International Relations Minister Sisulu hails this as heralding a “new dawn” in human rights foreign policy – but Pretoria also voted against a resolution condemning Russian human rights violations in Crimea.
The South African government hailed “a new dawn in South African foreign policy” after its envoy to the United Nations General Assembly in New York changed Pretoria’s vote and backed a resolution condemning human rights violations by Myanmar against the minority Rohingya people.
In November, South Africa had abstained from voting on the same resolution when it was before the General Assembly’s Third Committee which deals with human rights and humanitarian matters.
After an outcry against that vote, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu instructed South Africa’s diplomats in New York to back the resolution when it came up in the plenary of the General Assembly.
That happened on Saturday, when
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