Dlamini-Zuma leads SA team to UN
Luyanda Makapela
22 September 2008
Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will lead South Africa's delegation to the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday.
President Thabo Mbeki will no longer be attending this year's General Assembly, following his official resignation as the country's President on Sunday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Dlamini-Zuma would address the Assembly on behalf of South Africa on Monday.
The South African delegation will include Foreign Affairs Director-General Ayanda Ntsaluba and ambassadors Dumisani Kumalo, Chris Pepani, Abdul Minty, George Nene and Basso Sanqu.
With this year's theme "The impact of the global food crisis on poverty and hunger in the world as well as the need to democratise the UN", South Africa is expected to focus its attention on food security, UN reform, peace and security in Africa.
It will also spend time discussing climate change, the promotion of South-South cooperation, as well as the review of the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to globally halve poverty and unemployment by 2015.
South Africa will be participating within the government's position that the multilateral system of global governance remains the only hope against the challenges facing humanity today.
South Africa will also use the General Assembly as a platform to launch its 2010 African Legacy Programme.
As is routine, a number of requests have been received for political discussions with the minister, including a meeting with United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.
In addition, the South African delegation is expected to attend a number of meetings on the margins of the General Assembly, including the opening plenary of the high-level meeting on Africa's development needs.
On Thursday, the South African delegation will participate in parallel thematic round-tables on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The Assembly, which ends on 1 October, will see see a mid-term review of the MDGs.
The recent UN Millennium Development Goals Report 2008, found that the world had made strong and sustained progress in reducing extreme poverty, but that this was now being undercut by higher prices - particularly of food and oil - and the global economic slowdown.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is expected to produce a top document indicating a way forward as the world enters the second-half term in the implementation of the MDGs.
Source: BuaNews
