South Africa will enhance peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa while serving on the United Nations Security Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Wednesday.
In her first address since South Africa was elected to take a seat on the Security Council, she said in a lecture at the London School of Economics that the government’s vision for a prosperous, peaceful, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and united Africa would influence its work on the council.
Dlamini-Zuma also called on the Security Council to be reformed ”in order that it can be in a position to address a broad range of challenges that face humanity today”.
”I suggest that we also need to continue with the reform efforts and seek fundamental changes to the power imbalances within the United Nations,” she said.
”Security Council reform is proving difficult to achieve despite the fact that its agenda has been growing over the years in both volume and complexity. I strongly believe that reform would strengthen the Security Council.”
She said that the Security Council would draw more legitimacy with a broader representation of African, Asian and Latin American countries serving as permanent members.
Dlamini-Zuma also said the Security Council should not undermine the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was the sole and legitimate body for the verification of nuclear safeguards agreements.
”The United Nations should also seriously review the role of sanctions as a useful tool that needs to be used judiciously and with care,” Dlamini-Zuma said.
”Sanctions should support peacemaking and peace building rather than impede it.”
SA is scheduled to take up its seat in January and hold it for two years. – Sapa