Joint Press Statement on the occasion of the 12th meeting of the German-South African Bi-National Commission

On 13 April 2026, Germany and South Africa held the 12th meeting of the German-South African Bi-National Commission (BNC), the key instrument for the development of the German-South African bilateral relationship. The 12th meeting marks the 30th anniversary of the BNC, which was founded in 1996 by South African President Nelson Mandela and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and whose first meeting was held in Bonn in 1997. Significantly, this latest meeting takes place in the month in which South Africa marks 32 years of being a post-apartheid country, and 37 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Foreign Ministers Lamola and Wadephul consulted on bilateral cooperation, multilateralism and UN reform, and peace and security in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Subsequently, the Foreign Ministers convened the plenary format of the BNC's eight senior-official level interdepartmental working groups. The results were compiled in the German-South African Joint Action Plan, which the Foreign Ministers signed during the plenary session.

In the Joint Action Plan, the Foreign Ministers underscore that stable partnerships between middle power and democratic nations are essential in the current volatile international environment in particular. Moreover, they highlight that South African-German cooperation is founded on a shared commitment to the principles of a rules-based international order based on the Charter of the United Nations and international law, including the promotion and protection of human rights. The Foreign Ministers emphasised their shared belief that representative democracy is the most effective form of government when it comes to ensuring citizens' freedom, security and prosperity.

The following key cooperation outcomes were achieved:

1. Germany and South Africa will upgrade their relations to a Strategic Partnership to intensify their dialogue on strategic issues at senior official level, including through consultation formats covering multilateral issues, conflict mediation, peace and security in Europe and Africa, regional cooperation, democratic resilience, cyber foreign policy and navy staff talks.

2. Germany has advanced its support for South Africa within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with a new climate-related concessional loan worth 200 million euro and technical cooperation to accelerate grid and renewables investments, backing South Africa's continued pursuit of more ambitious climate targets.

3. Extended cooperation on green hydrogen and battery value chains, notably through the second phase of the Hydrogen for a Just Transition in South Africa (H2SA II) programme, a new Finance Facility and more than 270 million euro in German and EU funding under the Global Gateway framework for green hydrogen and battery value chains in South Africa.

4. Extended cooperation on critical raw materials including by launching a Critical Raw Materials Inducement Prize to support entrepreneurs in high-potential mineral beneficiation projects.

5. Enhanced cooperation on vaccine production to strengthen regional health security and foster innovation in the pharmaceutical sector.

6. Deepened their science and technology partnership through new flagship initiatives in just energy transition, artificial intelligence, quantum research and cybersecurity, while celebrating 30 years of extensive science and technology cooperation based on a joint vision for innovation, excellence and sustainable development.

7. Reaffirmed their support for the mobilisation of private capital for peace-positive investments in fragile contexts with a focus on Africa including through Germany's Investing For Peace Initiative (I4P), and launched discussion on the possibility of setting up a regional secretariat in South Africa.

8. Strengthened their cooperation on arts, culture and education and in particular on school education in South Africa, with efforts in the fields of film and museums and an exhibition on German missionary history.

9. Intensified trade and investment cooperation, also to implement the EU-South Africa Clean Trade and Investment Partnership, notably by addressing non-tariff barriers and regulatory issues and improving framework conditions for investors, for example in energy and transport infrastructure, through quarterly consultations between the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).

10. Held a high-level business dialogue including South African Foreign Minister Lamola as well as German Minister of State Hahn and Parliamentary State Secretary Rouenhoff as part of the BNC to promote trade and investment relations.

11. Enhanced bilateral cooperation on trade in animal products, in particular extensive cooperation on preventing foot-and-mouth disease in the agricultural sector pursuant to the Joint Declaration of Intent signed by Agriculture Ministers Rainer and Steenhuisen in South Africa in March 2026.

12. Deepened the substantial bilateral vocational and educational training (VET) cooperation, also to expand youth employment,through the South African-German Expert Group, lecturer development, the VET Excellence Awards and academic cooperation on VET and by continuing development cooperation programmes as part of the JETP.

13. Intensified cooperation on labour and social affairs to improve labour market conditions and inclusion and to promote social protection.

14. Strengthened cooperation on environmental and climate protection, in particular through closer cooperation on the circular economy, mine rehabilitation, climate action, biodiversity and ocean protection and by fighting crimes that affect the environment.

15. Reaffirmed their long-standing, close and trust-based cooperation as Co-Chairs of the G20 Compact with Africa Advisory Group to improve the business environment in participating African countries in order to mobilise private investments and attain sustainable economic development, also reflecting the close and strategic partnership on economic issues concerning Africa at the level of the G20.