South African Foreign Policy and the UN Security Council: Assessing its Impact on the African Peace and Security Architecture

This policy brief examines South Africa's two terms as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in 2007–2008 and 2011–2012. It focuses on South Africa's efforts to strengthen the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) by formalising institutional links between the UNSC and the African Union (AU), advocating for predictable financial resources, and promoting the role of regional organisations in security management under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.

• South Africa used its tenure on the UN Security Council to advocate for a revised relationship between the UN and regional organisations, specifically focusing on Chapter VIII of the UN Charter to enhance the role of regional security management.
• A primary driver for South Africa's agenda was the gap between the African Union's (AU) goals and its actual capacity to secure the political support and resources needed for regional crises, noting that approximately 70% of UNSC issues involve Africa.
• During its first term, South Africa facilitated the adoption of UNSC Resolution 1809 (2008), which aimed to improve the coordination and financing of peacekeeping operations and established an AU/UN panel to support AU peace support operations.
• In its second term (2011–2012), South Africa advanced its 'African Agenda' through UNSC Resolution 2033 (2012), which reiterated the necessity for financial and logistical support that is 'predictable, sustainable and flexible'.
• The initiatives led by South Africa resulted in concrete institutional developments, including the 2010 launch of the AU–UN joint taskforce on peace and security, the opening of the UN Office to the AU in Addis Ababa, and the AU’s Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York.
• The author argues that South Africa's approach promotes a 'hub and spoke' model that devolves decision-making authority to regional organisations, offering a potential alternative to the stalled process of formal UNSC reform.
• Despite these achievements, the document notes that cooperation between the UNSC and regional bodies often remains 'improvisational and ad hoc', with resistance from Western members of the Permanent Five regarding sustained financial support for the AU.

APA

Alden, C. (2015). South African Foreign Policy and the UN Security Council: Assessing its Impact on the African Peace and Security Architecture. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-20.pdf

Chicago

Alden, Chris. South African Foreign Policy and the UN Security Council: Assessing its Impact on the African Peace and Security Architecture. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-20.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alden |first1=Chris |title=South African Foreign Policy and the UN Security Council: Assessing its Impact on the African Peace and Security Architecture |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=20 June 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-20.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alden2015south, author = {Alden, Chris}, title = {{South African Foreign Policy and the UN Security Council: Assessing its Impact on the African Peace and Security Architecture}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Policy-Insights-20.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }