The United Nations is celebrating its 80th anniversary throughout 2025, with a special focus on October 24 as UN Day. For South Africa, this milestone highlights the organization's role in the country's transition from democracy to development and global leadership. UN Resident Coordinator Nelson Muffuh emphasizes the need for multilateral renewal amid global challenges.
As the United Nations approaches its 80th anniversary on October 24, 2025, the organization calls for reflection and renewal of international cooperation. In South Africa, this event underscores the UN's longstanding partnership since the country's democratic rebirth in 1994, which affirmed the UN Charter's principles of peace, dignity, shared prosperity, and human rights.
The UN has supported South Africa's progress from its first democratic elections to advancements in inclusive growth, education, health systems, social cohesion, gender equality, disaster management, ethical state building, decent work, and social protection. Despite persistent challenges like poverty, inequality, unemployment, crime, state capture, and service delivery issues, notable achievements include electricity access expanding from 36% to nearly universal coverage, social grants reaching over 28 million people, and life expectancy rebounding after the HIV/AIDS crisis through the world's largest HIV treatment program.
South Africa not only benefits from multilateralism but champions it, advocating for UN Security Council reform and a recalibrated international financial architecture. President Ramaphosa stated at UNGA80 that "the current architecture undermines the spirit of cooperation and weakens the UN’s credibility." The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) exemplifies this, with UN support in policy reform, stakeholder engagement, and financing to ensure climate action centered on communities, jobs, and equity.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres notes that post-World War II multilateralism is outdated, slow, fragmented, and exclusive, requiring evolution amid demographic, climatic, economic, and technological shifts. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed stresses that "Unstoppable Africa," with its dynamism and resources, must lead this renewal. South Africa's path offers a model for the UN's adaptation, guided by the 2030 Agenda and the Pact for the Future, to address interconnected challenges like climate change, conflict, and inequality.