The South African government has called for wide-ranging reforms to the United Nations (UN) in a bid to enable emerging economies (EM) to have an effective voice in the global community.
Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Dr Naledi Pandor on Friday said that the UN must be strengthened to play the development support role expected of it, and promote its collaboration with continental and regional bodies.
Pandor said the key to the success of the UN and all international law would be an even playing field in which there were no double standards and where rules and principles apply to all and protect all equally.
“South Africa also calls for dedicated attention to reform of the United Nations to make it fit for the 21st century and beyond,” Pandor said.
“The privilege that a few powerful countries enjoy of determining the decisions and character of the UN should be brought to an end and a more open and democratic institution should be constructed by all its members.”
Pandor was speaking at the G20 Foreign Minister Meeting in Bali, Indonesia, about “strengthening multilateralism”.
The G20 meeting discussed global agriculture issues in the midst of rising food prices, the gap in the flow of green investment between developed and developing countries, and the impact of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the global economy, among others.
South Africa’s strong stance on the composition of the UN comes as it continues to push for the waiver of intellectual property rights to life-saving vaccines for equitable access.
Most intellectual property rights to vaccines are owned by large pharmaceutical companies in the developed world which also constitute the biggest voice at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN.
At the recent World Trade Organisation (WTO) 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Member States agreed on a deal that temporarily removes intellectual property barriers around patents for Covid-19 vaccines, and postponed the discussions on extending the waiver to treatments and tests by six months.
Pandor said South Africa firmly believed multilateral institutions were vitally important for a rules-based global community that exists to assist countries to effectively navigate a complex global economy.
The minister said nearly all emerging economies were exhibiting signs of slowing growth and a looming economic crisis, and did not have the means to respond effectively as the least developed countries.
For instance, Pandor pointed out how poor countries had not been able to fully access the special drawing rights from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which were agreed upon as post-Covid recovery interventions.
Last year, the IMF approved a general allocation of Special Drawing Rights equivalent to $650 billion to boost global liquidity, with only about $275bn going to emerging markets and developing countries, including low-income countries.
“These agreements have not been fully acted upon and have not resulted in the economic turnaround anticipated when we adopted declarations in a range of settings,” Pandor said.
“We would like to see a clear message emerge from this meeting that no country or region can progress in splendid isolation. We need to pursue the challenge of trade growth and transformation together.”
BUSINESS REPORT