Today in History: South Africa readmitted to the United Nations
After nearly 20 years of suspension from the UN, South Africa was readmitted on 23 June, 1994.
Despite being one of the 51 founding members of the original United Nations all the way back in 1945, South Africa was suspended from the UN and all its associated work in 1974.
The UN has, since its founding, grown astronomically from the original 51 member states to an astonishing 193 sovereign member states.
A large part of the strong international contingent within the UN in 1974 had strong feelings against the Apartheid policy that had been adopted by the South African government at the time.
This led to the UN General Assembly deciding to suspend South Africa from participating in its work on 12 November 1974.
For close to 20 years, South Africa was an outcast, and could do nothing in relation to the organisation. That was until the UN General Assembly expressed its satisfaction at the successful holding of the democratic elections in April 1994, as well as the establishment of the Government of National Unity, and the adoption of a non-racial and democratic constitution for the transitional period.
The decision to readmit South Africa to the UN came on 23 June 1994, just under two months after the general elections. Since the readmission in 1994, the South African government has pursued a foreign policy based on the centrality of the UN in the multilateral system.
See the link below for some clips from Nelson Mandela’s various speeches to the United Nations:
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