On 18 July 2011 the Executive Director of ACCORD, vasu Gounden, was invited to be a resource person at a seminar on South Africa’s membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the period 2011-2012, hosted by the South African Department for International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO). Gounden was asked to provide an assessment of solutions to conflicts in Africa.
Participating in the seminar were the Minister, Deputy Ministers, the Director-General and select members of the Departmental Management Committee of DIRCO. The objective of the seminar was to exchange views and provide recommendations on issues that have implications for South Africa’s membership of the UNSC, as well as South Africa’s positions on the issues discussed. Some of the issues discussed focused on: an assessment of the African Union’s (AU’s) efforts aimed at addressing conflicts on the continent using Libya (AU Road Map) and Cote d’Ivoire as case studies; the role and implications of the International Criminal Court on matters on the agenda of the Security Council; and charting a strategic way-forward for South Africa’s membership of the UNSC. The seminar was held in Gauteng, South Africa.
