South African peacebuilding needs new purpose

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies argues that South Africa has neglected its historical role as a leader in global peacebuilding and conflict resolution. It calls for a strategic renewal of the country's foreign policy, the professionalisation of its foreign service, and the establishment of a central coordination agency to align peacebuilding with trade and development goals.

• South Africa's engagement in global peacebuilding has declined, characterized by a lack of political will and a failure to prioritize new initiatives, which has diminished its international influence.
• There is a significant disconnect between South Africa's rhetorical commitments to peace and security and its actual financial and strategic actions, including a failure to make voluntary contributions to the UN Peacebuilding Fund since 2006.
• The African Renaissance and International Cooperation Fund (ARF) has become ineffective due to a lack of strategic direction and poor monitoring, with only 4% of disbursements over the last five years allocated to conflict resolution.
• South Africa lacks a comprehensive strategic plan to integrate its bilateral and multilateral peacebuilding efforts with long-term objectives for investment, trade, and development.
• The transition from the ARF to the South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA) has been stalled for over a decade, hindering the creation of a central government agency to coordinate development assistance.
• Recent legislative progress, specifically the signing of the Foreign Service Act, provides an opportunity to professionalise the foreign service and improve administrative cost-effectiveness.
• South Africa's current leadership as AU Chair has been marked by a lack of visible engagement in key initiatives, such as 'Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020' and the operationalisation of the AU Peace Fund, especially when compared to previous chairs Egypt and Rwanda.

APA

Singh, P. (2020). South African peacebuilding needs new purpose. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-154-2.pdf

Chicago

Singh, Priyal. South African peacebuilding needs new purpose. Institute for Security Studies, 2020. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-154-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Singh |first1=Priyal |title=South African peacebuilding needs new purpose |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2020 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-154-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{singh2020south, author = {Singh, Priyal}, title = {{South African peacebuilding needs new purpose}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2020}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-154-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }