South Africa has failed to champion human rights in the world but that’s changing

The author argues that South Africa's foreign policy for twenty-five years has often contradicted its own constitutional human rights principles, frequently shielding rights-abusing regimes to maintain an 'anti-imperialist' stance against the West. This is evidenced by its voting records on the UN Human Rights Council, where it historically supported authoritarian states and opposed investigations into human rights violations. However, the document notes a shift starting in 2019, with South Africa supporting investigations into Myanmar and Yemen, and showing renewed support for LGBTI rights reporting.

• South Africa's foreign policy has historically prioritised an 'anti-imperialist' struggle over human rights, leading it to shield rights-abusing regimes. During its 2006-2010 UN Human Rights Council membership, it voted to protect regimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, and helped Sri Lanka avoid accountability for war crimes.
• Despite invoking its democratic history, South Africa's voting record on the UN Human Rights Council shows a lack of support for democratic processes. Out of more than 100 votes, it only supported a 2016 resolution on human rights defenders and two votes against hostile amendments to a 2014 resolution on civil society.
• South Africa's approach to country-specific investigations has been inconsistent, consistently backing resolutions against Israel while typically abstaining or voting against incisive investigations into other countries.
• Since 2019, South Africa has shown a detectable shift toward supporting human rights investigations and LGBTI rights. It supported resolutions urging criminal prosecution for crimes in Myanmar, extended an investigation into the Yemeni Civil War, and supported a resolution for reporting on the persecution of LGBTI persons.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2021). South Africa has failed to champion human rights in the world but that’s changing. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-has-failed-to-champion-human-rights-in-the-world-but-thats-changing/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. South Africa has failed to champion human rights in the world but that’s changing. 2021. https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-has-failed-to-champion-human-rights-in-the-world-but-thats-changing/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=South Africa has failed to champion human rights in the world but that’s changing |date=22 April 2021 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-has-failed-to-champion-human-rights-in-the-world-but-thats-changing/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2021south, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{South Africa has failed to champion human rights in the world but that’s changing}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/south-africa-has-failed-to-champion-human-rights-in-the-world-but-thats-changing/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }