Lamola urges global solidarity and defence of UN charter in New York address

South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, called for renewed global solidarity and a defence of the United Nations Charter in a keynote address at New York’s Riverside Church on Monday, 21 September 2026.

Message from a historic pulpit

Speaking from the same pulpit where Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela once addressed crowds, Lamola invoked their legacies to demand justice for Palestinians and a recommitment to multilateralism. He framed South Africa’s stance as rooted in principles of sovereign equality, the right to self-determination and dialogue as the path to lasting peace.

Defending the UN Charter

Lamola told the audience that South Africa remains committed to the UN Charter and said the country will defend its principles. He warned against the idea that might makes right and said it was time to challenge those who believe the powerful may act with impunity.

“I can’t imagine a better place to declare that we shall not be moved in our determination to defend the principles of the UN Charter, the sovereign equality of all nations, the right to self-determination and dialogue as the only path to lasting peace.”

On Gaza and international action

Lamola said that despite a purported ceasefire, violence continued and that hospitals, schools, sanitation and water infrastructure in Gaza had been bombed and bulldozed. He thanked activists for documenting destruction and for refusing to look the other way.

“For Palestinians, the age of freedom is yet to dawn. The hour of peace is yet to strike. Despite the purported ceasefire, the violence of occupation and genocide continues.”

He linked South Africa’s own liberation to the power of international solidarity and described the country’s approach to international law as part of that commitment. Lamola noted South Africa had approached the International Court of Justice to challenge violations of the Genocide Convention.

Broader warning on silence

Lamola connected the Gaza crisis to other global challenges, including inequality, climate shocks and conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine. He said the Sustainable Development Goals remain out of reach and contrasted global military spending with the UN’s regular budget.

“Silence is not golden. In the face of grave injustice, silence is complicity,”

He rejected calls to prioritise domestic issues at the expense of international solidarity and closed with a rallying cry from South Africa’s history.

“We will not move. Ons dak nie. Ons phola hier. Amandla!”