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Nuanced Balancing Act: South Africa’s National and International Interests and its ‘African Agenda’
This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) evaluates whether South Africa's 'African Agenda' and 'diplomacy of Ubuntu' align with its national interests and constitutional values. The author argues that South Africa is over-extended in its international engagements, often creating contradictions between its commitments to human rights and its strategic partnerships with authoritarian states.
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Document type: Research paper
SADC should sweat the small stuff
This report details a study based on interviews with approximately 50 companies to identify trade barriers within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It highlights a divide in perceived constraints between Southern African Customs Union (SACU) members and non-member states, emphasizing that while large-scale infrastructure projects are necessary, smaller regulatory and bureaucratic interventions are critical for fostering business growth, particularly for small-scale entrepreneurs.
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Document type: Report
DHL - SAIIA
This case study details the operational challenges faced by DHL in the SADC region, focusing on border inefficiencies, corruption, infrastructure deficits, and bureaucratic hurdles that impede the rapid delivery of packages.
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Document type: Case study
Rice Milling Company (Pvt.) Limited (RMC)
This case study examines the operational challenges faced by Rice Milling Company (Pvt.) Limited (RMC), a company that processes and exports rice and other food products from Malawi. It details barriers related to government pricing regulations, bureaucratic export permits, infrastructure inefficiencies, and a lack of technical skills in the local labor market.
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Document type: Case study
The Fridge Factory
This case study examines the operational challenges faced by Palfridge Limited, a manufacturer of camping, domestic, commercial, and solar refrigerators. The company struggles with customs inefficiencies at the border between South Africa and Swaziland, high electricity costs and instability, trade policy barriers regarding EU imports and Zimbabwean exports, and the loss of skilled local labor to the South African market.
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Document type: Case study
Nakara
This case study examines Nakara, a Namibian leather manufacturing company founded in 1980, detailing its operational structure, export markets, and the systemic regulatory and financial barriers it faces when trading with South Africa and other regions.
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Document type: Case study
Coming into Our Own: an Analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the United Nations Security Council
This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The author assesses the country's progress toward its 'African Agenda,' including goals of South-South and North-South cooperation and the pursuit of permanent African representation on the Council.
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Document type: Research paper
Coming into its own: An analysis of South Africa’s voting patterns and the achievement of its foreign policy goals in the UNSC
This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The author finds that South Africa has become more confident, increasing its co-sponsorship of resolutions and successfully promoting its 'African Agenda,' particularly regarding cooperation between the UNSC and the African Union (AU).
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Document type: Research paper
SEMINAR REPORT The Role of Resources in Africa’s future: Towards a vision for the governance of Africa’s natural resources
This seminar report, compiled by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), documents a March 2012 meeting in Kampala, Uganda. The event brought together 44 delegates to discuss the governance of Africa's natural resources, focusing on oil, mining, and renewable resources (land, forestry, and fisheries). The report highlights the tension between the potential for wealth generation and the risks of corruption, conflict, and 'elite capture', while emphasizing the need for transparency, local community inclusion, and African-led research and policy solutions.
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Document type: Report
Private sector views of the implementation of the SADC FTA
This briefing, produced by the South African Institute of International Affairs with support from the International Trade Centre, outlines private sector perspectives on the implementation of the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA). It identifies significant barriers to regional trade, including restrictive rules of origin, non-tariff barriers, and the complexities of overlapping membership in multiple regional economic communities.
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Document type: Briefing
The Tripartite FTA and the services sector
This policy briefing examines the proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) involving 26 member states from COMESA, EAC, and SADC, focusing specifically on the challenges and prospects of liberalising the services sector and the movement of business persons.
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Document type: Policy brief
Top 10 Business Constraints in SADC
This report, produced by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and GIZ, identifies the primary business and investment constraints within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. By analyzing multiple business climate surveys, indices, and the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the study establishes a list of the top ten barriers to investment and development to facilitate public-private dialogue and the creation of practical policy solutions.
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Document type: Report
les enseignements du rapport SREX rédigé par le GIEC et des catastrophes en Afrique : Gestion des extrêmes climatiques
This report, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesizes the findings of the IPCC's SREX report specifically for African policymakers. It examines the interaction between climate extremes, human vulnerability, and disaster risk management (DRM), emphasizing that disaster risks in Africa are increasing due to both climate change and socio-economic factors such as rapid urbanization and poor governance. The document provides regional observations and projections for temperature and precipitation extremes across Africa and advocates for the integration of DRM and climate change adaptation into national development planning to build long-term resilience.
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Document type: Report
Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in Africa: Lessons from the SREX report
This 2012 report synthesizes the IPCC SREX findings for Africa, highlighting that disaster risk is increasing due to higher exposure of vulnerable populations. It details observed and projected increases in temperature and dryness across various sub-regions, warns that current extremes will become the 'new normal' by 2100, and emphasizes the high vulnerability of the agricultural sector and coastal cities. The document advocates for a shift from reactive to proactive, transformational disaster risk management that integrates local knowledge, high-level political leadership, and international financial support.
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Document type: Report
Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters in the Health Sector: Lessons from the IPCC SREX Report
This briefing, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesises findings from the IPCC SREX report specifically for the health sector. It examines how climate extremes—such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts—interact with human vulnerability and exposure to create disaster risks, and provides a framework for health policy-makers to integrate disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA).
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Document type: Briefing
Globalisation and human rights in Africa
This report documents the 5th African Conference of Commandants (ACoC), held from 28–30 November 2011 in Gaborone, Botswana. The conference brought together commandants from African Staff Colleges to discuss the impact of globalisation on human rights, the proliferation of small arms, gender equality in the military, and the standardisation of military education to support the African Standby Force (ASF) and peace support operations (PSOs).
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Document type: Report
Annual Partner Survey 2011-2012
The Annual Partner Survey 2011-2012 report details the results of a voluntary survey conducted by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in late 2011. The survey gathered feedback from 202 participants—including NGOs, individual consultants, and research institutes—regarding the quality of CDKN's products, its effectiveness in knowledge sharing and partnership facilitation, and its overall influence on organizational practices and policies.
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Document type: Report
Working for Development in Southern Africa: Bridging the Gap Between Government and Business
This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the relationship between the South African government and the private sector regarding economic activity and development in Southern Africa. It argues that while both parties share an interest in regional stability and growth, their efforts are hindered by a domestic legacy of mistrust and ideological differences. The author explores the role of 'economic diplomacy' and the proposal for a business code of conduct to align corporate behavior with national developmental goals.
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Document type: Research paper
Speech by Alain Juppé Minister of Foreign and European Affairs at the South African Institute of International Affairs Johannesburg - 10 November 2011
In a speech delivered on November 10, 2011, at the South African Institute of International Affairs, French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Alain Juppé discussed the necessity of a new global governance framework that integrates Africa's emerging influence. He outlined four primary shared challenges—economic crisis, development, security, and the environment—and advocated for the reform of the UN Security Council and the creation of a World Environment Organisation to better reflect current global realities.
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Document type: Statement
Conseils Pratiques pour une Utilisation de l’Urine en Production Agricole
This guide provides practical instructions for using human urine as a liquid fertilizer in agricultural production to support sustainable sanitation and food security. It details the nutrient composition of urine, risk management strategies based on WHO guidelines, application techniques, and economic valuations, while providing a framework for developing local guidelines and presenting case studies from various global regions.
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Document type: Guide