Date: 29/06/2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: 19th World Congress of International Political Science Association (IPSA)
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 19th WORLD CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION (IPSA), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 29 June 2003
President of the International Political Science Association,
President of the African Association of Political Science,
President of the South African Political Science Association,
Members of the Diplomatic Corp,
Distinguished Participants:
For the first time since 1949 when the International Political Science Association came into existence, and after 18 editions, the triennial congress has come to Africa.
The African Association of Political Science should therefore be congratulated for its bold and successful bid to host the congress.
Your efforts have made it possible for us to showcase our country's natural beauty and the warmth of its diverse people.
On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, I welcome you all to our shores.
Distinguished delegates, I must commend the inclusiveness and global character of the association. It makes it an appropriate avenue for promoting democratic governance and tolerance among peoples and cultures.
Delegates, I must say I was heartened to notice that the central theme of this congress is "Democracy, Tolerance, Justice: Challenges for Political Change."
You have chosen the right continent for such a theme, as these are issues we are currently grappling with in the continent in various spheres.
You have also chosen the right country given our experience with regard to apartheid and the struggle against it, plus the changes that occurred when the struggle defeated apartheid, and a rather unique political settlement that took place.
Certainly we, in this country, have a humble contribution to make in the political landscape of the continent and the world.
The new ethos in this continent is to change the social, political and economic status quo in our continent. There is a move to build a new Africa whose inhabitants are treated and governed with dignity, and where justice, tolerance, good governance, respect for human rights and all democratic norms and values are adhered to.
The African Union and its organs, such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and others in the process of being established, such as the Peace and Security Council, are all geared towards assisting such regeneration of Africa.
It is going to be a long and arduous process but the advantage is that the continent has leaders who are determined to push this new paradigm.
There is also a clear vision of how the regeneration should take place and the institutional infrastructure required to achieve these goals.
Some of these include democratising and strengthening African states. For Africa to see sustainable development and growth, there needs to be stronger states, founded on the will of the people. This means that the state apparatus must be based on the strong democratic norms and practices rather than a strong leader with the security forces at his or her disposal. This also means an approach with a deep culture of accountability.
There also needs to be an end to intolerance, wars and conflicts. These are some of the issues that the African Union and many regional institutions are tackling at the moment.
We believe that the return of stability and peace are the prerequisites for durable economic and social development. You would be aware of the various peacekeeping and conflict resolution processes taking place in some parts of the continent.
While alleviating symptoms is vital, we are also aware of the need to address the root causes of the conflicts. That is why we emphasise democratisation and establishment of open societies. However, it is important to bear in mind the history of these conflicts, politically speaking.
The theme of your 19th congress therefore clearly articulates the contemporary global socio-political situation and the challenges we face.
Speaking of challenges, the issue of arms trade I believe is not highlighted as one of the negative issues yet to be addressed. I would like to challenge this gathering of IPSA to try and tackle it, politically, as I believe more people are suffering because of it.
In this regard, we look forward with a great deal of interest to your conclusions on the way forward.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you will also look at critical issues such as unilateralism versus multilateralism. It is our view that we need to strengthen international and regional institutions, to empower them to lead processes of international engagement in times of both peace and war.
Our vision is of a world order in which all nations, irrespective of their size or their location, have an opportunity to make its voice heard on international matters.
This is also the underlying philosophy of the African Union. The AU and all its instruments and programmes, including the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism, are sound tools for achieving these aims.
As I have said earlier, we face a mammoth task and we need the inputs of the intelligentsia and social scientists like you, to engage these ideas and give us your assessments and opinions. We certainly need a lot of writing about them with an aim of making them gain quicker acceptance as a way of political life in our continent.
One of your roles should be to debate the issues raised by politicians like us, offer constructive criticism and enrich the new processes and programmes being mooted.
Ladies and gentlemen, our country has made it a mission to work for peace, mainly in Africa.
We went through a painful and complex conflict, but we were able to rise above it, and from the ruins of apartheid, we have built a thriving democracy.
Given this experience, we have an interest in the restoration of peace and stability to all parts of the globe, including the African continent and the Middle East.
I had an opportunity of attending the Extraordinary Summit of the World Economic Forum in Jordan a week ago, and was once again touched by the optimism prevailing in that region about the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian question.
The Road Map to Peace in the Middle East has introduced a new wave of hope, and we hope the Israelis and Palestinians will use this opportunity to lay the foundation of lasting peace and stability in their respective countries.
Peace is an achievable goal, it only requires total commitment and the ability to rise above the conflict, for belligerents to come to a solution.
Distinguished delegates, we hope this is the beginning of a relationship between your association and our country, for we need more of this interaction.
In conclusion, I would like to urge you to always bear in mind that political scientists must be heard more on political issues of the globe in general and of specific regions and countries in particular.
I wish you all the best in your deliberations.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
29 June 2003
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: 19th World Congress of International Political Science Association (IPSA)
ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 19th WORLD CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION (IPSA), Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, 29 June 2003
President of the International Political Science Association,
President of the African Association of Political Science,
President of the South African Political Science Association,
Members of the Diplomatic Corp,
Distinguished Participants:
For the first time since 1949 when the International Political Science Association came into existence, and after 18 editions, the triennial congress has come to Africa.
The African Association of Political Science should therefore be congratulated for its bold and successful bid to host the congress.
Your efforts have made it possible for us to showcase our country's natural beauty and the warmth of its diverse people.
On behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, I welcome you all to our shores.
Distinguished delegates, I must commend the inclusiveness and global character of the association. It makes it an appropriate avenue for promoting democratic governance and tolerance among peoples and cultures.
Delegates, I must say I was heartened to notice that the central theme of this congress is "Democracy, Tolerance, Justice: Challenges for Political Change."
You have chosen the right continent for such a theme, as these are issues we are currently grappling with in the continent in various spheres.
You have also chosen the right country given our experience with regard to apartheid and the struggle against it, plus the changes that occurred when the struggle defeated apartheid, and a rather unique political settlement that took place.
Certainly we, in this country, have a humble contribution to make in the political landscape of the continent and the world.
The new ethos in this continent is to change the social, political and economic status quo in our continent. There is a move to build a new Africa whose inhabitants are treated and governed with dignity, and where justice, tolerance, good governance, respect for human rights and all democratic norms and values are adhered to.
The African Union and its organs, such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and others in the process of being established, such as the Peace and Security Council, are all geared towards assisting such regeneration of Africa.
It is going to be a long and arduous process but the advantage is that the continent has leaders who are determined to push this new paradigm.
There is also a clear vision of how the regeneration should take place and the institutional infrastructure required to achieve these goals.
Some of these include democratising and strengthening African states. For Africa to see sustainable development and growth, there needs to be stronger states, founded on the will of the people. This means that the state apparatus must be based on the strong democratic norms and practices rather than a strong leader with the security forces at his or her disposal. This also means an approach with a deep culture of accountability.
There also needs to be an end to intolerance, wars and conflicts. These are some of the issues that the African Union and many regional institutions are tackling at the moment.
We believe that the return of stability and peace are the prerequisites for durable economic and social development. You would be aware of the various peacekeeping and conflict resolution processes taking place in some parts of the continent.
While alleviating symptoms is vital, we are also aware of the need to address the root causes of the conflicts. That is why we emphasise democratisation and establishment of open societies. However, it is important to bear in mind the history of these conflicts, politically speaking.
The theme of your 19th congress therefore clearly articulates the contemporary global socio-political situation and the challenges we face.
Speaking of challenges, the issue of arms trade I believe is not highlighted as one of the negative issues yet to be addressed. I would like to challenge this gathering of IPSA to try and tackle it, politically, as I believe more people are suffering because of it.
In this regard, we look forward with a great deal of interest to your conclusions on the way forward.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you will also look at critical issues such as unilateralism versus multilateralism. It is our view that we need to strengthen international and regional institutions, to empower them to lead processes of international engagement in times of both peace and war.
Our vision is of a world order in which all nations, irrespective of their size or their location, have an opportunity to make its voice heard on international matters.
This is also the underlying philosophy of the African Union. The AU and all its instruments and programmes, including the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism, are sound tools for achieving these aims.
As I have said earlier, we face a mammoth task and we need the inputs of the intelligentsia and social scientists like you, to engage these ideas and give us your assessments and opinions. We certainly need a lot of writing about them with an aim of making them gain quicker acceptance as a way of political life in our continent.
One of your roles should be to debate the issues raised by politicians like us, offer constructive criticism and enrich the new processes and programmes being mooted.
Ladies and gentlemen, our country has made it a mission to work for peace, mainly in Africa.
We went through a painful and complex conflict, but we were able to rise above it, and from the ruins of apartheid, we have built a thriving democracy.
Given this experience, we have an interest in the restoration of peace and stability to all parts of the globe, including the African continent and the Middle East.
I had an opportunity of attending the Extraordinary Summit of the World Economic Forum in Jordan a week ago, and was once again touched by the optimism prevailing in that region about the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian question.
The Road Map to Peace in the Middle East has introduced a new wave of hope, and we hope the Israelis and Palestinians will use this opportunity to lay the foundation of lasting peace and stability in their respective countries.
Peace is an achievable goal, it only requires total commitment and the ability to rise above the conflict, for belligerents to come to a solution.
Distinguished delegates, we hope this is the beginning of a relationship between your association and our country, for we need more of this interaction.
In conclusion, I would like to urge you to always bear in mind that political scientists must be heard more on political issues of the globe in general and of specific regions and countries in particular.
I wish you all the best in your deliberations.
I thank you.
Issued by The Presidency
29 June 2003
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