The 2012 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration

The 2012 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration calls for international and national action on environmental sustainability, the eradication of poverty in Least Developed Countries, and the transition to renewable energy in South Africa. It further advocates for universal education through improved infrastructure and teacher support, and proposes a specific structural reform of the UN Security Council to ensure fairer regional representation, particularly for Africa.

• The youth call for the international community to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals from the Rio+20 Conference and reaffirm Millennium Development Goal 7, which focuses on integrating sustainable development into national policies to reverse environmental resource loss.
• Regarding Africa, the declaration urges the recognition of dependency in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), calling for aid to be targeted at vulnerable citizens and the cessation of LDC resource exploitation.
• The document demands that the South African Government transition from non-renewable to renewable energy sources and implement a 'Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility' policy requiring businesses above a certain turnover to contribute a percentage of revenue to environmental initiatives.
• To promote urban and rural sustainability in South Africa, the youth recommend that new housing and infrastructure be equipped with renewable resource utilization and that municipalities maintain greenbelt areas to mitigate micro-climate effects.
• The declaration advocates for universal education by calling for increased scholarships, the construction of more local schools, the use of ICT systems in Africa, and the creation of financial incentives to increase the number of teachers globally.
• The youth propose a reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) that includes restricting the veto to matters under Chapter VII of the UN Charter (excluding Article 41) and creating a 'third category' of membership with four five-year terms for representatives from Africa (two), Latin America and the Caribbean (one), and Asia-Pacific (one).
• The declaration specifically urges the South African government to bid for one of the proposed new African seats in the UNSC's Third Category, citing the country's political and economic stability.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2012). The 2012 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2012-SAIIA-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The 2012 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration. 2012. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2012-SAIIA-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The 2012 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration |date=2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2012-SAIIA-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs20122012, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The 2012 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/2012-SAIIA-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }