Minister Ronald Lamola: International Relations and Cooperation Dept Budget Vote 2025/26

House Chairperson,

Honourable Members,

We’re tabling a budget today, just over a year since the formation of the GNU. We continue to make progress in our international relations work.

Honourable Members, I have just returned from Sevilla in Spain, where I represented President Cyril Ramaphosa, where the compromise Sevilla agreement was adopted (the Sevilla Commitments) by members states of the UN. This Financing for Development Conference that is still ongoing is the most consequential conference on financing for development by the UN held every 10 years.

Ten years ago, all Member States of the United Nations (UN) unanimously endorsed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This was a historic commitment to secure peace, prosperity, dignity and sustainability for generations to come. This Agenda was a collective roadmap, negotiated and agreed at the highest level, reflecting the shared aspirations and values of humanity.

However, the international community is confronting a blunt reality: the promise of sustainable development is slipping out of reach. More than 85% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are currently off track, with setbacks particularly acute in the fight against hunger, extreme poverty and rising inequalities. The climate crisis is deepening this trajectory, with extreme weather events inflicting severe human and economic losses, particularly across Africa and other climate-vulnerable regions.

These interlinked crises are testing the resilience of societies and exposing long-standing structural injustices. The erosion of trust in multilateralism reflects the system’s persistent failure to respond effectively.

At the heart of this failure lies a persistent gap in financing. The global shortfall to achieve the SDGs is now estimated at over USD$ 4 trillion per year, while Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments remain unmet.

It is against this backdrop that member countries of the UN have recommitted themselves to close the four trillion annual funding gab through the compromise reached in Sevilla to achieve the objectives of Agenda 2030.

South Africa has been resolute in its commitment to multilateralism with the UN at its pinnacle; and we are working for real world support and commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and of course Africa’s “Agenda 2063: the Africa we want: silencing the guns on continent”.

We view these august forums as the anchor of North-South cooperation. Our role in the G7 and G20 will continue to be the bridge between the North and South.

South Africa with Spain as the host country for the Financing for Development Conference have strived for synergies with our G20 Presidency to nudge the world towards closing the financing gabs for the SDGs, the reform of the global financial architecture and other priorities.

The budget we’re tabling here today is an enabler of our international relations work.

The department’s allocation increases modestly from just above R7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to R7,090 billion in 2025/26, and further to R7,5 billion in 2027/28. While this reflects a slower growth rate of two per cent over the medium term, it sustains our commitment to deepening South Africa’s global presence and influence.

By prioritising sound fiscal management and a cooperative partnership with National treasury will deepen our capacity to absorb exchange rate volatility within the existing ceilings and find innovative ways to address critical vacancies.

Our non-alignment posture is NOT neutrality; it is the dynamic balance between our National Interest and our unshakeable Progressive Internationalism.

Nonalignment envisions a world where:

Peaceful co-existence drowns out the clamour of conflict.
Cooperation triumphs over exploitation.
The insecurity created by nuclear armaments is fully addressed.
A Rules-Based Order, anchored in International Law, protects the vulnerable and binds us all including the powerful.
As we mark 70 years of the Freedom Charter, our human rights outlook continues to inform our international relations perspective. Our anti-war stance is the aspiration of many South Africans from all walks of life who declared that: “South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation – not war.”

Our human rights outlook domestically, and international relations is ingrained in our constitution, it is part of our DNA.

Advancing South Africa’s Strategic Interests through Economic Diplomacy

Over the past year, our economic diplomacy has been strategically directed towards increasing trade and expanding our diplomatic presence in high-growth global markets with an aim to contribute to achieve our country’s objectives of achieving three percent economic growth.

We will continue to pursue the following Strategic Actions:

Accelerated Regional Integration:

Actively implementing and integrating SADC and AU strategies prioritising critical road, rail, and port infrastructure to unlock continental trade corridors, we aim for economic integration to grow above the current 21 percent economic trade within SADC.

Facilitating Market Access: Proactively supporting partnerships for South African businesses expanding across Africa.
Anchor Policy in National Interest:  Our external engagements must therefore align with domestic imperatives—eradicating poverty, reducing unemployment and inequality.
Leverage African Continental Free Trade: Urgently align policies and programs to capture tangible benefits from the Area AfCFTA.
Optimise Diplomatic Footprint: Complete the foreign policy and diplomatic representation review to ensure a cost-benefit balance and enhanced efficiency.
Compatriots

Our G20 Presidency has reached the halfway mark. Recently at the Third G20 Sherpa Meeting held in the North West Province, I shared the following perspective:

“While the world runs on our resources, the value does not stay here. The minerals leave raw. The batteries, the solar panels, we power AI, the cancer treatments are made elsewhere. We export wealth but import back its transformed value. This is a phenomenon we see across Africa. In an award-winning book called Cobalt Red, Siddharth Kara argues that it is the blood of the Congo that powers our lives.”

This is why South Africa’s G20 Presidency puts forward a Critical Minerals Framework that will rewrite this anomaly and revitalise our industrial strategies and manufacturing capabilities.

In all bilateral and multilateral platforms, like the AU, FOCAC and so on the influence of South Africa can be seen through the declarations that pronounce without ambiguity on value-addition at source.

The theme of our Presidency, Solidarity, Equality and Sustainable aims to ensure that G20, this will lead to an era of true partnership and collaboration for the good of sustainable development across all countries.

Forums such as BRICS remain critical forums of South-South cooperation. This cooperation has seen some tangible benefits for the nation; through its National Development Bank we have seen the following tangible outcomes (here two examples):

South Africa leverages its BRICS partnership to power its green future: R2.9 billion from the New Development Bank is building the grid backbone for renewable energy, boosting energy security through tangible projects like the integration of 7 renewable energy projects of independent power producers in Upington, the construction of transmission lines and substation for Soweto area, and construction of transmission lines for Ankerlig-Sterrekus Power Station.

A R3.5 billion NDB loan is also transforming the Durban Port into a world-class African gateway. This upgrade slashes shipping times, attracts mega-vessels, and unlocks regional growth – making Agenda 2063 trade goals a reality.

These are not just outcomes of economic diplomacy approach but also a direct effort to overcome the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and joblessness.

Honourable Members,

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the UN. This is institution that was created at a time where Africa was still an epicentre of exploitation and colonialism. To this day the UN is constituted in this unrepresentative manner. We will continue to call for the reform the UN Security Council in particular to be able respond to global insecurity.  The majority of the worlds conflict are in Africa; Africa must have two permanent seats at the UN Security Council.

The UN was created with the promise of equality a system of international law which binds all nations who sign up to the UN Charter.

Honourable Members,

In Sudan, we are witnessing the world gravest humanitarian disaster, over 30 million people need aid, 12 million people are displaced. It’s a moral emergency. We will continue to engage at a bilateral and multilateral platforms to seek peace for the Sudan.

We recently welcomed home our brave soldiers who stood tall securing peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We will continue to seek peace in the DRC through the bilateral and multilateral platforms.

In Ukraine, we see children torn from homes. South Africa, with Qatar, Canada and the Holy See, is actively pushing both sides for their return –a core goal of the African Peace Initiative, which demands humanitarian action, prisoner releases, and protecting the young.

And in Gaza, as noted by the Amnesty International, a father’s words echo the horror: “Here… it’s like an apocalypse… You feel like you are subhuman.” This suffering is why South Africa continues to seek relief in international law at the ICJ and the ICC. We welcome other initiatives from the EU, it’s members and other regions of the world that are imposing economic sanctions and arms embargos as diplomatic pressure will be the one that can prevail over the intransigent Israel regime.

We act. We engage. We leverage diplomacy. Because just peace is the non-negotiable foundation for humanity’s future. This is the practical application of Ubuntu.

As the world descends to our shores for the G20 Summit in November, we have no doubt that with help of our citizens and yourself honourable we will host an impactful G20 Summit.

I would like to conclude by expressing deep gratitude for our officials domestically and across the globe. You fly our flag high, turning diplomacy into impactful action.

When earthquakes rocked Myanmar and traffickers preyed on our stranded citizens, you were their lifeline.

When Mr Huxham and Mr Potigeter needed to come home from Equatorial Guinea, you made it happen.

Every single day, you impart a bit of South Africa to the world. You are the agents of a Better Africa and Better world.

This is the power of our foreign service. This is the dedication that gives me absolute confidence that the world will be a better place tomorrow.

We are tabling this budget to enable this diplomatic work to thrive.

Thank you.

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