Vanaf September 1975 tot May 1990 was die kantore in Denemarke slegs ‘n konsulaat, en is dit in 1990 opgegradeer na die van ‘n Ambassade. Vorige regering het heelwat buitelandse kantore en missies gehad, om handelsbetrekkinge te bevorder. Die ANC het nie agtergebly nie en ook hul eie mense oral geplaas en soms van DA lede gebruik om hulle anc doelwitte uit te dra. Dis ‘n “riem onder die hart dat Denmarke soveel geld skenk in Afrika se ‘ontwikkeling’ maar daar is meer vlugtelinge in ander lande as wat daar ontwikkeling plaasvind. Gedurende 2009 was daar samesprekings tussen SA regering en Denemarke, spesifiek oor Afrika en SADC lande. In the document, the Danish Government sets out its strategy as far as development aid is concerned. It identifies 15 countries which will be receiving aid. It furthermore pledges 3.3 billion Danish Krone for development assistance to Africa.
state visit
***
History of Relations
South Africa first opened a Consulate General in Copenhagen on 1 September 1975 and this was upgraded to an Embassy in May 1990. South Africa has close relations with Denmark dating back to the constant and strong support for democracy in South Africa. Bilateral political relations are warm and sound. Denmark is also an important partner with regard to overseas development assistance.
http://www.dirco.gov.za/foreign/bilateral/denmark.html
***
Denmark and South Africa have strong relations that date back to the support Denmark provided to the struggle against apartheid. In the transition period from apartheid up to 2010, Denmark and South Africa had an extensive development cooperation programme. Today, the relations focus on economic development, trade, technical cooperation in energy, water and smart city development and political relations.
Denmark has a long history of relations with South Africa. During the struggle against apartheid from 1963 to 1994, the Danish Government supported the victims of apartheid with 975 million DKK. Denmark was the first country in the world to apply general economic and political sanctions on the apartheid regime, and several anti-apartheid activists visited Denmark during the years leading up to the fall of apartheid. Danish civil society was very active in the anti-apartheid movement and several South Africans lived in exile in Denmark.
After the end of the apartheid regime, Denmark quickly established diplomatic relations and supported the transition phase. After this, 15 years of extensive development cooperation followed. Roughly, DKK 2.5 billion were spent from 1995-2010 on human rights, education, environment, private sector development and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Today, the relationship between South Africa and Denmark is focused on economic cooperation, trade, technical cooperation in specific sectors and political relations. You can read more about the trade-relations and the strategic sector cooperation under the separate headlines for these. On the political relations, Denmark and South Africa has a regular strategic dialogue and enjoys close cooperation on particularly gender equality, human rights, peace and security and youth participation.
http://sydafrika.um.dk/en/about-south-africa/
***
The Trade Council of the Danish Embassy is primarily here to assist Danish companies in starting up and/or expanding their presence in South Africa, and we can assist in providing knowledge about the South African market.
***
21 January 2009 discussions between Denmark and South Africa
South Africa and Denmark are to advance North-South relations by consolidating bilateral political, economic and trade relations. South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will on Friday hold bilateral discussions with Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller at the Union Buildings. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Minister Moller is scheduled to arrive in South Africa on Wednesday and will stay until Monday.
Issues on the agenda for discussions between Ministers Dlamini Zuma and Moller on Friday will include the forthcoming Nordic – African Foreign Ministers’ Informal Meeting. A briefing on developments in Europe and Africa, including the European Union and the African Union and SADC will also be on the agenda, the department said.
According to the department, peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa including in the Great Lakes region, Sudan, Somalia and Zimbabwe and the Middle East will also be discussed. Issues of global interest including the financial crisis, climate change and the reformation of global institutions of governance will also dominate the agenda. “Ministers Dlamini Zuma and Moller will also sign a Declaration of Intent between the two countries on conclusion of their discussions,” the department said.
While in South Africa, Minister Moller will also open a wind energy seminar with Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica and deliver an address on the “Broad Security Concept including Climate and Energy” at the University of Pretoria African Dialogue Guest Lectures Series. Denmark is one of the largest donor countries (relative to their GDP), contributing one percent of its GNP to development assistance.
In 2003, the Danish Government launched a number of important initiatives within the field of development assistance with a view to making Danish assistance more targeted and more effective in terms of impact. A new policy document was launched, “A world of difference”, giving the Danish Government’s general position on development co-operation matters. The document singles out the various sectors and themes, which will be prioritised in the future Danish assistance.
Another important initiative was the decentralisation of the administration development assistance to the embassies in the most important countries with whom Denmark is co-operating, including South Africa. In August 2008, the Danish Foreign Ministry and DANIDA publicised its latest strategy called “Priorities of the Danish Government for Danish Development Assistance: An Overview of the Development Assistance Budget 2009 to 2013. In the document, the Danish Government sets out its strategy as far as development aid is concerned. It identifies 15 countries which will be receiving aid. It furthermore pledges 3.3 billion Danish Krone for development assistance to Africa.
The money will be dispersed to eight countries in the form of 11 programmes ranging from promotion of good governance to water sanitation. The countries who will be receiving assistance are Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Mali and Niger.
https://www.sanews.gov.za/world/sa-denmark-advance-north-south-relations
2013
The Danish government is launching a new political initiative ‘Opportunity Africa’ in order to boost Denmark’s presence in Africa. Opportunity Africa combines foreign policy, development co-operation as well as trade and investment. The initiative supports an inclusive and green economic growth in Africa.
“We want to provide better support to the Danish companies in order to pass the threshold to the African markets, so they can contribute in meeting local development needs and create more green growth and employment. In 2013 and 2014, Denmark will pledge approximately 3.8 billion DKK for inclusive and green growth in Africa, mainly through bilateral development co-operation with priority countries, where we spend 3 billion DKK,” says Christian Friis Bach, Minister of Development Cooperation in Denmark.
“In 2013/2014, our development cooperation will include pledges of approximately 840 million Danish Kroner in support through regional and sub-regional African institutions which have an important role to play in the scramble to seize the current momentum for growth in Africa.”
The total Danish export in goods with African countries, which Denmark has prioritized development cooperation with, amounted to 782.5 million DKK in 2012. However in light of the high average GDP growth in African countries, this figure could become much higher in the upcoming years.
“There is a huge demand in Africa for sustainable investments in order to boost inclusive and green economic growth in the region. I think regional economic integration, development cooperation and commercial engagement must often go hand in hand in order to make this happen,” says Nick Hækkerup, Minister of Trade and European Affairs in Denmark.
The new initiative “Opportunity Africa” highlights the synergies between the Danish support to regional integration and sustainable economic growth in Africa; Danish development cooperation in Africa and Danish bilateral trade with African countries.
http://um.dk/en/news/newsdisplaypage/?newsid=cc019e18-9776-441f-b781-5cb90bc81691
***
ONAFHANKLIK 