Cape Town – During bilateral talks held on Tuesday, Germany and South Africa focused on global security issues, with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, once again advocating for United Nations (UN) reform.
South Africa has long been campaigning for permanent representation for Africa on the UN Security Council. Minister Pandor expressed her desire to explore avenues for cooperation between the two countries regarding the women, peace, and security agenda.
On her inaugural visit to South Africa, German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock aimed to gain a deeper understanding of South Africa’s perspective on the current global landscape.
During Baerbock’s reception in Pretoria on Tuesday, Minister Pandor acknowledged that the global situation had significantly changed since the countries’ last bilateral talks in early 2020.
“Today, we face different but equally serious global challenges in Africa and elsewhere in the world, including Europe, where the conflict in Ukraine has had global implications,” stated Pandor.
She emphasized Germany’s invaluable partnership in South Africa’s just energy transition, climate change efforts, and vaccine development. Furthermore, Pandor expressed South Africa’s interest in collaborating to improve the lives of women in conflict-ridden countries such as Afghanistan, Palestine, Mali, and Sudan.
“South Africa and Germany share common values in peace and security matters, human rights, climate change and sustainability, as well as economic development. Both countries believe in the necessity of United Nations reform to effectively pursue these values, which we will discuss as part of our agenda,” added Pandor.
South Africa holds the position of Germany’s largest trading partner in Africa, while Germany ranks as the third-largest source of overseas visitors to South Africa.
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