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14 Sep, 2025
Modernisation of the Global South, Building Global Partnerships for Joint Advancement of Common and Sustainable Development
Speech Delivered by for Hon N Kwankwa on the Occasion of the Programme for 2025 Legislative Forum for Friendly Exchanges: (Theme) Modernisation of the Global South, Building Global Partnerships for Joint Advancement of Common and Sustainable Development Check against delivery Programme Director Heads of Parliaments from the Global South Members of the Diplomatic Core Distinguished delegates and Parliamentarians from the Global South Ladies and Gentlemen I take this opportunity on behalf of the leaders of the Parliament of South Africa and her people to convey our warm and fraternal greetings to the hosting country convening this “Legislative Forum for Friendly Exchanges” the People’s Republic of China, delegates from all the countries of the Global South. This occasion once again has come at an opportune moment to converge us in the quest of renewing the bonds of historical friendship amongst our nations, which dates back during the time of colonialism as we were engaged in the struggle for liberation. Today we convene under different conditions to respond to an array of challenges which continue to confront our countries and their people within a global climate and political landscape characterised by tectonic shifts and geopolitical tensions in different regions of the globe. The Republic of South Africa and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) enjoy historic bonds of solidarity and friendship, forged during the African liberation struggle and nurtured through decades of cooperation. The roots of this relationship can be traced back to the 1955 Bandung Conference, where China stood alongside African nations in their quest for independence. What began with solidarity in the struggle against colonialism has matured into a comprehensive partnership that continues to go from strength to strength. Our two nations have established structured bilateral mechanisms that ensure regular dialogue and practical cooperation across political, economic, social, technical, and cultural spheres. These mechanisms have delivered tangible outcomes in development, trade, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges, strengthening mutual trust and respect. Today, South Africa and China stand as strategic partners, not only bilaterally but also in multilateral forums such as BRICS, working together for peace, sustainable development, and a fairer global order. Distinguished Delegates Perhaps it could be argued that this occasion presents more of an inclusive forum by affording legislatures to exchange experiences as people’s representatives that carry the aspirations and act as tribunes of social transformation to many challenges confronting our people. Legislature in nature is an embodiment of democracy. Therefore, in an age where the line between domestic and the international is becoming blurred and where there is a globalisation of problems, democracy ought to be promoted at various levels of governance which include national, regional and international. Historically, parliaments had scant involvement in international relations. The role of parliaments in the area of international relations has always been confined to ratifying international agreements adopted by the executive. However, the advent of a participatory democratic order in the world, globalisation and developments in global governance structures has resulted in a dual process of internationalisation of domestic relations and domestication of international relations. Therefore, parliaments have a historic obligation to ensure that the people they represent at national level are also represented in the global arena and are not left behind as a result of the new global developments. Programme Director The overarching theme of our deliberations is premised on the question of building “Global Partnerships for Joint Advancement of Common and Sustainable Development”. The world, today, is confronted with unprecedented and accelerated changes. An important feature of the changes is that the collective rise of developing countries is gaining momentum. The rise of developing countries as a whole is based on and reinforced by their collective modernisation and reconstruction in different aspects. Thus, an in-depth discussion on the modernisation of the Global South is urgently needed, not only in response to the call of developing countries for peace, development and progress, but also to meet the aspirations of the people of all countries for modernisation and human advancement. The Global South symbolises a prominent worldwide trend of the collective rise of developing countries and reflects their strong wish for solidarity and self-reliance. The countries of the Global South once suffered from aggression, colonisation, suppression and plunder. It is through years of struggle and hard work, along with the evolving changes in this century, that the Global South has gradually become an important force driving the reforms in the world order and seeking political independence, national rejuvenation and international justice. To this end, the Global South is the source of strength for global multi-polarity. Since the end of the Cold War, the trend of global multi-polarity has evolved amid twists and turns. Along with the unfolding of profound changes across the global economic and political landscape and the collective rise of developing countries, the Global South has got an important opportunity to play a greater role on the world stage. Programme Director It is an accurate assertion that Global South needs to achieve greater collective strength. In this regard, working together to advance modernisation is what the Global South must do to achieve greater collective strength through unity. Realising modernisation is a shared pursuit of all countries of the Global South. To build a better world, the Global South must work together to pursue and realise modernisation. Their aim should be to build a strong and modern Global South, to propel the progress of civilisation and develop a human community with a shared future. Certainly, global development challenges — such as climate change, inequality, pandemics, and resource depletion — have become increasingly cross-cutting and transnational in nature. They transcend national borders and demand coordinated strategies. Our parliaments through their mandate of law-making, oversight and public participation have an obligation to monitor and ensure the implementation of the commitments our governments have committed at both domestic and international level. Equally, this Legislative Forum affords parliamentarians a space to exchange experiences on best models relating to their mandate and learn from each other’s best practises to strengthen the agenda of the Global South from the parliamentary diplomacy point of view. At different multilateral fora such as the inter-parliamentary level, parliamentarians continue to utilise the soft power of parliamentary diplomacy to complement the efforts of our governments in many areas such as conflict, trade disputes, climate change related challenges, human rights and advancement of economic diplomacy and sustainable development. Honourable Delegates South Africa, in adapting to the changes in the global system; has been faced with different challenges which in some cases have inspired rigorous debate. Faced with the need to tackle a range of domestic issues these debates will continue, but South Africa like many nations around the globe must engage with the international system in a way that encourages economic growth and development. The advancement of South-South cooperation is of strategic importance in the pursuit of the country’s foreign policy objectives to address the challenges of economic and political marginalisation that emanates from the process of globalisation. The unequal distribution of the benefits of globalisation, the imbalance of power between the countries of the global North and the countries of the global South and the lack of sustainable development has necessitated countries of the Global South to formulate strategies that would help them to level the playing field. South Africa's initial approach to promoting the Global South vision involved engaging with the Non-Aligned Movement. The goal was to foster a multi-polar world and create more cooperation opportunities for Southern countries without succumbing to bloc logic. Aligning with a single bloc would have limited many Global South countries' options. Furthermore, South Africa's foreign policy has emphasised economic diplomacy and trade relations. By establishing strategic trade partnerships with other Global South nations, South Africa seeks to diversify its economic ties and decrease dependence on traditional Western markets. The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum exemplifies South Africa's commitment to building strong economic networks that support mutual growth and development. South Africa has taken several political stances in favour of the Global South. The country recognised the necessity of South-South dialogue on various issues such as economic development, cultural diplomacy, migrations, and international affairs. For instance, South Africa advocated for reforms in international financial institutions, seeking to make them more inclusive and responsive to the needs of developing countries. Additionally, South Africa oriented its foreign policy toward the challenges posed by climate change and actively worked toward sustainable development and climate justice. Acknowledging that developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change, South Africa launched initiatives for technology transfer, capacity building, and financial support for adaptation and mitigation efforts in the Global South. South African leadership in the Global South is evident through its participation in alternative international organisations, forums, and groupings. The BRICS alliance stands out as a prime example. Initiated in 2006 in Saint Petersburg on the sidelines of the G8 by the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, the group was initially known as BRIC. Formalisation occurred a year later with the first BRIC Foreign Ministers' Meeting. South Africa formally joined in September 2010, adding the "S" to create BRICS. More recently, South Africa's position toward the Israeli/Palestinian conflict has perfectly illustrated the more assertive role the country is now endorsing. On December 29, 2023, following the Israeli offensive that destroyed large parts of Gaza, killed thousands of civilians, and led to massive population displacements, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel. The country alleged that Israel was breaching the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in its military assault. While South African support for Palestine is not new, the current method of support is. The particularity lies in South Africa's utilisation of existing international institutions to promote its values and defend its objectives. Until now, the Global South has mainly advocated for a New World Order based on new international institutions, as the current ones such as the UN, IMF, World Bank, and others are perceived as dominated and instrumentalised by Western powers. In different parliamentary for such as the Inter-parliamentary Union, South Africa and European Joint Parliamentary Meetings our parliamentary has echoed and complemented the efforts of government in condemning the genocide perpetrated by the government of Israel against the Palestinians, including the violation of their right to self-determination. On Building Partnerships for Global South Initiatives According to the UN perspective, ‘global partnerships represent the collaborative efforts of nations, organisations, and various stakeholders, aimed at addressing multifaceted challenges that transcend national boundaries. As such, centrally to the ambitions of the UN's 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 17th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 17) specifically emphasises the role of partnerships. This is so because ‘it acknowledges that isolated efforts are insufficient when combatting complex, intertwined global issues such as poverty, hunger, education disparities, and climate change’. To be sure, SDG 17, aptly titled "Partnership for the Goals", underlines the symbiotic relationship between partnerships and the other SDGs and underscores the fact that without effective global cooperation, the realisation of the remaining 16 SDGs remains elusive. Therefore, building and strengthening partnerships becomes paramount for optimising resources, sharing best practices, and fostering innovation. As correctly pointed out by the UN, ‘the nature of global challenges, such as the urgent threat of climate change, compels nations to collectively address these issues, integrating their unique resources and perspectives’. A point in case was the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated that without international cooperation, resource sharing, and mutual support, managing the pandemic's impacts would have been significantly more challenging. By pooling scientific research, sharing vaccine development insights, and assisting vulnerable nations, the world demonstrated the indispensability of global partnerships. In view of the above, legislatures of the Global South have a responsibility to define the agenda of placing parliamentary diplomacy at the heart of the development to respond to the crisis of poverty, inequality and unemployment, transformation and diversifying of economic markets in the day of the trade wars and unilateral tariffs imposed by the countries of the global north. Conclusion South Africa embraces the opportunity accorded through the Legislative Forum for friendly exchanges and looks forward to share experiences and learn from other best practices to sharpen its weapon of parliamentary diplomacy at global level and exercise her mandate of law-making, oversight and public participation. Equally, we look forward to strengthening the face of global to meet the demands of the changing global political dynamics and the geopolitical complexities that define global pollical landscape. I thank you!
