Coming into its own: An analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the UNSC

The analysis finds that South Africa has become more confident in the UNSC, increasing its co-sponsorship of resolutions and successfully promoting its 'African Agenda'. While it has improved cooperation with other African members and fostered South-South and North-South partnerships, it faces ongoing challenges in securing permanent representation for Africa on the Council and maintaining its status as the continent's leading driver on international issues.

• South Africa's presence on the UNSC has seen an increase in confidence, evidenced by a rise in co-sponsored resolutions. In 2011, South Africa co-sponsored 10 resolutions, compared to only two in 2007 and four in 2008.
• There is a significant and increasing focus on African issues within the UNSC. In 2011, 65% of the 66 resolutions passed (43 resolutions) concerned African issues, an increase from the 56% of 123 resolutions involving the continent during South Africa's first tenure.
• South Africa has successfully pursued its 'African Agenda' by strengthening the relationship between the UN and regional organisations. This was highlighted during its January 2012 Presidency with a High-Level debate leading to the adoption of resolution 2033, following the earlier adoption of Resolution 1809.
• South Africa's voting behavior generally aligns with its African agenda and AU decisions, though it has faced criticism for inconsistencies. It voted against sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2008 to support regional mediation and abstained from a 2011 resolution on Syria due to a perceived "hidden agenda of regime change". However, its support for Resolution 1973 on Libya was criticized as being out of step with its BRICS counterparts.
• South Africa advocates for the democratic reform of the UNSC, arguing that Africa deserves a permanent seat because of the high volume of Council deliberations centered on African conflicts and the heavy deployment of UN peacekeepers on the continent.
• Despite its interim strategy of seeking back-to-back non-permanent terms, South Africa's long-term goal of permanent representation is uncertain. Challenges include skepticism over whether the UNSC will reform and whether South Africa is the preferred African representative, especially given the economic rise of Nigeria.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2012). Coming into its own: An analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the UNSC. https://saiia.org.za/research/coming-into-its-own-an-analysis-of-south-africas-voting-patterns-and-the-achievement-of-its-foreign-policy-goals-in-the-unsc/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Coming into its own: An analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the UNSC. 2012. https://saiia.org.za/research/coming-into-its-own-an-analysis-of-south-africas-voting-patterns-and-the-achievement-of-its-foreign-policy-goals-in-the-unsc/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Coming into its own: An analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the UNSC |date=7 May 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/coming-into-its-own-an-analysis-of-south-africas-voting-patterns-and-the-achievement-of-its-foreign-policy-goals-in-the-unsc/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2012coming, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Coming into its own: An analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the UNSC}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/coming-into-its-own-an-analysis-of-south-africas-voting-patterns-and-the-achievement-of-its-foreign-policy-goals-in-the-unsc/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }