• South Africa expresses its sincere appreciation for the sustained struggle that was waged to ensure that we end the apartheid crime against humanity.
• This was a determining factor in South Africa’s decision to rejoin the Commonwealth following the election of the first democratic Government in 1994.
• The modern Commonwealth is a key contributor towards advancing South Africa’s national interest and in providing a platform for South Africa to galvanise efforts towards creating a “better Africa and better world”.
• The Commonwealth’s work and programmes of action are in line with South Africa’s national priorities: capacity-building, economic and social development, the removal of disparities in living standards, and the alleviation of poverty and illiteracy, which are also some of the pressing challenges of the current decade.

• South Africa’s active participation in CHOGM ensured that the need to address poverty was placed high on the world agenda.
• Although sub-Saharan African economies grew by an average of nearly 5% over the last decade, nearly every African country faces serious challenges of achieving consistent economic growth.
• To maintain and even accelerate growth and economic opportunities going forward, countries must address the binding constraints posed by the region’s lack of infrastructure.
• The global economy is uncertain and turbulent, and developed and least developed nations need to collaborate to invigorate the world economy.
• The work of the Commonwealth in the area of small states and their problems regarding economic vulnerability and capacity-building is of great value to not only the Commonwealth but also for the global economic outlook.

• South Africa supports multilateral diplomacy as one of the means to advance its foreign policy where membership of the Commonwealth provides a platform to deepen North-South and South-South cooperation.
• The Commonwealth programmes are cross-cutting and address two of the most fundamental issues strongly supported by South Africa: the United Nations’ (UN) millennium development goals (MDGs) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
• South Africa is dedicated to African unity and integration within the framework of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. This includes the strengthening of continental institutions which are critical in responding to the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, peace, security and stability on the continent.
• The portfolio of country and African regional projects is about 28% of all projects delivered by the CHOGM Secretariat. Approximately 81 projects were under implementation in Africa during 2009/10, disbursed mainly across four programmes: Public Sector Development, Economic Development, Human Development and Democracy and Consensus-Building. The total value of assistance to the African region and the countries within was close to £3,5 million.
• South Africa advocates for countries of the North to be more responsive to the needs of developing countries and for countries of the South, which represent the majority of developing countries in the world, to play a more visible role in global affairs.

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to sustainable development and demands that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties 17 puts in place the necessary building blocks to deliver a balanced agreement that takes historical responsibilities into account.

• South Africa will implement nationally appropriate mitigation actions, which will result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 34% by 2020 and by 42% in 2025.
• The extent to which this commitment is achieved depends on the provision of finance, technology and capacity-building support by developed countries and through the UN climate change regime.
• South Africa is seized with ensuring a legally binding climate change agreement that will govern the world’s response to the increasingly visible effects of climate change and reiterates that any final agreement must support the developmental agenda of the South.
• If climate change is not addressed, its impact will undermine the developmental gains and the progress that South Africa, the Southern African Development Community and the African continent have made to achieve the MDGs.

• In the current global economic and fiscal context, it is important that all options are considered to meet the financing needs of developing and low-income countries.
• South Africa supports efforts that explore ways of identifying additional resources for the financing of development and the fight against climate change.
• Although sub-Saharan African economies grew by an average of nearly 5% annually over the last decade, nearly every African country faces serious challenges in providing a steady and reliable supply of electricity.
• To maintain and even accelerate growth and economic opportunities going forward, countries must address the binding constraints posed by the region’s lack of energy infrastructure.

• The G20 should play an active role in low-income countries and sub-Saharan Africa, by narrowing the development gap and reducing poverty to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth and ensure a more robust and resilient global economy for all.
• President Jacob Zuma leads the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Sub-Committee on Infrastructure whose primary objective is to contribute towards intra-Africa trade through the construction of road and rail infrastructure in the North-South Corridor, which includes the Southern African Development Community, East African Community and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa regions.
• Commemoration of the African Union-adopted Africa Food and Nutrition Security Day annually on 30 October, serves as a rallying point to intensify commitments from all stakeholders to address the challenges of food, nutrition insecurity and malnutrition in Africa.
• South Africa needs to continue lobbying developed countries to mobilise resources to support growth and development. Developing countries should be recognised as equal partners in the development of their economies. South Africa’s priority areas within the G20 are shaped by its domestic agenda and development priorities.
• South Africa will share its experiences with G20 countries on measures to strengthen financial regulation.

South Africa is committed to transforming institutions of global governance and calls on Northern countries to be more responsive to the needs of developing countries, and for the South to play a more visible role in global affairs.

• South Africa’s constructive role in the multilateral arena will be put to the test as host of the 17the Conference of Parties (COP17/CMP 7) on climate change at the end of this year. This event will serve to highlight the impact of climate change on the country and on the African continent, which has been the hardest hit by climate change effects. This platform will also provide South Africa with an opportunity to showcase successful implementation of its green initiatives.
• South Africa will use its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council as an opportunity to contribute to reforming the working methods of the council and to work towards the achievement of a representative, legitimate and more effective council.
• As part of the G20 and the Group of 5 (G5 – the five emerging nations), South Africa will use its new BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) membership to push for a developmental position on multilateral forums, including on contentious issues such as climate change and agricultural trade.
• South Africa is the only African nation represented in the G20 and hosted the G20 Development Working Group meeting, which it co-chaired with France and South Korea. Given the current challenges facing the global economy, in particular the needs of low-income and developing countries, South Africa calls G20 leaders to adhere to commitments made on the reform of the international financial institutions. South Africa co-chairs the G20 International Monetary Fund Reform Working Group with Australia.