National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010

The National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010 from the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) reviews the global and regional geopolitical landscape following the global financial crisis. It highlights South Africa's role in the G20 and the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, discusses political instability in Africa—specifically in Zimbabwe, Niger, Nigeria, DRC, and Sudan—and outlines the Zuma administration's foreign policy priorities, including strengthened ties with Angola, Brazil, and the UK.

• The global financial crisis shifted the center of financial power toward the east and demonstrated that the G7/8 could not manage such turbulence alone, leading to the elevation of the G20 Finance Forum to a leadership level. South Africa's membership in the G20 is viewed as a way to influence the reconfiguration of global economic governance.
• At the December 2009 Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, South Africa acted as a bridge-builder and a key member of the BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China). It helped form the 'commitment circle' to facilitate the adoption of the Copenhagen Accord after negotiators failed to produce a workable text.
• Political stability in Africa is described as fragile, with democratic transitions being reversible. Specific concerns include the breakdown of talks between the MDC and ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe, a coup d'état in Niger, deteriorating situations in Nigeria (specifically the Niger Delta and religious tensions), and ongoing crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
• Under the Zuma administration, South African foreign policy has focused on specific bilateral relations: strengthening ties with Angola to enhance regional security and economic cooperation, accelerating South-South ties through engagement with Brazil, and maintaining North-South relations with the UK, with a goal to double trade and investment with the UK over five years.
• The South African government established the South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA) to streamline and ensure the efficacy of its development cooperation and post-conflict support across Africa.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2010). National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010. https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2010/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010. 2010. https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2010/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010 |date=18 March 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2010/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2010national, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{National Chairman's Annual Statement 2010}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2010/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }