Episode Details

Joint Press Statement on the occasion of the 12th Meeting of the German-South African Bi-National Commission, Berlin, Germany, 13 April 2026 On 13 April 2026, Germany and South Africa held the 12th Meeting of the German-South African Bi-National Commission (BNC), the key instrument for the development of the German-South African bilateral relationship. The 12th meeting marks the 30th anniversary of the BNC, which was founded in 1996 by South African President Nelson Mandela and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and whose first meeting was held in Bonn in 1997. Significantly, this latest meeting takes place in the month in which South Africa marks 32 years of being a post-apartheid country, and 37 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Foreign Ministers Lamola and Wadephul consulted on bilateral cooperation, multilateralism and UN reform, and peace and security in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Subsequently, the Foreign Ministers convened the plenary format of the BNC’s eight senior-official level interdepartmental working groups. The results were compiled in the German-South African Joint Action Plan, which the Foreign Ministers signed during the plenary session. In the Joint Action Plan, the Foreign Ministers underscore that stable partnerships between middle power and democratic nations are essential in the current volatile international environment in particular. Moreover, they highlight that South African-German cooperation is founded on a shared commitment to the principles of a rules-based international order based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including the promotion and protection of human rights. The Foreign Ministers emphasised their shared belief that representative democracy is the most effective form of government when it comes to ensuring citizens’ freedom, security and prosperity.