Deputy Minister Kenny Morolong: United Nations Day

Topic: South Africa's Commitment to Multilateralism, Peace, Development and International Cooperation
Programme Director,
[Deputy Minister Alvin Botes / Director-General Zane Dangor],
United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr Nelson Muffuh,
Judge Navi Pillay,
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Salih Omar Abdu,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Representatives of Government, the United Nations system, business, academia and civil society, Young people and students joining us today, Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a privilege to join you in commemorating United Nations Day 2026.

Today, we celebrate not only the eighty-first anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter, but also the enduring idea that nations, despite their differences, are stronger when they cooperate than when they confront one another.

This year's theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations that Delivers for All”, could hardly be more timely.
The world is navigating profound geopolitical, economic and technological change.

We face armed conflicts of devastating human consequence, widening inequality, climate-related disasters, mounting debt burdens, and rapid technological transformation.
These challenges test not only our national capacities, but also the effectiveness of our collective institutions.

Yet, amid these uncertainties, South Africa's conviction remains unchanged: multilateralism is not the problem.
Multilateralism is the solution.

Restoring trust in multilateralism requires more than defending institutions.

It requires demonstrating that international cooperation can change and improve people's lives.

Citizens must be able to see that multilateralism can help address the lack of democracy and persistent global inequality, create economic opportunity, strengthen resilience to climate change, support peace, and expand opportunities for young people.

Only then will confidence in international cooperation be renewed.

For 81 years, the United Nations has helped improve the lives of billions of people by promoting peace and security, supporting economic and social development, protecting human rights, delivering humanitarian assistance, combating disease and poverty, assisting refugees, advancing gender equality, and fostering international cooperation.

Through its peacekeeping operations, development programmes, humanitarian agencies and specialised organisations, the UN has helped countries build schools, hospitals, water and sanitation systems, respond to conflicts and natural disasters, uphold international law, and addressed global challenges such as climate change, food insecurity and emerging technologies.

Today, the UN continues to provide life-saving assistance to millions of people, support sustainable development around the world, and serve as the primary forum where nations work together to find solutions to shared global challenges.

The UN has stepped up and consistently spoke up and took action in global injustice, often when it was difficult for individual states or organisations to take action.
As South Africans, we know from our own history what principled international cooperation can achieve.

Sixty years ago, this very organisation condemned apartheid as a crime against humanity.

It is for this reason that democratic South Africa has consistently pursued a foreign policy anchored in Ubuntu, international law, dialogue and multilateralism.
We understand that our security, prosperity and development are inseparable from those of our region, our Continent and the wider world.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The United Nations was established to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to promote peace, development, human rights and international cooperation.

These objectives remain as relevant today as they were in 1945.

South Africa continues to attach great importance to a rules-based international order grounded in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and in international law.
We believe that states, regardless of their size or power, must act in accordance with agreed norms and obligations.

Today, defending multilateralism means defending the simple but profound principles of the Charter: the sovereign equality of all nations, the right of peoples to self-determination, and dialogue as the only path to lasting peace.

South Africa remains convinced that lasting global stability cannot be built on coercion, domination or exclusion.

As we have consistently maintained, might does not make right. International law must apply equally to all nations, large and small.

Our commitment to peace remains central to our international engagement.


We continue to advocate for the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue, mediation and diplomacy.

We support multilateral efforts to prevent conflict, protect civilians, strengthen peacebuilding and address the root causes of conflict and instability.


We are convinced that lasting peace cannot be built through military means alone. It requires inclusive sustainable development, accountable governance and respect for human rights.

Today, conflicts across several regions continue to inflict immense suffering on civilians and undermine global stability.

South Africa remains deeply concerned by the erosion of respect for international humanitarian law and the devastating human cost of war.

We therefore reaffirm our support for diplomatic solutions, humanitarian action and the protection of those who deliver lifesaving assistance in areas of conflict.

As we work for peace, we must also work for justice.

South Africa believes that sustainable peace is impossible without development and that development is impossible without peace.

This understanding informs our commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union's Agenda 2063.

Yet we cannot ignore the reality that progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals remains insufficient and uneven.

Many developing countries continue to face severe constraints  arising  from  unsustainable  debt

burdens, limited fiscal space and unequal access to development finance.

This is why South Africa has consistently advocated for a more equitable international financial architecture that enables developing countries to invest in infrastructure, education, healthcare, resilience and economic transformation.

Development should not be compromised by a system that diverts scarce resources away from the needs of people and towards unsustainable debt obligations.

Equally, we must confront the challenge of inequality.

Extreme concentrations of wealth alongside persistent poverty undermine social cohesion, weaken democratic institutions and fuel instability.

South Africa's own experience has taught us that tackling inequality is not merely a matter of economics; it is fundamental to social justice, human dignity and long-term peace.

This is why we continue to support international efforts aimed at addressing structural inequality

and ensuring that the benefits of globalisation are more fairly shared.

At UNGA81 High-level week, together with Brazil, Norway and Spain, South Africa called on the Assembly to throw its weight behind the establishment of an International Panel on Inequality.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Climate change presents perhaps the clearest example of why international cooperation is indispensable.

No country can confront this challenge alone.

Developing countries, including many African states, are often the most vulnerable to climate impacts despite having contributed the least to global emissions.

South Africa supports stronger global action on climate resilience, adaptation and predictable financing for a just energy transition.

Climate justice requires solidarity, partnership and a recognition of our shared but differentiated responsibilities.

The same principle applies to the opportunities and risks associated with emerging technologies.

Artificial intelligence, digital transformation and the growing demand for critical minerals are reshaping the global economy.

These developments must not deepen existing inequalities.

Africa must participate meaningfully in shaping the rules, standards and institutions that will govern the future technological landscape.

Our Continent's young population, natural resources and innovative potential position Africa not merely as a consumer of technology, but as a partner and contributor in shaping the future.

The future of multilateralism will ultimately be judged not by the declarations we adopt, but by the opportunities we create for future generations.

The Pact for the Future reminds us that our responsibility to future generations is inseparable from our responsibility to today's youth.

We must therefore ensure that international cooperation translates into better education, skills development, decent work and meaningful participation in public life for young people everywhere.

And speaking of youth, allow me to recognise the young people participating in today's programme.

The challenges we discuss today, including peace and security, climate change, migration, technology and development, will shape the future that young South Africans inherit.

It is therefore essential that they have both a voice and a stake in the conversations that determine that future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

While we remain committed to the United Nations, we also recognise that the multilateral system must evolve to remain legitimate, representative and effective.

The world of 2026 is very different from that of 1945.

South Africa supports ongoing efforts to strengthen the effectiveness, responsiveness and delivery capacity of the United Nations, including through the UN80 reform process currently underway.

We welcome efforts to create a more coherent, agile and responsive organisation that can better serve the needs of Member States and people on the ground.

At the same time, meaningful reform must include addressing longstanding inequities in global governance.

Africa remains underrepresented in key international decision-making structures despite being home to nearly one-fifth of humanity and more than a quarter of UN Member States.

This imbalance is neither sustainable nor consistent with the principles of equity and inclusivity that the United Nations espouses.

South Africa continues to support the Ezulwini Consensus and the call for permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council with all the prerogatives of permanent membership.

A stronger United Nations is one that reflects contemporary realities and gives all regions a meaningful voice in shaping global decisions.

Distinguished Guests,

As we mark United Nations Day, we should remember that the Charter is more than a historical document.

It is a living commitment.

A commitment to peace over conflict.

To cooperation over confrontation.

To dialogue over division.

To shared progress over narrow self-interest.

South Africa's commitment to multilateralism is rooted not only in our foreign-policy priorities, but also in our lived experience.

We are a nation whose democratic transition was supported by the international community, and we remain convinced that our collective challenges require collective solutions.

South Africa therefore understands perhaps better than most that global solidarity matters.

Our democratic freedom was not achieved by South Africans alone.

It was supported by a global movement of nations, institutions and ordinary citizens who believed that injustice anywhere diminishes humanity everywhere.

As beneficiaries of that solidarity, we believe we have a responsibility to defend the principles, institutions and values that made our own liberation possible.

As President Nelson Mandela reminded the United Nations in 1994, millions of people across the globe look to this organisation to bring them peace, life and hope.

That responsibility remains as urgent today as it was then.

Let us therefore use this United Nations Day not only to celebrate the achievements of the past, but also to renew our determination to build a multilateral system capable of addressing the challenges of the future.

A system that is representative.

A system that is effective.

A system that delivers for all.

South Africa stands ready to work with all nations, the United Nations family, civil society, business and, importantly, our youth, in pursuit of that objective.

Together, let us restore trust, manage transformation and advance a future founded on peace, development, human dignity and international cooperation.

I thank you.

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