Honourable Member, South Africa's participation in multilateral institutions is guided by the country's foreign policy objectives based on its vision of "a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world". Our foreign policy is informed by our constitutional values and principles, national values and interests and strategic considerations based on domestic and international imperatives.
Our participation is further aligned with an understanding of the nexus that exists between peace, security and sustainable development. Consequently, South Africa's approach and voting patterns in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the General Assembly (GA) resonates strongly with the African Union's (AUs) aspirational goals contained in the Agenda 2063 and its Ten (10) Year Implementation Plan of contributing to peace and security of "Silencing the Guns by the year 2020".
South Africa further upholds the principle that there could be no peace without development, thus the advancement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda Goals adopted by UN Heads of State and Government in New York in September 2015 is essential requirement to continental efforts towards advancing the achievement of the African Union Agenda 2063.
Additional information on voting structures and powers in the United Nations Security Council and United Nations General Assembly is provided below:
Voting structures and powers of the United Nations Security Council
Voting structures and powers of the General Assembly
The Government policy position regarding voting structures and powers of the United Nations General Assembly is guided by the following provisions of the United Nations General Assembly's Rules of Procedure, Rules 82 to 90 on Voting: