A critical year ahead for South Africa at the United Nations Security Council

This research paper analyzes the strategic challenges and opportunities facing South Africa during its second year as a member of the UN Security Council, focusing on its efforts to lead the African agenda and manage relations with other African states.

• South Africa's success in its second year on the UN Security Council depends on three primary factors: restoring relations between the African Union (AU) and the Security Council, implementing a more methodical approach to African conflicts, and achieving a unified voice with other African members, specifically Morocco.
• South Africa aims to secure a permanent seat for Africa on the Security Council as part of its global multilateral governance reform agenda; consequently, its ability to build consensus on conflict resolution is a key metric for the continent's evaluation of the country.
• Building African consensus is hindered by the AU's slow decision-making and a tendency for African states to ignore AU decisions, as seen when several states voted for Morocco despite an AU resolution supporting Togo and Mauritania.
• Morocco's election to the Security Council presents a challenge because it is not an AU member due to the Western Sahara dispute, but its status as the second largest African foreign direct investor on the continent necessitates a pragmatic cooperative approach from South Africa.
• South Africa views Sudan as a potential starting point for cooperation with Morocco, leveraging Morocco's membership in the Arab League and its relations with Sudan to move beyond the Security Council's current ad hoc strategy for the region.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2012). A critical year ahead for South Africa at the United Nations Security Council. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-critical-year-ahead-for-south-africa-at-the-united-nations-security-council/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. A critical year ahead for South Africa at the United Nations Security Council. 2012. https://saiia.org.za/research/a-critical-year-ahead-for-south-africa-at-the-united-nations-security-council/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=A critical year ahead for South Africa at the United Nations Security Council |date=24 January 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/a-critical-year-ahead-for-south-africa-at-the-united-nations-security-council/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2012critical, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{A critical year ahead for South Africa at the United Nations Security Council}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/a-critical-year-ahead-for-south-africa-at-the-united-nations-security-council/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }