President Jacob Zuma has this evening on 26 September 2013 arrived back in South Africa after attending the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States of America.
The theme of UNGA68 was, "The Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage.”
President Zuma is happy with the outcome of the 68th session of UNGA and found the meeting to have been a great success in terms of highlighting the post-2015 development approach.
"We were able to raise issues that are of concern to the development world especially Africa. In particular we raised the need for the post-2015 development agenda to focus on socio-economic development. Also important is to ensure that the developed world does not renege on its undertakings to the South, to contribute 0,7 percent of their gross national income to Overseas Development Assistance and also to remove all possible non-tariff barriers to development, including new ones such as the green economy or technology,” said President Zuma.
The President also emphasised the link between development and security.
"It is for this reason that we raised sharply the need to democratise the United Nations Security Council so that the world does not continue to be beholden to the interests of a few countries. As Africa, a continent of one billion people, we have to ensure that this matter of reform sits at the top of the agenda of the UN as it heads towards its 70th anniversary,” said President Zuma.
President Zuma expressed satisfaction that other developing countries also expressed the importance of the reform of the UN Security Council.
The President was accompanied by Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini.
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