South Africa and Africa in a changing world
Mr Thierry de Montbrial, President of the French Institute of International Relations,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Ambassadors and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Senior officials,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting me to interact with the French Institute for International Relations again.
The subject matter that I am to intervene on here today summarises the primary objective of our 17 year old democracy.
Our vision is to achieve a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Linked to that, we want to see a prosperous Africa and a better, just and equitable world.
This is informed by our history and by the values enshrined in the Constitution of our Republic.
We have gone a long way towards achieving our vision, since our national hero and global icon, Dr Nelson Mandela, was inaugurated as the first President of the democratic Republic on 10 May 1994.
We take pride in our achievements in entrenching democracy and broadening access to socio-economic opportunities and services since that inauguration.
We also take pride in the fact that we have built our democracy on strong philosophical and political foundations.
The Freedom Charter, the guiding policy document of the African National Congress which was adopted in 1955, states boldly that:
“South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people”.
It goes on to declare that the People Shall Govern and that “every man and woman shall have the right to vote for, and to stand as a candidate for all bodies which make laws”.
The Freedom Charter was adopted at a time when the institutionalisation of racism by the apartheid regime had been completed.
It was at that point that the progressive forces decided to chart the vision for an inclusive, prosperous, non-racial and non-sexist future.
The freedoms and rights stipulated in the Freedom Charter tenets later found expression in the country’s Constitution.
South Africans know and appreciate these hard won liberties, including our Constitution’s strong human rights base. Our people are therefore the true guarantors of our democracy.
Having invested in ensuring a strong political foundation, we are now focusing more intensively on ensuring economic emancipation.
Our international economic relations in the fields of both trade and investment are critical in the achievement of this essential priority.
France is an important partner as we endeavour to further expand and deepen our economic relations.
Recent economic indicators suggest that South Africa’s post-recession recovery will be sustained, and that we can look forward to more vibrant growth in the coming years.
It is on these solid political foundations and promising economic indicators that South Africa aspires to make a meaningful contribution to bring about a stable and prosperous Africa.
We are meeting and deliberating during a period of unprecedented change in Africa, especially in the North of our continent.
The world has marveled at the extent and pace of people-driven change in a number of northern African sister countries.
Ordinary men and women, especially the youth, are writing a new chapter in the history of our continent.
Of course such dramatic change brings uncertainty, but it also brings the hope of a better future for many.
We support the people of Tunisia and Egypt in the freedom that they have won for themselves. Africa and the international community have to provide support to these nations to help them through the difficult transition.
We have noted the tragic developments in Libya and fully support the pronouncements and measures taken by the United Nations and the African Union in response to the crisis in that sister country.
We strongly believe in the protection of basic human rights and freedoms and the right of citizens to choose their own leaders and determine their own destiny peacefully.
Ladies and gentlemen,
While noting the current challenges, we also celebrate African achievements, such as the successful referendum held in January in the Sudan. We are proud of this African success story.
With the support of Africa and the world, the Sudan will prove that it is possible to find solutions even to the most difficult of conflicts in our continent.
South Africa has also contributed to the resolution of other challenges on the continent, such as Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At the same time, the stalemate in Cote d’Ivoire and the continuing crisis in Madagascar remind us that there are also still major challenges to be resolved.
With regards to Cote d’Ivoire, we are confident that the African Union, working with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will help the country find a solution.
Despite these difficulties, our continent is doing well and offers great economic potential. Africa is a market of one billion consumers and also a source of raw materials that need to be beneficiated locally to create jobs and to ensure a modern industrial economy on the continent.
For the continent to realise its full potential, it needs to invest in some critical areas such as infrastructure development, ensuring intra-Africa trade, promoting regional integration and boosting industrialisation.
A high level AU committee on infrastructure is promoting New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiatives in the areas of rail and road, information communications technologies, agriculture and food security, water and sanitation as well as energy.
South Africa is currently chairing this infrastructure sub-committee, which was established by the African Union (AU).
Our success in implementing these infrastructure projects will promote trade amongst ourselves and provides projects through which we can engage investment partners from other continents.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is not only Africa that finds itself in the grip of fundamental change.
The rest of the world is also dealing with some dramatic changes which were not anticipated for example, during the fall of socialism in Europe in 1989.
Amongst major changes is the dramatic shift of economic dynamism and growth from the old developed economies to the new developing economies.
There has been an ascendancy of a new group of economically influential countries such as Brazil, China, India and Russia, which are reshaping political and economic power in the global system.
Some of the countries that we characterise as emerging powers have been our fellow travellers as Africans in the struggle against colonialism.
We have over the decades forged strong ties of solidarity and partnerships with these nations, to promote development and to reconfigure the structures of power in international relations in favour of the developing world.
These countries have done well economically and there are lessons for all of us. China for example has succeeded in extricating more citizens from poverty faster than any other country in world history. For this it has won the admiration of the entire world.
Orthodox economists who were used to telling the developing world what to do, now have to study countries like China to see what they could have possibly done right and differently. It is clearly a sign of the changing world and the changing times.
It has also been surprising that there has been very limited economic growth in most developed economies after the global economic recession.
On the other hand, we see strong and robust growth in China, India, Brazil and large parts of the African continent.
It is therefore clear that developmental states have managed the crisis better than many in the old economies that followed rigid formulas. This is no doubt another puzzle for economists.
The rise of emerging powers has helped to increase a sense of optimism amongst developing countries.
Opportunities that did not previously exist to influence the evolving global system have opened up.
South Africa is greatly honoured to have been invited to join the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa forum.
We look forward to our inaugural meeting of BRICS next month in China.
We must point out that while deepening our relations with countries on our continent and emerging powers, South Africa will continue to strengthen the partnerships that we have with countries of the North.
This includes Europe, which remains our most important trading partner region, and leading countries within the EU such as France.
In that case, South Africa will engage all regions of the changing world, in the quest for sustainable development, and also to work towards a just and equitable world order.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We talk about ensuring an equitable world order and a forum such as the G20 is key to contributing to that goal.
In implementing the 2009 pledge to build an inclusive, green, and sustainable recovery, the G20 adopted a Framework for Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced Growth at the Pittsburgh Summit.
This is a mechanism through which the G20 has sought to coordinate policy adjustments that would enable this forum to contribute significantly to global economic growth, and more significantly lay the foundation for a fair and sustainable world economy.
This process towards building a fair and sustainable economy, started with a self-reflection exercise, an analysis of own policies and the extent to which they help or impede recovery and growth.
Through this process, a set of measures which member-countries have to implement were identified.
Among the measures prioritised included the strengthening of social safety nets, enhancing corporate governance reform and financial market development.
In addition to the Framework for Strong Sustainable and Balanced Growth, the G20 is giving attention to the drivers of growth in developing countries, through the Development Working Group, which South Africa co-chairs with France and Korea.
Under the leadership of France, we anticipate that the G20 will move steps ahead in implementing its commitments and decisions.
Ladies and gentlemen,
At the beginning of this year we took up our non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, which we will use to promote the African agenda as well as peace and security in Africa and the world.
Amongst the changes we want to see in the world, is a more equitable representation of the developing world and Africa in the United Nations Security Council.
Ladies and gentlemen,
No other challenge is as truly global as that of climate change. It demands a response from all of humanity.
Later this year, South Africa will host the world at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. We are humbled by the confidence shown by the United Nations Framework COnvention onClimale Change (UNFCCC) in Africa’s ability to host this meeting.
Climate change is a sustainable development challenge that affects all countries. It is not solely an environmental issue.
It demands an urgent global agreement that takes into account different historical responsibilities in forging a shared common responsibility for the future.
We look forward to this massive dialogue, especially in view of the fact that Africa is the continent most affected by climate change.
Ladies and gentlemen,
South Africa has been successful in navigating the political challenges surrounding the transformation from an apartheid state to a free, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society.
We are now working to translate that hard-won political freedom into the social upliftment and economic prosperity of all our people.
We do this as an integral part of Africa, which is living through an extraordinary time of promise and opportunity.
We do it as well as part of a world that is changing, bringing about both opportunities and threats.
We want to take advantage of the opportunities a much as we can.
We stand ready to contribute to the creation of a more equitable and just world to the benefit of our people and humanity at large.
I thank you.
Source: The Presidency
