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CURRENT
DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICAN DIPLOMACY - Marie Muller
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 INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS,
CONFERENCES AND AGREEMENTS: THE IMPORTANCE OF MULTILATERALISM
International Organisations, Conferences
and Agreements: the Importance of Multilateralism
As was mentioned before, the Multilateral Branch of the DFA has become very prominent
and active largely as a result of the shifts in South African foreign policy as well as
the fact that South Africa is once more acceptable in international society and has joined
a great many international organisations. This is a reflection of the importance attached
to membership of international organisations, the demands of effective participation in
international conferences, the need for the conclusion of many new agreements in a
globalising world, and the special importance the new government attaches to certain
issues (such as non-proliferation and disarmament). South Africa has concluded increasing
numbers of international agreements,(66) many of them
multilateral, and has in fact been called to positions of leadership in some important
international fora. This includes the election of South Africa as Chairperson of SADC
(Southern African Development Community) at its Summit in August 1996, a position the
country will hold until 31 August 1999,(67) the
chairing of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in April-May
1996, and the assumption of the UNCTAD presidency by South Africa’s Trade and
Industry Minister, as well as the hosting of the NAM Summit in the second half of 1998 and
the assumption of the chair of the organisation by South Africa .(68) The country is also co-founder of some new
international arrangements, such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional
Cooperation.(69 ) South Africa is now participating in
a vast number of international organisations on a regular basis.(70)
The extensive involvement of the country in multilateral affairs is reflected in the
Annual Report of the Multilateral Branch of the DFA, which was published for the first
time in June 1996 and again in June 1997.(71) The
activities of this Branch of the Department revolve around at least five or six main
functional areas: international economic affairs (including relations with the European
Union, alignment with the Lomé Convention, South-South co-operation, multilateral
development issues, UNCTAD, and the promotion of trade, investment and tourism);
environmental, scientific and technical affairs (which includes such issue areas as
conservation, marine, maritime and Antarctic affairs, liaison with some of the specialised
agencies such as FAO, UNESCO and WHO, and even narcotics and crime prevention, and
satellite telecommunication); disarmament and non-proliferation (which was explained in
some detail as a prominent aspect of current South African foreign policy); political and
security affairs (which includes liaison with and participation at the United Nations
(UN), the Commonwealth and, until the creation of a separate Chief Directorate for this
purpose, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)); social affairs (which refer to human rights and
humanitarian affairs and also include such issues as migration and humanitarian disaster
relief assistance; and, until this was moved to Branch: Africa, regional development
affairs (which focus mainly on SADC).
The report of the Multilateral Branch lists a variety of international commitments,
involvements and responsibilities taken on by South Africa in the fields mentioned. All of
this has not only meant greatly increased activity for South African officials, but also a
vastly increased need for thorough knowledge about issues and procedures, the ability to
communicate easily and effectively with the representatives of other participating
countries and to report accurately and timeously on developments and results achieved. As
the old South Africa was so thoroughly isolated from multilateral diplomacy in most areas,
the country starts with a very serious lack of experience, skills and knowledge. This has
been further depleted by the loss of some experienced people in the process of attempting
to rectify the non-representativeness of the DFA as a whole. Though some affirmative
appointments doubtless contributed to the pool of experience and skills, the
ever-increasing needs in these areas are putting tremendous strain on the diplomatic
ability of South Africa. Function-specific as well as diplomatic training are going a long
way towards dealing with this, as well as frequent consultations with academics, experts
and other members of civil society.(72) It seems to
have almost become DFA practice to involve such "outsiders" in various aspects
of the performance of its functions, such as the development of policy, the working out of
some of the details of its implementation, and consultations with overseas visitors. In
some ways this may be quite innovative and it certainly is a deviation from the past.
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