Issued by: Office of the Deputy Presidency
Berlin, Germany 3 July 2001
The Third Session of the German-South African Bi-National Commission (BNC) took place in Berlin, Germany from 2 to 3 July 2001.
The session was co-chaired by the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Jacob Zuma, and the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr Joschka Fischer.
INTRODUCTION
In their opening remarks, the chairpersons, noted the spirit of warm and constructive co-operation that marked the preparations for this year's BNC.
The Chairpersons reaffirmed the need for regular political consultations, not only on bilateral matters, but also regarding multilateral co-operation. A case in point is the consultations on the preparations of the upcoming Ministerial Round of the World Trade Organisation due to take place in November 2001 in Qatar. In bilateral discussions between Deputy President Zuma and Vice-Chancellor Fischer the following issues were discussed:-
Mr Valli Moosa, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of the Republic of South Africa and Mr Juergen Trittin, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety held bilateral discussions. They agreed to intensify bilateral co-operation in the fields of climate change, rehabilitation of mines and contaminated sites, air quality management, waste management, and standard setting for industry.
The Ministers agreed that the climate change negotiations must provide for a speedy entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. They also discussed the World Summit on Sustainable Development scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2002, and agreed that it provides an enormous opportunity to create a sustainable blue-print for the future.
The Ministers also agreed that due to the significance of the Summit to the future of the planet and its people, it is necessary that all Heads of State and Governments of the world not only participate but present to the world at the Summit, a new global deal which will shape the future of humanity and ensure a better life for all.
The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in South Africa, Mr Aziz Pahad held wide-ranging political consultations with his counterpart Ludger Volmer, Secretary of State in the Federal Republic of Germany. During the discussions on African issues, Minister Volmer reaffirmed the German government's support for the MAP.
Constructive discussions were also held on multilateral co-operation between South Africa and Germany in the following areas:-
Discussions were also held on the crisis in the Middle East and it was agreed that there would be continued consultations between the two governments on this matter.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
The following are the summaries of the reports presented by the specialized committees to the Bi-National Commission:-
ECONOMIC
Economic consultations were conducted against the background of positive developments in economic relations and cooperation. It was noted that bilateral trade has grown by more than twenty percent during the past year.
During discussions, specific attention was given to the need for further promoting investments by German business in South Africa, and a number of possibilities and approaches were discussed. It was also agreed to explore possible cooperation between German and South African investment promotion bodies.
In particular, the two sides agreed that in future, their consultations would focus on specific industry sectors, as well as on formalising the participation of business representatives, in the work of the committee, from both South Africa and Germany. It is envisaged that an investment seminar will take place in Germany soon, led by senior representatives from the South African private sector, including black business.
DEFENCE
The Committee on Defence continued the dialogue they had begun in January 1996, on co-operation in areas of mutual interest, pertaining to the peace and security sectors, in Southern Africa and Europe.
A number of avenues were explored for intensifying existing bilateral cooperation as well as on opening up new fields. The Committees discussions revealed broadly similar views on ongoing cooperation in the defence field and focused particularly on the areas of peacekeeping and training.
The decision by South Africa to purchase corvettes, submarines and mine sweepers further contributed to the deepening of bilateral co-operation in the defence sector.
ENVIRONMENT
The committee agreed to intensify collaboration in the following areas:-
Climate change:
Rehabilitation of Mines and Contaminated sites:
Air Quality Management:
Waste Management:
SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
The Committee reiterated the positive developments in the co-operation of both countries in science, research and education following an agreement signed in 1996.
There are currently 50 joint projects, run by universities, research institutions and the business sector. Of particular importance is the co-operation on Antarctic research. Within the framework of the South African Antarctic Programme, scientists of the Alfred-Wegner Institute in Bremerhaven are co-operating closely with research institutions in South Africa. The co-operation focuses mainly on co-ordinating the functioning of two neighbouring Antarctic research stations.
A lead project on lifelong learning has been developed, within the framework of skills training, with the University of the Western Cape and industry, focusing on training in electronics, inter alia, in the automobile industry. An expansion to other centers in South Africa is also envisaged.
Further reciprocal visits by expert groups in production technology and substance research were agreed upon. Both sides welcomed the positive developments in this sector and expressed their interest in deepening this co-operation.
DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION
The Committee on development co-operation reported on the joint efforts to improve the quality of life of the poor in South Africa, particularly in community development, vocational training as well as economic development and job creation. This work is carried out on the basis of the joint strategy document signed in March 2000 by the two countries.
The allocation by the German government for financial and technical co-operation amounts to DM 481million. The Committee drew particular attention to joint programmes to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic, including partnerships with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and to develop sustainable sources of income for the rural population in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga Provinces as well as the new approach to crime prevention in urban centres.
Other focus areas would be sustainable rural development through income generating projects in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as a new project proposal for crime prevention in urban areas.
CULTURE
The South African side expressed its interest in increased co-operation in the field of museums and archives, including audiovisual archives.
Intensive contacts with German institutions in these fields as well as the support for the training and exchange of personnel will also be further promoted. Great interest was expressed in the sharing of information on archive documents where appropriate, and in the further training of archivists in modern archiving methods. It was agreed to step up co-operation in the film industry. Negotiations on this should be held at expert level. It was also agreed to explore possibilities of intensifying youth exchange programmes.
Information was shared on measures taken to promote sports development in recent years, particularly a soccer project in place since 1997. The importance of the project at the German school in Johannesburg, which, from 2002, is to give historically disadvantaged children an education opportunity starting from elementary school, was reiterated.
CONCLUSION
The Chairpersons of the BNC stressed the importance of the BNC as an effective mechanism for the further strengthening of German-South African relations.
In their concluding remarks, they congratulated the committees for having achieved many of their objectives by producing practical work programmes, and concrete projects that reflect the growing strategic partnership between the two countries. The Chairpersons agreed that the outcome of the BNC was results oriented with a strong focus on people-centred development.
The next meeting of the German-South African Bi-National Commission will take place in South Africa next year.