A special message by the Acting High Commissioner of South Africa to Pakistan, Rudolph Pierre Jordaan, on United Nations Day.
As we commemorate United Nations Day 2026, South Africa joins the world in reaffirming
the enduring values of the UN Charter: Peace, human dignity, sovereign equality,
international cooperation, and respect for International Law. At a time of profound
geopolitical contestation, socio-economic challenges, technological advances and
environmental threats, these principles and the legal framework that upholds them, are more
relevant than ever.
It took humanity two world wars with immense pain and suffering to realise not to put its trust
in unilateralism but rather in collectively agreed principles, rules and institutions to safeguard
the planet’s shared future. While the current UN framework may not be without challenges,
such as to be more responsive, effective and especially representative at the highest level,
the disregard of it in pursuit of narrow self-interest, invites anarchy. It is imperative that the
UN system be sufficiently empowered again to serve as a "force for good" to seek the
security, justice, sustainable economic development and wellbeing of the collective, not the
few.
South Africa’s own democratic journey demonstrates what multilateral action can achieve.
The international community, through the UN, played a key role in resisting Apartheid. Today,
our foreign policy is firmly anchored in dialogue, multilateralism, human rights and the
conviction that our shared challenges require collective solutions, including from developing
countries.
Established in December 2008, The Diplomatic Insight is Pakistan’s premier diplomacy and foreign affairs magazine, available in both digital and print formats.
