Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

SOUTH Africa is determined to assist conflict-ravaged countries and in keeping with this approach we will move to advance a more rigorous debate and dynamic interaction between members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), on ways to secure predictable, sustainable and flexible resources for regional organisations such as the African Union (AU), to bolster the core mandate of the UNSC in maintaining international security and peace. In the same vein, South Africa will endeavour to marshal the collective will of the UN to co- operate constructively in the areas of conflict prevention, resolution and management, mediation support, early warning and support for the Panel of the Wise as well as the utilisation of the good offices of the Secretary-General.

Ultimately, South Africa's commitment to the greater objective of international peace and security in fulfilment of our international obligations and as a key cornerstone of our foreign policy, is manifested by the deployment of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in northern Uganda as part of the AU Mission, as well as under the aegis of the UN in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal, Darfur, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Our engagement and co- operation with Australia finds constructive expression in the broader framework of South- South co-operation. We anticipate that our bilateral political and economic relations with Australia will assume a greater strategic and practical focus on issues of common interest and concern. In concert with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's declaration that Australia will adopt an ambitious new 'activist' stance on international issues, committing the country to ''creative, middle power diplomacy as the best means of enhancing Australia's national interests'', we envisage that our future relations with Australia will be informed by robust multilateral engagement in such areas as UN Reform, Human Rights, WTO- DOHA, Climate Change and global security. Consequently, we will encourage Prime Minister Rudd and his Government to pursue a more constructive and meaningful engagement with South Africa and Africa in general. In this regard, we will work tirelessly to ensure that key ministers visit South Africa and indeed other African countries in the course of 2008 and beyond, to build their knowledge and understanding of the African political landscape and socio-economic dynamic. We are also confident that the revitalisation of such important bilateral political and economic co-operation mechanisms as the Joint Ministerial Commission and the senior officials consultations between our two countries, will continue to anchor our growing trade, investment and commercial partnerships in areas such as manufacturing, services and mining, as well burgeoning academic, science, research, knowledge transfer, cultural and sports linkages within the framework of people-to-people co-operation. In keeping with our primary objective to support the expansion of trade, investment and commercial linkages with Australia, the High Commission in conjunction with South African Tourism and South African Airways hosted a trade and investment conference in Brisbane on March 28, 2008. The conference was a follow-up to the highly successful inaugural conference in Sydney in March 2007 as part of our ongoing efforts to engender among Australian government and business leaders a greater understanding and enhanced

awareness of South Africa's challenges and opportunities, also from a continental perspective.As such, we were particularly pleased to welcome our Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Elizabeth Thabethe as our keynote speaker, where she had the opportunity to address an influential government and business audience on South Africa's economic policy environment, programs, incentives, SME development and other areas of interest to the Australian business and investment sectors. Apart from her participation at the conference, the Deputy Minister was hosted on an official program from March 24 to 27 2008 by Queensland Premier Anna Bligh, as a further demonstration of the deepening relations between South Africa and the State of Queensland. A common thread characterising South Africa's co-operation with Australian stakeholders at federal, state, local government, business and people-to-people levels has focussed on skills development and training, in support of South Africa's Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) program. Consequently, in the year ahead we will work towards identifying and sourcing of skills development and capacity building opportunities for South African graduates by way of placements, internships and other human resources development interventions in Australia. The South African Government, in tandem with the African continent has acknowledged the importance of the global African Diaspora to the development of the continent. In recognition of the need to constructively engage the African Diaspora in dialogue and partnership in support of the continent's economic, social and cultural rebirth, the African Union in 2006 mandated South Africa to host a global Africa- African Diaspora Summit in 2008, with the objective of producing a shared vision of sustainable development for both the African continent and the Diaspora. In the lead up to this event, six Regional African Diaspora Consultative Conferences have been held in London, Brazil, Barbados, Paris, South Africa and Addis Ababa in preparing for this landmark Summit. At the very heart of this initiative, is the desire by African Governments to unite Africa and its Diaspora in sustainable and enduring dialogue and partnerships for the advancement and betterment of the continent in all aspects of human endeavour. Within this context, we are proud of the significant contribution that continues to be made by the large and highly skilled South African expatriate community to Australia's expanding economic development and prosperity. Indeed, we are hopeful that through an ongoing

process of dialogue and interaction, the South African Diaspora will generously embrace the Summit Program of Action by assisting the South African Government to meet its skills development targets under the Deputy President's JIPSA program. Undoubtedly, we will prevail on the goodwill and loyalty of the South African Diaspora in Australia that it may be harnessed in support of our singular quest to build a better life and a shared prosperity for all South Africans. Collectively and in partnership with all South Africans, we shall ensure that this dream is realised. Therefore, let us fully embrace and rally to the President's call of a 'Business Unusual' approach and attitude, towards successfully meeting the aspirations and dreams of all South Africans in striving for a better South Africa in a better Africa and a better world.