S van der Merwe: Commemoration of United Nations Day

25 October 2007

The Resident Co-ordinator of the United Nations in South Africa, Mrs
Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo
The Dean and other distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps
The Heads and representatives of International Organisations in South
Africa
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen.

Introduction

It is indeed a great pleasure for me to address you this afternoon, as we
gather to commemorate UN Day, which was on Wednesday 24 October 2007.
Scheduling difficulties made it difficult for us to celebrate yesterday. We
therefore chose to host you today, in order to accord our UN Day celebrations
the status and high profile that this annual event so justly deserves.

Let me begin by warmly thanking the UN Country Team in South Africa and the
representatives of regional UN offices based in South Africa for their efforts
to promote and add value to Government's development priorities, both domestic
and in the region.

This year, we commemorate the founding of the UN 62 years ago. It is an
opportunity to reflect on what the UN means to all of us, the value of the work
that it does and the relevance of the global mission that has been bestowed
upon that Organisation by its Charter. The Preamble to the Charter puts it so
elegantly this way:
"We the peoples of the United Nations
Determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice
in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations, large and
small, and
to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations
arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained,
and
to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger
freedom,
And for these ends
to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good
neighbours, and
to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and
to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that
armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and
to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social
advancement of all peoples,
"Have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims"

Why we commemorate UN Day

Despite the fact that our world is very different from the way it was in
1945, the purpose and principles of the UN, as enshrined in its Charter, remain
as important, as relevant and as urgent today as when they were formulated 62
years ago.

It is appropriate, therefore, that we should commemorate UN Day! Indeed, for
us, a strong and effective UN is central to South Africa's vision of a better
quality of life for all – a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better
world, one which is based on an equitable, democratic and just international
order that is conducive to peace, security, sustainable development and
prosperity.

This is not to say that the track record of the UN has been perfect. Far
from it, as any student of modern history would know. Before being too quick
off the mark to point fingers at the UN, however, we would do well to remember
that its failures are, in fact, our own failures, as the UN is a membership
organisation of sovereign Member States. We share collective responsibility
when the UN does not succeed. I remain convinced, however, that inasmuch as the
founders of the UN sought to prevent the world from slipping again into the
horrors of another devastating world war, there can be no doubt that had it not
been for the UN, our world would have been far worse off than it actually is
today. Here, I speak from our own very tangible experience: We in South Africa
won our hard-earned freedom from oppression as a direct result of the
unrelenting, combined efforts and support of the UN family and the global
partnership against apartheid that the Organisation rallied together.

Development aspirations for the 21st century

As far as South Africa's development aspirations for the 21st century are
concerned, we believe that the UN system is the 'gateway' for achieving our
vision of equality, justice, harmony and meaningful dialogue among nations. The
UN is an indispensable partner in the development of the continent of Africa
and the development agenda of the countries of the South as a whole.

As part of its own process of change and reform, the UN system has also
served as the rallying point for the generation of a new vision for humanity in
the 21st century. In September 2000, world leaders gathered in New York to
adopt and embrace a new common vision, in the form of the Millennium
Declaration, which identified fundamental values that were essential to
international relations in the 21st century. On this occasion, world leaders
also undertook to meet the special needs of Africa, in an acknowledgement that
the continent itself does not have sufficient resources to address all of the
challenges facing it. This accorded well with the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (Nepad), which seeks to build international partnerships in support
of Africa's own initiatives at development.

The UN, therefore, has a critical role to play in promoting international
development co-operation for the successful realisation of the internationally
agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
that were encapsulated in the Millennium Declaration and the subsequent World
Summit Outcome of 2005. Even though real progress has been difficult and often
painfully slow, the MDGs have given us a valuable framework within which to
strive and work towards global development.

A development emergency

In his address to the UN on 31 July 2007, United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister
Gordon Brown appropriately described the progress towards meeting the MDGs by
the target date of 2015 "a development emergency which needs emergency
action."

We are indeed facing a development emergency, one of global proportions at
that. Yes, this calls for emergency action, on a comprehensive scale. It is now
time to move beyond the making of promises and to implement them. The Achilles
heel of the current state of the international partnership for development is
the need for implementation of all of the commitments that have been made.

Experts are generally in agreement that Africa as a whole, and Sub-Saharan
Africa in particular, will not meet the MDGs by the 2015 target date. The
nature of our emergency is such that if Africa fails to achieve the MDGs, the
world as a whole fails to achieve them. This would undermine the very purpose
of the world's leaders coming together at the Millennium Summit to adopt such
global objectives in the first place. The nature of our emergency is such that
the quality of life of a billion people who seek to escape the misery of
underdevelopment, poverty, disease and illiteracy, is at stake. The sad reality
today is that many of the developed countries lack the political will to
implement their commitments. The same global leaders who gathered to adopt the
historic Millennium Declaration in 2000 still have a once-in-a-generation
chance to help achieve these noble objectives – but emergency action is now
required.

As we commemorate UN Day, let us reflect on what it is that we look to the
UN to deliver. Africa has called 21st century the African Century. This calls
for a transformation of the UN and its organs to hear the voices of the modern
world and all its peoples.

An African renewal

Despite considerable weaknesses, obstacles and challenges, a major
transformation process is taking place on the African continent, one that is
anchored in key principles of African ownership and leadership, self-reliance
and a new partnership between the developed and developing world that is based
on mutual respect, responsibility and accountability. The adoption of the
development and reconstruction programme of the African Union, the New
Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), represented a collective
affirmation by Africa of a shared vision, a pledge by the leaders of the
continent to pro-actively place African countries, both individually and
collectively, on a path towards rapid sustainable economic growth and
development.

In this context, Africa is currently engaged in its own fundamental renewal
process. The UN system has an important role to play in promoting the
realisation of the African Renaissance in support of an Africa-owned and
Africa-led era of accelerated development.

It is important to underscore the importance of Africa finding solutions to
African problems. This is not to say that Africa can afford or should "go it
alone". Rather, an international partnership is necessary to promote solutions
that are appropriate and timely. Africa looks to its partners to help build
capacity and contribute the additional resources that are required to establish
a far-reaching framework for peace, security and sustainable development on the
continent.

South Africa's non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council

This year, South Africa was privileged to take up a non-permanent seat on
the UN Security Council. South Africa will serve in this capacity for a
two-year term. South Africa's election to the UN Security Council as a
non-permanent member has accorded us the privilege and honour of serving the
rest of the continent and the international community in the search for peace,
stability and a secure environment.

As Africa takes charge of its destiny and undertakes to make considerable
efforts to promote peace, stability and development on the continent, we ask
the international community to lend its renewed and determined support. Today,
more than ever before, the UN system is the vehicle that presents us with the
collective opportunity to ensure that the international partnership for
development is translated into practical and tangible programmes that promote
real transformation in the lives of poor people across the world.

Reforming the UN, and especially the Security Council, is crucial and
remains an important priority in South Africa's foreign policy. The UN and its
organs should embody the ideals that is espouses and as contained in its
charter.

In his address at the opening of the 62nd Session of the UN General
Assembly, President Mbeki noted that, although the concepts of freedom, justice
and equality are universal and have been embraced by the UN, the institutional
framework of the organisation itself is not consistent with these ideals. He
said:
"Because the nations of the world are defined by the dominant and the
dominated, the dominant have also become the decision makers in the important
global forums, including at this seat of global governance. Accordingly, the
skewed distribution of power in the world, political, economic, military,
technological and social, replicates itself in multilateral institutions, much
to the disadvantage of the majority of the poor people of the world."

President Mbeki went on to say that the UN can and does correctly identify
problems and appropriate solutions necessary to make the world a better place
for all for humanity. The poor of this world therefore see the UN as the
natural instrument that would help accelerate the process of change for the
better.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am pleased to be able to highlight today a number of initiatives that bear
testimony to the ongoing strategic partnership between the UN system and South
Africa. The first of these concerns the operational activities of the UN
Country Team.

The UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)

Those who were able to join us last year when we commemorated UN Day, may
recall that we held a brief signing ceremony for the United Nations Development
Assistance Framework (UNDAF) which was based on a joint assessment between the
UN Country Team and the South African Government of the situation in our
country, the needs that should be addressed and Government priorities in this
regard. Implementation of the new UNDAF, which will inform UN operations in
South Africa through until the end of 2010, started on 1 January this
year.
Government appreciates the fact that the UN Country Team has organised itself
around the five clusters in which Government is organised, in order to ensure
optimum delivery and add value to the priorities of Government that the UN
system seeks to address. Government also welcomes the fact that the UNDAF
corresponds to the Vision 2014 programme and Government's Plan of Action for
addressing key developmental challenges into the second decade of South
Africa's democracy.

Our government is pleased with the outcome of the UNDAF process. The
acknowledgement by the UN that it is the South African Government's prerogative
to take the leadership role in this process and "own" it, broke new ground for
both the UN system and for Government, as national leadership and national
ownership of such processes are of critical importance.

Preparations for the first annual review of the new UNDAF, to assess the
first full year of its implementation, will begin shortly. In keeping with the
principle of national ownership, the UNDAF review, which will take place in
early 2008, will take the form of a strategic assessment of the value that the
UN system is adding to Government's development priorities and determine any
amendments that may need to be taken on board.

The Host Country Agreement with the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) Regional Services Centre

As you are aware, the UNDP established a Regional Services Centre (RSC) in
Sunninghill, Johannesburg in 2004. A number of UN funds, programmes and
specialised agencies have since also placed regional representatives at the RSC
– and we are glad to see a number of representatives from the Sunninghill
offices here with us today. Since the establishment of the RSC the UNDP and
Government have been engaged in extensive negotiations towards the finalisation
of a host country agreement to cover the personnel and operations of the RSC. I
am proud to share with you that this process was recently completed and the
Minister of Foreign, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, during her recent visit to New
York to attend the opening and General Debate of the 62nd session of the UN
General Assembly, signed the host country agreement together with the UNDP
Administrator, Mr Kemal Dervis, on 1 October. You will notice the photographs
taken at this event, which are on display today. This is further evidence of
the growing and solidifying relationship between South Africa and the UN
family.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There are two exciting developments that concern the future consolidation of
the relationship between the UN system and South Africa, which I am pleased to
be able to highlight for you today.

A joint evaluation of the UN in South Africa

The first concerns a unique effort to determine what should be the optimum
nature of the strategic relationship between South Africa and the UN system. I
am pleased to announce that a country-level evaluation will shortly be
conducted jointly by the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and Government,
in order to evaluate the contribution made by the UN system in South Africa.
This will be a "first" for the UN System. Government is a full partner in this
evaluation. Key structures have been put in place on both sides, with a view to
managing the evaluation process and the implementation of its outcomes.

The South African Government has already transferred its half share of the
estimated costs of the evaluation to UN Headquarters in New York, which amounts
to US$157 575,00 (or over R1,1 million).

I am pleased to announce that the former Auditor-General of South Africa, Mr
Shauket Fakie, has agreed to be the evaluation team leader. Mr Fakie is
uniquely placed to lead the evaluation process, given his experience of both
South Africa and the UN system, when he served as an External Auditor to the UN
System during his tenure as South African Auditor-General. The joint evaluation
will be launched shortly, once a few administrative matters have been
finalised.

The joint evaluation will be forward-looking and is expected to help
identify the best and most appropriate model for the strategic relationship
between Government and the UN system in future, possibly even including
opportunities for co-operation in the region. Without pre-empting the outcome,
Government is excited about this joint evaluation, which we expect will help
ensure that the operations of the UN system in South Africa and the region will
remain relevant and effective.

The second exciting development concerns the construction of a new,
state-of-the-art "UN House" in Pretoria.

A new "UN House"

Our government currently provides office accommodation in Pretoria for the
UN family, in keeping with standard international practice. However, this
accommodation is no longer adequate.

So the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Public Works have
been investigating options to provide permanent office accommodation for the UN
family in Pretoria. I am pleased to announce that Government has started
implementation of an exciting new project to develop a new "UN House" which
will accommodate all of the UN family in Pretoria.

As part of its commitment to the UN system, Government has initiated this
project to provide the best possible accommodation for the South Africa Country
Offices of the UN.

A visual display of some of the elements of this exciting project, South
Africa's new "UN House", is available here today to give you some idea of what
is to come. However, I have to warn that this is merely an artist's impression
and the final product could probably look quite different. This project
represents in very practical terms, Government's commitment to the effective
functioning of the UN family in South Africa and what might be expected of it
in future. The construction of a new state-of-the-art "UN House" in South
Africa bears testimony to Government's ongoing commitment to see a strong and
effective UN Country Team, as a key driver of change and renewal of the UN
system at both the operational level in South Africa as well as at the regional
level on the continent.

A toast to the United Nations

On a personal note to the UN Resident Co-ordinator, Ms. Scholastica Kimaryo,
please allow me to warmly congratulate you on your recent promotion to the
newly created position of Deputy UNDP Regional Director for Eastern and
Southern Africa, based at the UNDP Regional Services Centre in Johannesburg. It
is feather in your cap and a source of inspiration to the Government that the
valuable work you have done in South Africa and your achievements in this
country over the almost three years of your tenure as Resident Co-ordinator,
has not passed unnoticed by the top echelons in the UNDP. While we understand
that the appointment is ad interim, it is our sincere hope that this
appointment will be confirmed in the not too distant future. In your new
capacity, I understand that you will be responsible for 23 countries in the
region. More countries on the continent would therefore have the benefit of
your strong leadership and proven strategic vision. I know that we can count on
you to help strengthen the valuable contribution that the UN system is making
in the region and we look forward to working with you in support of South
Africa's foreign policy priorities in the area of regional co-operation and
integration.

On 13 October 2006, Secretary-General-elect Ban Ki-Moon stood before the UN
General Assembly and pledged to ensure that the UN would make a difference in
building a better future for all humanity. He said:
"I earnestly hope that the young boys and girls of today will grow up knowing
that the United Nations is working hard to build a better future for them. As
Secretary-General, I will embrace their hopes and hear their appeals. I am an
optimist, and I am full of hope about the future of our global Organisation.
Let us work together for a United Nations that can deliver more and
better."

Friends of the UN,

The role and purpose of the UN has never been as important as it is now.
Since we only set aside one day of the year to commemorate UN Day, let us raise
our glasses and pay special tribute to the work of an Organisation that is
sometimes taken for granted. Allow me, therefore, on behalf of the South
African Government, to congratulate the 17 UN agencies that make up the UN
Country Team in South Africa, as we commemorate UN Day. On this important
occasion, w e join with many nations around the world in recognising the
achievements of the UN family and reaffirming our ongoing support for the
important work of the UN system in overcoming the challenges that face
humanity. Let us all work together to fulfil our commitments through a UN that
can deliver "more and better" – especially for those who need it most. The
United Nations!

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
25 October 2007