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CANADA AND SOUTH AFRICA SIGN JOINT DECLARATION
OF INTENT TO STRENGTHEN BILATERAL COOPERATION
November 4, 2003
Ottawa, Ontario
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and South African President Thabo Mbeki today
witnessed the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent between the Government of
Canada and the Government of South Africa that will further strengthen bilateral
cooperation and expand dialogue on key bilateral and multilateral issues. Canada
and South Africa have also announced their intention to begin discussions on a
bilateral air transport agreement.
"The Declaration signed today clearly demonstrates that relations
between Canada and South Africa have developed into a strong partnership that
encompasses broadly shared values and vision for the future," said the
Prime Minister. "It provides a new and focused framework for engagement
across a broad range of fields including governance, sustainable development,
economic growth and cultural and community ties."
The announcement was made following a meeting between the Canadian Prime
Minister and the South African President, on the occasion of President Mbeki’s
first State visit to Canada.
Highlights of the Joint Declaration of Intent include:
Upgrading diplomatic representation in Toronto and Cape Town;
Initiating annual consultations on foreign policy and development issues;
Renewing and expanding dialogue on global issues within multilateral fora;
Co-operating closely in support of the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD);
Working collaboratively to build capacity in key sectors of governance,
including rural development and HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases;
Strengthening partnership on environmental issues, particularly with
respect to climate change, sustainable development and desertification;
Working cooperatively in the information and communications technologies
sector and the science and technology field;
Accelerating the implementation of a Declaration of Intent on Technical
Co-operation in the area of transportation;
Developing a framework for cultural cooperation and promoting cultural
diversity multilaterally;
Supporting South Africa’s efforts to strengthen its health system; and,
Working together to help South Africa’s schools, particularly in rural
areas, provide computer education and maintain necessary infrastructure.
The full text of the Joint Declaration of Intent on Strengthened Co-operation
by Canada and the Republic of South Africa is attached.
Canada and the Republic of South Africa:
Joint Declaration of Intent on Strengthened Co-operation
Recognizing the long history and rich tapestry of our bilateral relationship,
the Governments of Canada and South Africa declare our intent to further
strengthen cooperation and dialogue. The friendship between our countries is
based on broadly shared values, growing trade and investment, tourism and
cultural exchanges and increasing government collaboration, both bilaterally and
in international fora. This joint declaration provides a new framework for our
relationship as principal partners.
Enhancing Governance and Foreign Policy Co-ordination
Recognizing the expansion of our bilateral relations, South Africa
intends to open a Consulate General in Toronto, an important financial and
commercial centre, while Canada intends to upgrade its Office in Cape Town
to a Consulate General, thus enhancing its diplomatic presence in one of
South Africa’s largest cities.
Canada and South Africa intend to initiate annual consultations on
foreign policy and development issues to bring about increasing cooperation
on issues of common interest such as conflict prevention and peacebuilding,
human rights and good governance. These consultations are intended to
complement our on-going co-operation in the Human Security Network, the
Kimberley Process and other diplomatic processes.
Guided by our shared commitment to multilateralism, Canada and South
Africa intend to expand our dialogue on global issues within multilateral
fora such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth, including through
regular consultations between our Permanent Missions to the United Nations.
South Africa and Canada intend to continue to co-operate closely in
support of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD),
recognizing the crucial role that NEPAD stands to play in achieving
sustainable development in Africa. As one manifestation of this
co-operation, Canadian and South African parliamentarians are to work
together within inter-parliamentary bodies to promote NEPAD. Canada will
maintain its engagement in support of NEPAD, including through the
implementation of the G8 Africa Action Plan and the work of the Canada Fund
for Africa.
Advancing human security, human rights and sustainable development
South Africa and Canada intend, through South Africa’s National
Treasury and through CIDA, to further develop their collaboration through
capacity building in the key sectors of governance, particularly rural
development, and HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, in the context of
the revised and updated Country Program Strategy for South Africa being
launched by the Canadian International Development Agency.
South Africa and Canada intend to work closely together on human rights
issues in line with the aims of the African Union.
Canada and South Africa confirm their commitment to strengthening their
partnership on environmental issues especially with respect to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.
Both governments recognize the need to enhance co-operation on climate
change, through policy dialogue, co-operation on capacity building, by
seeking expansion of Clean Development Mechanism projects in support of
sustainable development in South Africa and by helping South Africa to
address its problem of desertification.
Promoting innovation and economic growth
Canada intends to establish in Cape Town the first regional node of the
ENABLIS initiative, which provides African entrepreneurs in the information
and communications technology sector with seed funding and mentoring. Cape
Town was selected in recognition of the high potential of entrepreneurs in
southern Africa in general and South Africa in particular.
South Africa and Canada intend to ensure that the benefits of information
and communications technologies (ICTs) foster social and economic
development throughout Africa. For instance, Connectivity Africa,
established by Canada and launched in South Africa in April 2003, will work
in partnership with the Economic Commission for Africa to improve access to
ICTs by applying Canadian expertise in fields related to education, health,
and community development.
Canada and South Africa intend to increase their co-operation in the
science and technology field. As a first step, South Africa has agreed to
bring a delegation to Canada to discuss potential areas for collaboration in
the private, academic and public sectors.
In support of efforts by African Leaders to promote the application of
science and technology (S&T) for economic growth and poverty reduction,
Canada’s International Development Research
Centre (IDRC) is to provide long-term support for science and technology
initiatives under NEPAD.
South Africa and Canada intend to accelerate the implementation of the
Declaration of Intent on Technical Co-operation between the Department of
Transport of Canada and the National Department of Transport of the Republic
of South Africa, to ensure the best possible transportation systems for both
of our nations.
Strengthening our culture and our communities
Recognizing the importance of nurturing culture in a globalizing world,
South Africa and Canada intend to develop a framework for cultural
cooperation for 2003-2006.
Canada and South Africa intend to continue to promote cultural diversity
on the
international stage, in particular in the pursuit of a standard-setting
convention at UNESCO that will ensure the diversity of cultural contents and
artistic expressions.
Canada, through IDRC, intends to further support South Africa’s efforts
to strengthen its health system, including through enhanced public-private
partnerships to improve the quality of care, regulation, access and human
resources, including workforce planning and health financing. Research will
jointly be undertaken to better understand the impact of HIV/AIDS and other
communicable diseases on health service capacity.
Canada and South Africa intend to continue to work together to ensure that
South Africa’s schools, particularly in rural areas, can provide computer
education and maintain necessary infrastructure. Through enhanced support from
IDRC, African researchers and institutions will study the advantages and
pitfalls of using refurbished computers and certain network designs in school
networking and establish new e-readiness baselines for schools.
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