Nations (UN) General Assembly ahead of President Thabo Mbeki
21 September 2007
South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, will on Saturday,
22 September 2007, depart for New York to prepare ground for President Thabo
Mbeki who will lead the South African delegation to the forthcoming 62nd
session of the UN General Assembly scheduled from Tuesday, 25 September to 3
October 2007.
President Mbeki's delegation will include among others Minister Dlamini
Zuma, Deputy Aziz Pahad, Foreign Affairs Director-General Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba,
Ambassador George Nene, the Head of Multilateral Affairs at Foreign Affairs and
South Africa's permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Dumisani
Kumalo.
South Africa will participate in the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly
within the context of its conviction that the multilateral system of global
governance remains the only hope of addressing current challenges facing
humanity today. In this regard, President Mbeki is expected to address the UN
General Assembly of the Heads of State and Government on 25 September 2007
under the theme: "Responding to Climate Change." Accordingly South Africa is
expected to articulate its approach to and ways and means of addressing global
challenges emanating from climate change.
Other areas of focus for the General Assembly include:
* progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs)
* peace and security in Africa
* comprehensive reform of the UN system including its Security Council
* disarmament
* counter-terrorism.
Critical to note is that South Africa will be participating in the 62nd
session of the UN General Assembly for the first time as a non-permanent member
of the UN Security Council. Accordingly, during the visit to New York, the
South African delegation is expected to participate in the UN Security Council
debate of Heads of State and Government focussing on "Peace and Security in
Africa" and the High Level Ministerial meeting of the Security Council to
discuss the situation in Darfur.
Following its election to the UN Security Council, South Africa committed
itself to help create synergies between the AU Peace and Security Council and
the UN Security Council (UNSC) in the maintenance of Peace and Security as well
as the prevention of outbreaks of conflicts in the continent of Africa. Deputy
Minister Aziz Pahad who arrived in New York on Thursday, 20 September will
represent South Africa in the High Level Ministerial meeting of the Security
Council scheduled for today, Friday, 21 September, to discuss the situation in
Darfur.
During the debate in the Security Council on Darfur, South Africa voted
alongside all members of the Security Council on the need for the deployment of
the AU-UN hybrid operation to bring an end to the conflict that has left
millions of people displaced and countless others maimed or killed. Both
President Mbeki and Minister Dlamini Zuma are expected to hold a number of
bilateral discussions with their counterparts on the margins of the UN General
Assembly and UN Security Council.
Enquiries:
Ronnie Mamoepa
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
21 September 2007
