Consequences inSouthern Africathatwasunanimously adopted bytheGeneral Assembly lastDecember. Usingourcollective assessment asabasis,wewill recommend theactions necessary toaccelerate thepaceoferadicating ~artheid permanently andcompletely. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryJSMledd Al44/PV.9S 31 ~Mr.Ordonez. fhili2Pines) Thecomprehensiv~ repor~oftheSecretary-General ontheprogress ofthe implementation oftheDeclaration servQsasaninsightful andexcellent quidein ourassessment. appreciation of, ItakethisopportUD.ity toexpress thesinc,re°thants thePhilippine delegation totheSecretary-~en~ral 'forsubmitting Ithereportbeforeus,whichportrays thecurrent situation inSouthAfrica.and I whichreflects thevarious positions ofalltheparties andgroupsinvolved inthe processes takingplacethere. Sincetheadoption oftheDeclaration, important developments havetakenplace insouthern Africaandelsewhere. WeintheUnitedNations tookpartinleading Namibia toitslong-overdue independence. rnSouthAfrica, themomentum forchange began: inFebruary thisyear,President DeKlerkannounced measures towards reform. Political organizations wereunbanned, including theAfrican National Congress ofSouthAfrica (ANC)andthePanAfricanist Congress ofAzania (PAC). Manypolitical prisoners werereleased. NelsonMandela, thegreatest symbolofresistance against ~partheid, qai~ad hisfreadom andthePhilippines joinedtheworldrejoicing athisrelease. The international community notedinJunethelifting ofthestateofemergency inmost ofSouthAfrica, exceptinNatalprovince &ndtheKwaZulu homeland. ThentheSouth African Parliament adopted theDiscriminatory Legislation regarding Public Amenities RepealAct,butthemostfar-reaching development wastheinitiation of "talksabouttalks", themeetinglastMayinGrooteSchuur, CapeTown,between the representatives oftheAfrican National Congress andtheSouthAfrican Government, convened toremoveobstacles totheeventual negotiations onthefateofSouth Africa. Thesedevelopments areindeedwelcome andcrucial. Theyardstick, however, bywhichweshouldmeasure theprogress increating aclimate conducive to negotiations remains theconditions laiddownbytheDeclaration. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryI JSMJedd Al44/PV.9a •32 (Mr.or4onez ePhili»pipes) I Inissuing thereport, theSecretary-Gene~al observed thatalthough the I ~. process ofchangeinSouthAfricahadstarted,itwasstill,ata~reliminary stage. ThePhilippines sharedthisviewwhentheSpocial Committee against Apartheid, ofwhichitisamember, statedinJulythatprofound andirreversible changes inSouthAfricaareyettotakeplace. Indeed, moreneedstobedone beforenegotiations totransform SouthAfricaintoanon-racial democracy actually begin. Thebasicpillars oftheAPartheid system, which r6~ainintact, suchasthe repressive security regulations, theGroupAreasAct,thePopulation Registration ActandtheLandsActmustbebrought down.Atthesametime,theescalation of violence inNatalandinsomeotherareasmustbestemmed anaitscausesstamped out. Foritspart,thePhilippines iscommitted tothefqndamental principles provided forintheDeclaration andviewsthoseprinciples asconstituting the basisforaninternationally acceptable solution totheeradication ofapartheid in SouthAfrica. Theprocesses takingplaceinSouthAfricashouldculminate inth drawing upofanewconstitution basedontheCharter oftheUnitedNations andthe Universal Declaration ofHumanRights. Inparticular, thePhilippines sharesthe visionoftheinternational community oftransforming SouthAfricaintoaunited, non-racial anddemocratic society. ThePhilippines isinfullaccordwiththeguidelines totheprocess of negotiations andtheprogramme ~factionintheDeclaration. Giventhenecessary climate, thepeopleofSouthAfricamaynegotiate thefutureoftheircountryinan atmosphere freeofviolence. Inthis re~ard, thePhilippines believos thatthe sanctions against SouthAfricashouldnotberelaxeduntilthereisclearevidence ofprofound andirreversible changeinSouthAfrica. Digitized by Dag Hammarskjöld LibraryJSMledd Al44/PV.98 :33 (~rdonez, Phili2Pines) ThefutureoffershopethatSouthAfricamaybuildafuturevastlydifferent fromitspast.Thestepsarenowbeingtaken. Thewaywillnotbeeasy,strewnas itiswithobstacles. Butwith$trongresolve andpatience, thepeopleofSouthAfrica nowfacethe prospect ofafutureinaneweraofpeace,freefrom~eid, andwithjustice forallSouthAfricans.
**Analysis**
The text discusses the political situation in South Africa, specifically the progress towards the eradication of apartheid and the implementation of the Declaration on the Prohibition of Apartheid. The author highlights the developments in the country, such as the release of Nelson Mandela, the unbanning of political organizations, and the initiation of talks between the African National Congress and the South African Government. The text also emphasizes the importance of creating a conducive climate for negotiations and the need for profound and irreversible changes in South Africa.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, International relations