Minister Dlamini Zuma Departs for Un General Assembly Ahead of President Thabo Mbeki

Pretoria – South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, will on Saturday 22 September 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 – 03 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;
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 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.

Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa on 082 990 4853
Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001

21 September 2007