His Excellency Mxolisi Nkosi was appointed to office in 2020 after a long career working for the UN. Here he shares his career highs and experiences that have equipped him for his role representing South Africa in the international diplomatic sphere.
How has your career in diplomacy led to your current position as Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN in Geneva?
My career in diplomacy started in 1997, when I was posted as the first Labour Attaché at the Permanent Mission in Geneva, following the 1994 democratic breakthrough in South Africa. After a two-and-a-half-year stint in Geneva I took up the position of Director of International Relations at the Department of Labour in Pretoria. In 2001, I was transferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) where I served in various senior positions, first as Director of the Office of the Director-General, Chief Director of North Africa, and later West Africa.
In 2007, I was promoted to head South Africa’s Africa diplomacy at the DFA. Between February 2012 and March 2016, I was the Head of Mission to the European Union and South African Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Before my appointment as South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, I was the Head of Global Governance and Continental Agenda in the South African Foreign Ministry, and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Sherpa to G7 Outreach Sessions.
How does South Africa’s history of overcoming systemic inequality shape its approach to advocating for social justice and human rights on the global stage in Geneva?
South Africa’s foreign policy vision is that of an African continent, which is prosperous, peaceful, democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and united and which contributes to a world that is just and equitable. Human rights is the cornerstone of South Africa’s foreign policy framework. South Africa is committed to achieving sustainable social and economic development by 2030, as well as to respecting international and regional human rights norms guided by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and in line with the National Development Plan, the United Nations and African Union human rights treaties, the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Africa Agenda 2063. Under these international obligations, South Africa has committed to human rights-based governance to eradicate poverty, promote equality and inclusive development. South Africa believes that all human rights including the right to development are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, as articulated in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA). South Africa’s stance remains that all human rights should be placed on an equal footing as opposed to more emphasis and resource going towards civil and political rights, also known as the blue rights, at the expense of economic, social and cultural rights as well as the right to development. During its tenure in the Human Right Council for the period 2023-2025, South Africa has prioritized, among others, anti-discrimination to focus efforts on the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance with specific emphasis on the comprehensive implementation of, and follow-up to, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. As a demonstration of its commitment to human rights, South Africa has ratified seven UN and two AU Human Rights treaties, as well as numerous optional protocols. These commitments bind South Africa to currently report and deliver on 13 UN and AU Human Rights instruments. As a constitutional democratic state, the South African government respects and gives effect to these treaty protected civil, political, and social, economic and cultural rights in all endeavors of human activity.
What are your main priorities at the UN in Geneva to collaborate to address socioeconomic challenges faced in Africa?
Since returning to the community of nations South Africa has played both a midwife, pioneering, and constructive role in the conceptualization, deliberations, and eventual adoption of instruments aimed at addressing socioeconomic challenges, most notably the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accordingly, South Africa’s presence in Geneva and the broader United Nations system is informed by its objective to strengthen cooperation with international organizations to advance its domestic priorities; make a meaningful contribution to the development of just, equitable and fair international norms and standards; promote the African Agenda, South-South Solidarity and South-North Cooperation in order to realize the objectives of Agenda 2023, United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Pact of the Future. South Africa has recently assumed the G20 Presidency for the year 2025, under the theme, “Solidarity, equality, and sustainability,” championing a global agenda that unites nations to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. Guided by the spirit of Ubuntu— “I am because we are”—South Africa aims to emphasize our shared humanity and interconnectedness. We intend to lead the charge in addressing climate change, poverty, unemployment, inequality, and geopolitical instability through inclusive growth, equitable financing, and sustainable development.
South Africa’s Presidency will prioritize a streamlined G20 agenda, eliminating redundancies to ensure focused and productive discussions. By zeroing in on the unique challenges and opportunities of the African continent and other developing regions, South Africa aims to amplify the voices of those most in need of global solidarity. South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 in December 2023 at a critical time when the world is facing a series of overlapping crises, including climate change, underdevelopment, inequality, poverty, hunger, unemployment, technological changes and geopolitical instability. Building on the legacy of emerging markets like Indonesia (2022), India (2023), and Brazil (2024), South Africa’s Presidency brings a distinctly African perspective to the global stage. The focus will be championing the priorities of emerging markets and developing economies, especially those in Africa, to promote equitable development across the globe. South Africa’s position as a regional leader and economic anchor in Africa, places it in a unique position to drive solutions and foster resilience, despite growth being constrained by commodity production disruptions, geopolitical instability, and extreme weather events. South Africa will leverage multilateral organizations, such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) African Union to advance regional economic integration with the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to attract investment, promote regional value chains, and champion sustainable development initiatives, particularly in renewable energy, climate adaptation (e.g., COP 29), and infrastructure development.
What steps do you think are needed to balance South Africa’s economic growth with the need for sustainability, particularly in transitioning from coal dependency to renewable energy?
The South African Government has adopted a package of reforms to enhance inclusive economic growth, achieve a sustainable public debt level, further repair and strengthen network industries, and improve state capacity to support economic activities. In this regard, South Africa’s reform agenda includes but is not limited to the stabilization of the electricity grid, enhancing the efficacy of freight and ports operations, implementing e-Visas, as well as prioritizing the advancement of targeted industries to enhance the business climate and promoting equitable growth. South Africa is leading the charge in balancing energy security with climate commitments, leveraging bold reforms, private-sector collaboration, and international partnerships to drive an inclusive energy transition. Key reforms and transformative initiatives included the elimination of load-shedding, through uninterrupted energy supply; the modernization of the electricity market by opening pathways for private investment, and unbundling the national energy supply company, Eskom, to ensure a resilient and transparent grid, diversifying and expanding the generation capacity with a focus on renewables, nuclear, and green hydrogen. South Africa’s G20 Presidency energy priorities are energy security and affordability, in order to ensure access and resilience against global challenges; inclusive transitions to ensure equitable socio-economic benefits, workforce
re-skilling, and local supply chain growth; and African interconnectivity by promoting regional energy markets and renewable energy corridors. Through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), South Africa has procured 13,422 MW of renewable energy since 2020, attracting $16 billion in investments, including $3 billion in foreign direct investment. Addressing the twin challenges of mitigation and adaptation requires bold commitments, innovative financing, and collaborative international action. As South Africa navigates the path towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future, climate finance remains a cornerstone of its strategy.
There is a significant mismatch between the climate finance needed and what has been committed. Adequate funding for loss and damage is equally critical to ensure that vulnerable communities are supported in adapting to climate impacts and recovering from unavoidable harm.
The adoption of the Baku Climate Unity Pact at UNFCCC COP29 marked a pivotal moment in advancing global climate finance and action. South Africa calls on all nations to honor the Baku commitments and resist unilateral trade barriers that impede collective progress. Partnerships are essential to overcoming financing barriers and unlocking opportunities. Developing nations face significant challenges due to the high cost of capital, which limits investment in sustainable infrastructure and technologies. To address this, developed countries and multilateral development banks (MDBs) must support reducing capital costs to enable critical investments. Developing countries cannot afford additional debt burdens. It is thus essential that climate initiatives are grant-funded or highly concessional, supported through non-debt instruments, and addressed by eliminating systematic barriers and enhancing MDB mobilization ratios.
How has Nelson Mandela’s commitment to reconciliation and nation-building influenced South Africa’s political and social resilience on the global scene?
South Africa is renowned for its peaceful transition from Apartheid oppression and white supremacy to a democratic dispensation that was ushered in 1994, following the first democratic elections and the establishment of the Government of National Unity. The founding father of the nation, Nelson Mandela advocated from the start, for unity and reconciliation and the creation of a rainbow nation living in peace. The values that Nelson Mandela espoused under his presidency influenced South Africa’s foreign policy objectives of peace, human rights and people-centered development, in pursuit of a better life for all. The foreign policy principles that the democratic South Africa continues to advance on the global stage include, among others, human rights democracy and a multilateral system based on international norms and law. The current Government of National Unity in South Africa must be viewed as Nelson Mandela’s legacy and an embodiment of unity and reconciliation in pursuit of a better life for all, a model that can be replicated in many countries in the world that may have emerged from conflict situations. The philosophy of Ubuntu remains South Africa’s guiding light that frames its foreign policy engagements. This African philosophy emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals within a broader communal, societal, environmental and spiritual context. It is a guiding philosophy that continues to shape South Africa’s approach as it seeks collective solutions to fundamental global socio-economic challenges and threats to global peace and security and enjoyment of human rights for all.