SA takes up Security Council seat
3 January 2007
South Africa officially assumed its seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday - the first time the country has sat on the UN's most powerful organ.
The UN General Assembly, meeting in New York in October, chose South Africa without opposition to occupy one of the Security Council's 10 temporary seats for two years starting on 1 January 2007.
The UN Security Council shapes the world body's approach to conflict zones that are considered a threat to international security.
Besides its five permanent members - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US - the council has 10 non-permanent members drawn from around the world for rotating two-year terms.
Other countries starting their non-permanent terms this year are Belgium, Indonesia, Italy and Panama. The other five non-permanent members - the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Ghana, Peru, Qatar and Slovakia - are starting their second year on the council.
SA's ambassador to the UN, Dumisani Kumalo, was due to take part in the first council meeting of the year on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, also in New York, will hand South Africa's chairpersonship of the Group of 77 + China over to Pakistan during a ceremony at the UN headquarters next Wednesday.
Speaking after South Africa's election last year, Dlamini-Zuma said the country was "greatly privileged and honoured" by its election, and stressed that SA would use its new position on the UN to serve the continent of Africa.
"[W]e humbly accept the mandate thrust upon us by the peoples of Africa, the South and the world in general in electing us to this position of responsibility," Dlamini-Zuma said.
"We do so conscious and convinced that the multilateral system of global governance remains the only hope for challenges facing humanity today."
South Africa, the minister said, would work together with the African Union (AU) to "create synergies between the work of the African Union Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council" in order to resolve and prevent conflict on the continent.
"In addition, South Africa shall continue to work with all members of the United Nations General Assembly in pursuit of the comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including the reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council."
South Africa will be beefing up the country's diplomatic mission at the UN headquarters in New York with extra personnel for the duration of its two-year term on the Security Council.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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