Celebrating 20 years of democracy and disarmament in South Africa
There are many lessons from South Africa for the global effort to stem nuclear proliferation.
Date: 2014-11-25
Time: 13:00 to 17:00
Venue: Conference room
, ISS Pretoria
, Block C
, Brooklyn Court
, 361 Veale Street
, map
South Africa continues to play a significant international role as a strong proponent of peace, human security, disarmament and non-proliferation. This seminar celebrated 20 years of democracy and 21 years since South Africa dismantled its nuclear weapons programme.
The seminar was co-hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Oslo-based International Law and Policy Institute (ILPI) and the Pretoria Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
It was opened by Anton du Plessis, the managing director of the ISS, and chaired by Noël Stott, a senior research fellow in the Transnational Threats and International Crime division of the ISS.
The speakers were:
- Johann Kellerman, Director of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), South Africa
- Mothepa Shadung, research intern, ISS
- Nic von Wielligh, author of Die Bom: Suid-Afrika se kernwapenprogram
- Sarah Swart, Regional Legal Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
The seminar discussed South Africa’s adoption of positions in support of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and as a proponent of nuclear disarmament and a nuclear weapons-free world, in particular. It also highlighted South Africa’s foreign policy, which has been committed to international peace and security since the advent of democracy.
The discussion about Die Bom: Suid-Afrika se kernwapenprogram, the most comprehensive and accurate account of South Africa’s nuclear weapons programme, provided clarity on the country’s decision to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme and place all its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
As the only country in the world to voluntarily dismantle its nuclear weapons programme, members of the international community often look to South Africa to draw lessons from the South African case. First, to illustrate general proliferation concerns currently facing the world, such as the on-going Iranian nuclear controversy. Second, and in particular, to ascertain key steps that might be considered in future by other states undertaking similar disarmament processes – both those states parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and those countries presently outside the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, namely, Israel, India, Pakistan and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.
The seminar also examined lessons from the South African case for global efforts to promote nuclear disarmament and stem nuclear proliferation through its support of the humanitarian initiative – a global movement that has placed the potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons on the international agenda.
