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Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System Date: 31 Dec 2010 Title: SA set to take up Security Council seat in 2011 -------------------- Pretoria - South Africa will start off the New Year on the global stage by assuming its seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. The country will begin serving on the Security Council for the second time on 1 January 2011, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said. SA was elected to the Security Council for the 2011 and 2012 term by 182 member states of the General Assembly in October 2010. South Africa previously served on the Security Council for the first time during the 2007 and 2008 term. "South Africa is committed to making a contribution to the work of the Council in the maintenance of international peace and security, especially in Africa, and through this, the betterment of the conditions and lives of all. To this end, South Africa will forge close partnerships with the other members of the Security Council," DIRCO said. The country will also continue with its efforts to promote and enhance the Security Council's cooperation with regional organisations, particularly the African Union's Peace and Security Council. UN Security Council membership will also give South Africa the opportunity to work towards achieving a representative, legitimate and more effective council, DIRCO added. "In its actions, South Africa will be guided by the commitment to upholding international law and universal values and to helping others protect or achieve their inherent and inalienable rights," said International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. DICRO said that it had assembled a "crack team" of diplomats for the important task of serving on the Security Council. - BuaNews. |
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