DIRCO Annual Report

SUB-PROGRAMME 3.3: SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION The 12th Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Summit was preceded by a virtual meeting of BRICS sherpas and sous-sherpas from 5 to 16 November 2020 to finalise the Moscow Declaration. The Moscow Declaration, as adopted, has 97 paragraphs and covers all pillars of cooperation. The most controversial subject was United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reform with South Africa insisting that the status quo was patronising. Russia made a good faith effort to mediate. China, however, stated that the existing consensus was the maximum consensus and that this was not the right venue or time for this discussion. Brazil and India supported South Africa. The outcome was the deletion of language, which implied that China supported UNSC reform. Some other elements of benefit to South Africa in the Moscow Declaration include reference to the dissemination of a COVID vaccine in a fair, equitable and affordable basis, no roll-back of the previous language on the Middle East Peace Process, support for African Union (AU) programmes and objectives, agreement to cooperate on post-pandemic economic recovery, support for global economic governance reform, commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)_and the Paris Agreement and support for the operationalisation of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre (outcomes and concluded agreements referenced on page 12).

South Africa’s participation in BRICS continues to emphasise concrete cooperation that contributes both directly and indirectly to the priorities of a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world. The main objectives of South Africa’s engagement in BRICS are to enhance the future growth and development of South Africa, and to strengthen intra-BRICS relations and mutually beneficial cooperation across the three pillars of cooperation, namely policy and security, economy and finance, culture and people-to-people exchanges. The New Development Bank (NDB) is actively contributing to the ongoing efforts of BRICS countries to address the health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board of Governors approved a US$1 billion Emergency Assistance Programme for South Africa in 2020. South Africa will receive an additional US$1 billion from the NDB to support the country’s recovery from COVID-19 (announced on 8 April 2021). The Five-Year Strategy of the NDB states that by 2021, the NDB will be a global development financial institution extending its reach to all regions of the world. They look forward to welcoming a diverse range of new members to the bank in 2021, including key African countries (driven by South Africa’s efforts), deepening the bank’s capital base and strengthening its activities in the developing world. Our BRICS partnership continues to represent a powerful coalition of countries that ensures the centrality of multilateralism, that speaks out against unilateralism, protectionism and populism, and that calls for respect of international law and a reformed global order that is more equitable, inclusive and representative of current global realities. Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) • South Africa, as a founding member of IORA, continues to view this organisation as an important platform for the implementation of our economic diplomacy objectives, as well as for the advancement of our foreign policy, which upholds the importance of multilateralism and global collaboration in resolving challenges. The Indian Ocean region is geo-strategically important and a valuable resource with great potential for innovation, job creation and sustainable socio-economic development. South Africa serves as the “coordinating country” driving the implementation of the IORA Action Plan (2017 – 2021) in key areas such as the Blue Economy and in strengthening the association’s Institutional Arrangements and Broadening Engagements, which were

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