South African Institute of International Affairs
A Closer Look at South Africa’s Approach to Climate Change and the G20
29th November 2024 Both COP28 and the G20 committed to triple renewables but where is the money going to come from? Climate change is particularly important for South... →
South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025: A Pivotal Moment for the Country and Africa
18th November 2024 Poverty, unemployment and inequality will top South Africa's G20 presidency agenda. The Group of Twenty (G20) is an intergovernmental economic... →
Reflections After the Brics Summit: Membership, Payment Systems, and What Lies Ahead
14th November 2024 The 2024 Brics Summit revealed Brics’ pragmatic moves toward a diversified global economy. How will shifting alignments influence the international... →
The Pact for the Future: Gains to Celebrate and Challenges to Surmount
5th November 2024 To realise the Pact of the Future, historical injustices must be redressed, new threats addressed and innovative reform institutionalised. The... →
From Koeberg to Chernobyl: The Challenge of Nuclear Safety in SA and Ukraine
5th November 2024 As interest in nuclear energy grows and military conflicts around the globe rise, the safety of nuclear power plants in armed conflicts should be a... →
The COP29 South African Youth Statement
31st October 2024 The COP29 South African Youth Statement highlights the voices of the youth from across the country who see the future of a cleaner, greener South... →
High Expectations: Civil Society Participation in Conflict Early Warning and Response Systems of the AU, ECOWAS and IGAD
28th October 2024 ‘Early warning’ describes a process that alerts decision-makers and promotes their understanding of the nature and impact of a potential escalation... →
Governance Challenges in Cabo Delgado: Spinning Wheels in the Mud
24th October 2024 Amid unrest surrounding Mozambique's election, the task of dealing with extremism in the country remains. Mozambicans went to the polls on 9... →
What to Expect from the 2024 Brics Summit
21st October 2024 As the 2024 Brics Summit approaches, SAIIA highlights the key issues and debates that will shape the agenda. As the 2024 Brics Summit in Kazan,... →
Brics Economic Integration: Prospects and Challenges
10th October 2024 Amid the evolving global economic landscape, the Brics nations have emerged as proponents of economic multilateralism, challenging traditional... →
Can Old Alliances Survive New Realities in Russia-South Africa Relations?
19th September 2024 This piece explores the complexities of the relationship between Russia and South Africa, and how they must respond to international pressures,... →
Invisible No More: Securing Legal Identity as a Human Right
16th September 2024 The need for identification in an increasingly digital world is becoming more apparent, with over 60% of the nearly 850 million people without a... →
The G7, South Africa and the Sustainable Climate Agenda for Africa
28th August 2024 The G7 needs to emphasise its value addition within the more inclusive G20 with an acute sensitivity to the fact that Africans are articulating... →
Enhancing African Agency Amid Global Geopolitical Competition
16th August 2024 This piece explores how engagements with global powers unfold, the complexities they introduce, and what can be done to enhance African agency... →
What are the South Africans doing in Eastern DRC?
28th May 2024 Four years into a protracted war between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rwandan supported M23 rebel group, the eastern DRC is... →
Marking a Milestone: 90 Years of SAIIA
16th May 2024 Reflections from our chief executive as SAIIA celebrates its 90th anniversary. The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)... →
Empowering Youth Voices: Addressing Gender-Based Violence in South Africa
23rd April 2024 The South African Youth Gender Action Plan is a youth-driven policy framework that provides a roadmap for addressing gender-based violence and... →
Strengthening Africa’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems Through Enhanced Policy Coherence and Coordinated Action
5th April 2024 In response to these vulnerabilities and impacts, it is essential that African countries develop adaptation and resilience building strategies to... →
AU Lays Foundations for Progressive Customs, Monetary and Fiscal Union
8th March 2024 Since the implementation of the heavily indebted poor country programme, most African countries have re-accumulated even higher external and... →
Africa’s Potential Role in Mediating the Ukraine Conflict
4th March 2024 The conflict in Ukraine, characterised by its complexity and seemingly intractable nature, underscores the importance of potential mediators in... →
The Future of SA Nuclear Energy Post-123 Agreement
12th January 2024 The plant at Koeberg is the only current nuclear power station in Africa and is responsible for roughly 6% of South Africa’s total electricity... →
East Africa Floods Highlight Urgency of COP28 Negotiations, Especially on Loss and Damage Fund
12th December 2023 In the first days of COP28, several developed countries committed funding to the newly established Loss and Damage Fund, which has been set up to... →
Can Mandela’s Principles Still Guide Us Today? Reflections 10 Years After His Death
8th December 2023 Nelson Mandela was a complex man defined by his principled commitment to justice, equality, fairness and freedom, but also by his pragmatism and a... →
Seeing the Forest – and the Trees: The Global Challenge of Regulating Social Media for Democracy
6th December 2023 The rise of social media is a phenomenon with both positive and negative implications for democracy. For regulators confronted with this... →
Safeguarding election management bodies in the age of democratic recession
1st December 2023 The history of democracy has been one of progress as the spread of civil liberties and political rights have increased across the globe. There is... →
SAIIA’s View on COP28: African Priorities
30th November 2023 While Africa has long called for increased scale and accessibility of climate finance, these calls are now positioned within a broader effort for... →
How to Achieve African Digital Sovereignty
6th November 2023 The digital revolution presents Africa with an opportunity to emerge as a sovereign and innovative digital player on the global stage. India’s G20... →
Africa is a Key Source of Critical Minerals for the Global Energy Transition — But There are Hidden Dangers
30th October 2023 The security of critical mineral supply chains is strategic for many countries due to the expected growth in demand driven by the uptake of clean... →
The Expanded Brics Can Be a Force to Be Reckoned With in Shaping a New World Energy Order
27th September 2023 The Brics+6, consisting of six of the world's top oil producers and four of the world's top natural gas producers, will play a key role in... →
G20 Connect: Africa, India, South Africa and Global South
20th September 2023 The AU’s full participation in the G20 would increase the legitimacy of the grouping, while also providing a platform for a continent that is... →
Preparing for the G20 Presidency in a Fraught World: Insights on South Africa’s Priorities
14th September 2023 South Africa believes, like India and other emerging economies, that the G20’s focus should be global economic governance, not politics or peace... →
G20 Should Do More on Financial Reforms to Support Africa’s Resilience
12th September 2023 In Africa, rising debt coupled with the growing risks of climate shocks require bold policy interventions domestically and globally to enhance its... →
The Quest for Global Influence
5th September 2023 The new Brics members will add their voices to advocating for a more equitable global governance system, reforming the UN Security Council, and... →
Beyond Bread: Ukraine-Africa Diplomacy
25th August 2023 Much has been made of Ukraine’s importance to food security. Prior to the invasion, the country was Africa’s second-largest external supplier of... →
The Brics Local Currency Agenda has International Implications
24th August 2023 Since Brics currencies’ usage in the third usage context is limited, these efforts are broadly limited to minimum bilateral intra-Brics trade... →
Human Rights Abuses and Disinformation: Hallmarks of Wagner, other Mercenary Groups in Africa
15th August 2023 There has been a deafening silence from the African Union and influential states such as South Africa on the activities of Wagner on the continent.... →
The ‘new geopolitics’ of mineral supply chains: A window of opportunity for African countries
31st July 2023 The transitions in global mobility, digitalisation and other sectors may require different minerals as future technologies develop. Following the... →
The Private Sector in Oceans Governance: From Talk to Action
25th July 2023 There has been much talk of involving the private sector more meaningfully in ocean governance. The private sector is adopting innovations to... →
Is #DIYAfrica the Future?
14th July 2023 In the civic-driven approach, civic actors can identify and develop solutions for development gaps in their own communities and sectors of... →
Using Africa’s Precious Civic Innovation Capacity to be Bee-Watcher-Watchering
11th July 2023 It is important to have funding which supports local, contextualised priorities in civic tech, not just democracy and governance. In Dr Seuss’... →
African role in G20 requires more than a seat at the table
27th June 2023 Africa’s absence constrained its ability to provide views on major global economic issues at the G20 summits as well as ministerial and technical... →
