National Chairman's Annual Statement 2009

The National Chairman of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) assesses the impact of the 2009 global financial crisis on the Western liberal order and the African continent. The statement advocates for Africa to avoid protectionism and instead develop a 'global stimulus plan' focused on infrastructure and clean energy. It calls for a new South African white paper on post-transformation foreign policy that aligns national interests with domestic socio-economic needs. Finally, it identifies climate change as a critical threat to 'global public goods' that requires active African participation in finding sustainable development paths.

• The 2009 financial crisis demonstrated the extreme interconnectedness of the global economy, where a US sub-prime crisis triggered the collapse of Wall Street, reduced exports in China, Europe, and Latin America, and ended the commodity boom in Africa.
• To counter the economic meltdown, Africa is encouraged to implement a 'global stimulus plan' consisting of a continent-wide pipeline of projects focused on roads, rail, port facilities, and clean energy to create jobs and stimulate global economic activity.
• The author recommends that the South African government produce a new white paper on a 'post-transformation foreign policy' to assess past successes and failures and align national priorities with the 21st-century global environment.
• Climate change is identified as a primary new threat to 'global public goods,' necessitating that Africans actively participate in the global search for a sustainable development path.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2009). National Chairman's Annual Statement 2009. https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2009/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. National Chairman's Annual Statement 2009. 2009. https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2009/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=National Chairman's Annual Statement 2009 |date=17 March 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2009/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2009national, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{National Chairman's Annual Statement 2009}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/news/national-chairmans-annual-statement-2009/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }