President Thabo Mbeki to lead SA Delegation to UN General Assembly

Pretoria – President and Mrs Thabo Mbeki, supported by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will today Sunday 23 September depart for New York were he will lead the South African delegation to the 62 nd Session of the UN General Assembly and meetings of the UN Security Council.

President and Mrs Thabo Mbeki’s delegation will include, Deputy Minister 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; and Counter-terrorism

Of significance 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, President Mbeki is expected to lead the South African delegation, to the UN Security Council debate of Heads of State and Government focussing on “Peace and Security in Africa”.

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 Global Peace and Security as well as the prevention of outbreaks of conflicts in the continent of Africa.

Meanwhile Deputy Minister Azis Pahad represented South Africa at the High Level Ministerial meeting of the UN Security council to discuss developments in Darfur and Iraq held on Friday and Saturday respectively.

During the debate on Darfur in the Security Council early this year, 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

23 September 2007