South Africa

1
South Africas relations with the G8 - a preview
of the Genoa Summit

• Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on
  Foreign Affairs by Mr AS Minty
• 6 June 2001

2
Introduction

• Importance of the G8
• Informal grouping
• Interaction with developing countries
• NAM interaction with G8 and EU at UN
• NAM Chair letter to President of G8
• NAM Foreign Ministers meeting with G8 President,
  prior to Summit

3
Introduction (cont.)

• Cologne - NAM Troika breakfast with G8 Foreign
  Ministers
• Repeated in Okinawa
• Reply from President of G8

4
Key issues for the South

• Development / poverty reduction
• Debt
• Reform of institutions of global governance
• Conflict Prevention
• Disarmament

5
Key issues for the South (cont.)

• Health
• Education
• Digital Divide
• Women and Children
• Literacy
• Water

6
Mandates

• OAU mandate regarding Africas debt - Presidents
  of Algeria and South Africa
• South Summit mandated Chair of South Summit and
  Chair of NAM to engage G8 and others
• OAU Togo - mandate to 3 Heads to work on MAP

7
The G8 Okinawa Summit - June 2000

• NAM Foreign Ministers met with G8 Foreign
  Ministers
• Interaction between Heads of State/Government of
  G8 and developing countries
• Unprecedented focus on development issues

8
G8 Okinawa Summit (cont.)

• Major initiatives regarding the following
• Health (Infectious Diseases Initiative) -
  commitment to reduce the number of young people
  with HIV by 25, by the year 2010
• Education (funding commitment)
• Conflict prevention
• Digital Divide (DOT Force)

9
G8 Okinawa Summit (cont.)

• Communique (www.g7.utoronto.ca)
• September 2000 (United Nations) - Japanese PM
  invited 3 Presidents to a meeting - follow-up on
  Summit

10
UN Millennium Summit

• Progress at Okinawa facilitated endorsement of
  Millennium Declaration
• Millennium Declaration, Chapter VII
• We will support the consolidation of democracy in
  Africa and assist Africans in their struggle for
  lasting peace, poverty eradication and
  sustainable development, thereby bringing Africa
  into the mainstream of the world economy.

11
UN Millennium Summit (cont.)

• Resolved to
• give full support to the political and
  institutional structures of emerging democracies
  in Africa.
• encourage and sustain regional and subregional
  mechanisms for preventing conflict and promoting
  political stability, and to ensure a reliable
  flow of resources for peacekeeping operations on
  the continent.

12
UN Millennium Summit (cont.)

• Take special measures to address the challenges
  of poverty eradication and sustainable
  development in Africa, including debt
  cancellation, improved market access, enhanced
  Official Development Assistance (ODA), and
  increased flows of Foreign Direct Investment
  (FDI) as well as transfers of technology.

13
UN Millennium Summit (cont.)

• Help Africa build up its capacity to tackle the
  spread of HIV/AIDS pandemic and other infectious
  diseases.
• International Development Targets (including
  halving poverty by 2015) endorsed by UN and G8

14
G8 Genoa Summit

• NAM Chairs letter to be conveyed by Foreign
  Ministers
• Dialogue with developing countries expected to
  continue
• Question regarding representation of the South

15
G8 Genoa Summit (cont.)

• Change in Italian Government
• Focus on three themes
• Poverty reduction
• Italian Presidency document Beyond Debt Relief -
  calls for opening of markets, attention to
  attracting private investment, and targeted aid
  for health and education
• Proposed establishment of Global Health Fund

16
G8 Genoa Summit (cont.)

• The Global Environment
• Kyoto Protocol
• Johannesburg 2002
• Conflict Prevention
• Focus areas
• Small Arms and Light Weapons
• Conflict and Development
• Illicit Trade in Diamonds
• Children in Armed Conflict
• International Civil Police
• Women and conflict
• Corporate responsibility

17
G8 Genoa Summit (cont.)

• Other key issues
• WTO - positive positions of EU, Canada and Japan.
  US Administration in favour of trade
  liberalisation - extent of sensitivity to
  developing country concerns not clear
• Debt relief - 22 countries have qualified in
  terms of HIPC
• Debts to G8 countries to be forgiven (debts to
  IMF and World Bank not)

18
G8 Genoa Summit (cont.)

• Other key issues (cont.)
• Reform of the international financial
  architecture (IFA)

19
Conclusion

• Interaction with G8 determine who represents
  developing countries
• Format for interaction at Head of
  State/Government level needs to be clarified
• G8s key role regarding MAP
• President Mbekis interaction with individual G8
  leaders