UN General Assembly
2009

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the adoption, in 1989, of General Assembly resolution 44/27 A, on international solidarity with the liberation struggle in South Africa. That was one of numerous Assembly resolutions in which the nations of the world pledged their support for the eradication of apartheid. Within months of the adoption of that important resolution, the ban on South African liberation movements was lifted. Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were released. The stage was thus 09-52228 20 set for the negotiations that would eventually lead to the achievement of freedom and democracy in our country. The role of the United Nations in the struggle to end apartheid is an exceptional example of the collective political will of the international community. It represented the victory of unity over division and of negotiation over confrontation. It represented a clear commitment to the promotion of basic human rights. As South Africans, we will always be grateful for that international solidarity. Since the advent of democracy in 1994, we have built a solid, stable democracy, founded on the