The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has reached an advanced stage of its preparation for South Africa's third term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
To arm itself for the term, DIRCO is hosting a two-day workshop from 13 to 14 November 2018 with the incoming, current and outgoing elected members (E10) of the UNSC.
The current members of the E10 are Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Peru, Poland and Sweden.
While countries joining the UNSC from January 2019 to serve a two-year term are Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa.
“The dialogue is an unprecedented engagement. It brings together, in a unique setting, the elected members of the United Nations Security Council to discuss issues of mutual cooperation and opportunities for better coordination,” said DIRCO Minister Lindiwe Sisulu.
The workshop, which South Africa is co-hosting with Sweden, aims at sharing experiences and ideas among the elected members of the UNSC for better coordination on the work of the council.
The participants are expected to map out the role of the elected members of the UNSC, the challenges and opportunities of membership, the way forward and the future of E10 cooperation.
Participants at the workshop are also looking at civil society’s perspectives in relation to the work of this important organ of the UN. – SAnews.gov.za
