International diplomacy
This programme is aimed at understanding how decisions, choices and policies of various states help shape the outcomes of significant international processes including negotiations, conferences and diplomatic clubs. The programme tracks the conduct of international diplomacy, assesses the role of Africa and South Africa, for the purpose of identify ways in which Africa and South Africa could make a better use of international diplomacy. The IGD believes that international diplomacy when used strategically and in a calculated fashion offers great opportunities for developing countries to ensure its outcomes help overcome global inequality, poverty and underdevelopment.
The programme has three sub-themes, namely:
1. International negotiations and conferences diplomacy and the possibility of realising Africa's and South Africa's foreign policy goal by forging inclusive, realistic and ambitious consensuses. The focus is on diplomatic platforms with a strong economic and developmental bias such as the G20, the UN, the OECD, the WEF and so forth. in 2010-15, the focus is on the dynamics of the international climate change negotiations and the achievement of fair and pragmatic outcomes.
Dr Lesley Masters leads this area of study.
2. The second sub-theme is on the role and impact of emerging powers/markets in influencing international diplomacy, especially in championing developmental outcomes. For this reason, the IGD research and dialogue seek to understand the meaning and impact of new southern multilateralism in the form of clubs like BASIC and BRICSA as well as bilateral relations, especially with African countries on Africa's and South Africa's interests. The focus currently is on the link between emerging power alliances and developmental aspirations of Africa and South Africa. Discussions on BASIC-BRICS-IBSA will involve counterparts in Brazil, India and China and the findings will be published in reports.
Mr Francis Kornegay coordinates this work.
3. Led by Siphamandla Zondi, the sub-theme on African diplomacy seeks to understand and influence the changing role of Africa in world affairs. A component of this is to identify ways of improving decision-making and strengthening inter-institutional linkages to ensure positive outcomes from Africa's agreements with other regions and countries. This includes a strategic role for the AU Commission and civil society. In 2011-15, the focus is on African decision-making in regard to EU-Africa and FOCAC as well as on South Africa's role in Africa with a special reference to its peace diplomacy in the DRC, Sudan and Zimbabwe. With elections expected in the DRC and Zimbabwe, the IGD will promote dialogue in both countries. It is involved in interactions with the AU Commission on AU response to post-independence dynamics in Sudan.
Dr S. Zondi is part of an AU Tehnical Committee on Post-Conflict Development and Reconstruction in Sudan.
