By JD GLOBAL MEDIA
South Africa and Malaysia have brought together representatives from 40 countries at the United Nations in New York for discussions focused on strengthening the enforcement of international law, protecting international institutions and addressing concerns about the weakening of the multilateral system.
The high-level meeting, held on Friday, 25 September 2026 on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, was convened by South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.
The meeting brought together foreign and justice ministers as well as senior diplomats from participating countries. Its central message was that international law needs not only to be recognised in international agreements and resolutions but also consistently implemented and enforced.
The development gives South Africa another prominent diplomatic platform during the current UN General Assembly, where Pretoria has been pushing for reforms to global institutions and greater representation for African countries in international decision-making.
The latest initiative also builds on South Africa's longer-standing emphasis on multilateralism, international law and the role of international institutions in addressing conflicts and disputes.
A meeting focused on enforcement
The discussions in New York centred on the practical question of how international law can be strengthened when countries disagree about whether existing rules are being followed.
South Africa and Malaysia said the authority of international law depends not only on countries accepting legal principles but also on their enforcement.
The participating states discussed three broad areas: developing a multilateral system based on the sovereign equality of states, moving governments from what the organisers described as complicity towards compliance with existing legal obligations, and strengthening accountability for conduct that obstructs international courts and human-rights institutions.
The meeting therefore went beyond a general reaffirmation of international law.
The participating countries considered mechanisms through which governments and international institutions could monitor compliance and respond when legal obligations are allegedly ignored.
One proposal discussed at the meeting was the establishment of a new United Nations mechanism modelled on the Special Committee against Apartheid that operated during the apartheid era.
The proposed mechanism would focus on monitoring compliance with international law.
The proposal remains part of the diplomatic discussions rather than an established United Nations body. Further consultations among participating states are expected before any new mechanism could become a formal international initiative.
South Africa's historical connection to the issue
South Africa's involvement in the discussion has a particular historical dimension.
The country experienced decades of apartheid, during which racial discrimination was enforced through legislation and state institutions.
International pressure eventually contributed to the dismantling of apartheid, while the United Nations played an important role in keeping the issue on the international agenda.
In his national statement to the 81st UN General Assembly on 24 September, Lamola referred to the role of multilateralism in South Africa's transition and argued that the country's experience demonstrated what international cooperation could achieve.
South Africa therefore frequently uses its own history when discussing the importance of international law and multilateral institutions.
The government argues that international rules should be applied consistently rather than selectively.
That position was also reflected in Lamola's address to the General Assembly, where he called for meaningful reform of global governance and greater African representation in the UN Security Council.
The proposal for a new monitoring mechanism
One of the most notable elements of the latest meeting was the discussion of a possible mechanism modelled on the former UN Special Committee against Apartheid.
The apartheid committee was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1962 to monitor developments relating to apartheid and support international efforts against the system.
The new proposal would have a different contemporary purpose: monitoring compliance with international law.
The idea reflects concerns among the participating states that existing international legal obligations can lose effectiveness when there are insufficient mechanisms to ensure compliance.
The proposal does not automatically create a new UN institution.
Creating a formal UN mechanism would require further political and institutional processes, and participating countries would need to determine its mandate, structure and relationship with existing UN bodies.
The 40 countries involved have agreed to continue consultations on the issue.
Protecting international courts
Another major issue discussed was the protection of international judicial institutions and the people working within them.
The participating states expressed support for measures intended to shield the International Criminal Court, its judges and officials from sanctions and intimidation.
The discussion reflects wider concerns about the ability of international courts to operate independently when governments disagree with their decisions or investigations.
International courts depend on states for cooperation in many areas, including access to evidence, enforcement of decisions and the execution of warrants.
When states refuse to cooperate, legal proceedings can become more difficult to implement.
South Africa and Malaysia are arguing that the credibility of international justice depends on institutions being able to carry out their mandates without political intimidation.
The proposal discussed at the New York meeting is therefore connected to a wider debate about the relationship between national governments and international judicial bodies.
Palestine remains central to the discussion
The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory was identified by the participating countries as an urgent test of the multilateral system.
The meeting's statement referred to continuing violations of international law and pointed to the International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion and subsequent General Assembly action.
South Africa has made Palestine a central issue in its foreign-policy agenda.
The country instituted proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice in December 2023, alleging violations of obligations under the Genocide Convention. Israel has rejected South Africa's allegations and disputes the characterisation of its military operations.
South Africa has continued to argue that international law must be applied consistently to all states.
Lamola repeated that broader position in his national statement at the General Assembly, saying South Africa remained committed to international law and international humanitarian law.
The latest meeting therefore connects directly with South Africa's existing diplomatic approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Arms embargo discussion
The participating countries also discussed continued efforts towards a United Nations Security Council arms embargo on Israel.
An arms embargo would require action through the relevant international mechanisms and remains a subject of international diplomatic disagreement.
The New York meeting did not itself impose such a measure.
Instead, the participating countries discussed continued efforts to advance the proposal.
This distinction is important because the meeting represents a political and diplomatic initiative rather than a new binding UN decision.
South Africa's participation indicates that Pretoria intends to continue using multilateral forums to advocate for its position on international humanitarian law and the conflict in Gaza.
Africa's place in global decision-making
The meeting also fits into South Africa's broader campaign for reform of global governance.
During his UN General Assembly address, Lamola argued that Africa remains underrepresented in institutions that make decisions affecting international peace and security.
He pointed to the fact that African conflicts feature prominently on the Security Council agenda while African states do not hold permanent seats on the council.
South Africa continues to support the Ezulwini Consensus, which calls for permanent African representation on the Security Council together with the privileges attached to permanent membership.
The argument is that the composition of the Security Council does not adequately reflect the current international system.
South Africa has therefore linked reform of global governance to the broader objective of restoring confidence in multilateral institutions.
Why the issue matters to South Africa
The international-law initiative is relevant to South Africa because Pretoria's foreign policy relies heavily on multilateral institutions.
South Africa is a member of the United Nations, African Union, BRICS and other international groupings.
Its diplomatic strategy frequently involves working through coalitions rather than relying solely on bilateral relationships.
The latest meeting demonstrates that approach.
Instead of presenting the issue only as a South African position, Pretoria participated with Malaysia and a wider group of states.
The involvement of 40 countries provides a larger diplomatic platform for the issues being discussed, although participation in a meeting does not necessarily mean that all participating countries support every proposal in exactly the same way.
The countries involved have different foreign policies, economic interests and relationships with the major powers.
Their common ground in this case is the stated importance of strengthening international law and accountability.
South Africa's wider UN agenda
The latest initiative forms part of a broader South African agenda at the 81st General Assembly.
Before the General Assembly began, Pretoria identified reform of global governance, African representation, international law, inequality, artificial intelligence governance and international peace and security among the issues it intended to raise.
South Africa has also called for international guardrails for artificial intelligence and has sought support for an International Panel on Inequality.
These initiatives reflect the government's effort to use the UN platform to address both traditional security questions and emerging global challenges.
The common theme is a preference for multilateral responses rather than unilateral action.
The limits of diplomatic declarations
While the 40-country meeting is significant as a diplomatic initiative, its practical impact will depend on what participating governments do after the meeting.
International statements do not automatically change international law or create new enforcement powers.
Any proposed UN mechanism would need additional consultations and potentially formal approval through the appropriate UN processes.
Similarly, protecting international courts from sanctions or intimidation would require governments to translate political support into practical measures.
The participating countries have therefore committed themselves to continued consultations rather than announcing a completed institutional reform.
That means the next stage will be important.
The countries involved will need to determine whether the proposals can attract wider international support and how they could operate alongside existing UN institutions.
The relationship with South Africa's UN reform campaign
South Africa's call for stronger enforcement of international law is closely connected to its demand for reform of the Security Council.
Pretoria argues that the credibility of international institutions depends on both representation and consistent application of their rules.
The government has repeatedly raised concerns about what it describes as selective application of international law.
Lamola made that argument in his General Assembly speech, saying that restoring trust in multilateralism requires meaningful reform of global governance.
The latest meeting provides another platform for that position.
It also allows South Africa to work with countries that share concerns about the effectiveness of existing international mechanisms.
What happens next
South Africa and Malaysia have indicated that consultations with participating countries will continue.
The next steps will involve examining the proposed mechanisms, determining how they could operate and assessing whether there is sufficient support for taking the proposals into formal UN processes.
The countries will also have to consider how any new mechanism would interact with institutions that already have mandates relating to international law, human rights and international justice.
That process could take considerable time.
The New York meeting should therefore be viewed as the beginning or continuation of a diplomatic campaign rather than the final adoption of a new international enforcement system.
For South Africa, however, the event provides an opportunity to place its interpretation of multilateral reform at the centre of discussions involving a wider group of countries.
A continuing debate over international rules
The latest initiative highlights one of the central debates facing the international system: whether existing rules are sufficient or whether stronger mechanisms are needed to ensure compliance.
South Africa and the other participating countries are arguing that the credibility of international law depends on implementation.
The proposal to create a monitoring mechanism, the discussion around international courts and the continued focus on the Palestinian territory all form part of that argument.
At the same time, the proposals will face the practical realities of international diplomacy.
Countries have different interests, alliances and interpretations of international law. Reaching agreement among a large group of states can therefore be difficult.
The 40-country meeting does not resolve those differences.
What it does demonstrate is that South Africa is continuing to invest diplomatic effort in multilateral institutions and is working with other governments to push for changes to how international law is monitored and enforced.
For Pretoria, the issue is also connected to the country's own history and its long-standing emphasis on international cooperation.
For the participating states, the challenge now is to move from declarations and diplomatic discussions towards proposals that can gain wider support and operate within the existing international system.
The next phase of consultations will determine whether the New York initiative develops into a formal UN reform proposal or remains primarily a political coalition around the principle of stronger enforcement.
For South Africa, the latest development reinforces its stated position that international law should be applied consistently, that international institutions should be protected from intimidation and that Africa should have a greater role in shaping global decisions.
The 40-country meeting has therefore added another dimension to South Africa's diplomatic activity at the 81st UN General Assembly, with the country continuing to use multilateral engagement to pursue its positions on international law, institutional reform and global accountability.
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