influence transformation inglobalgovernance.SouthAfricashouldcontinuetostrengthenrelationswiththe

South through cooperativemechanisms establishedwithChina,suchtheForumforChina-AfricaCooperation(FOCAC). We will alsopursue the developmentagendawithnationsinEastAsiathroughtheNewAfrica-Asia Strategic Partnership.Emphasisshouldbeplaced

onthefactthatthereisnocompetitionforinfluenceonthecontinentwithChina,butmoreofacooperativerelationshipamongststrategicpartners.However,wewillnotignoretheissueofhumanrightsandthroughthePortfolioCommittee’sinteraction with the Department of International RelationsandCooperation wewill deal with this issue in its propercontext.

With these few words, I commend the Minister on herspeech and programme. I welcome the budget vote inrespectofInternationalRelationsandCooperationandcallonHonourableMemberstofullysupportandvoteinfavour.

Ithankyou.

First Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation –

Beijing, November 2006.


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Notes Notes


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Notes

Documents

Department of InternatIonal relatIons & cooperatIon Budget · – Peace and friendship amongst all our people shall be secured by upholding ... , 1976 whose heroes and heroines were