South Africa’s Presidency of the United Nations Security Council – December 2020
South Africa today, 1 December 2020, takes over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
This will be South Africa’s second presidency during the two years (2019-2020) elected term in the Council. December will also be South Africa’s last month on the Council during its current term. During this month, South Africa will focus on strengthening the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) and emphasizing the importance of a proactive approach to maintaining international peace and security, especially in the form of greater attention to preventive diplomacy. mechanisms, as well as reconstruction and development after conflict.
In this regard, President Cyril Ramaphosa will chair a virtual debate on AU-UN co-operation on 4 December, while Minister Naledi Pandor will lead a virtual debate on 3 December on government and security sector reform.
Based on the Security Council’s reporting cycles, further meetings will be held on the situations in Afghanistan, Central Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, Somalia, South Sudan, the Republic of Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
South Africa’s participation in the Security Council as an elected member is a continuation of its continued approach to multilateralism, guided by the country’s national experience of peacefully dismantling apartheid and reaching a negotiated political settlement. The legacy of President Nelson Mandela and his call for a peaceful and inclusive solution for South Africa remain a cornerstone of this foreign policy objective.
During his two-year term in the Council, South Africa focused on the prevention and resolution of conflicts on the African continent, the promotion of the Peace and Security Agenda and the promotion of the peaceful settlement of disputes, as well as conflict prevention and peacebuilding. The service in the UN Security Council has given South Africa the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the African Union’s goal of ending conflict and silencing arms on the continent by 2020, specifically during this year where we at the same time the chairman of the African Union.
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