SA's foreign policy has been topical of late, following the country's successful campaign to return to the UN Security Council in the nonpermanent category for an unprecedented third time.
The country's voting patterns at the UN Human Rights Council and some UN committees, as well as how we respond to various geopolitical issues, have sparked interesting debates.
As we come to the end of 2018, it is worth looking back at what South African diplomats under the leadership of Lindiwe Sisulu have been up to.
The recent past has been a busy period.
The UN Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the UN and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security as well as accepting new members and approving any changes to its charter. Its powers includepeacekeeping operations, international sanctions and military action through Security Council resolutions. It is the only UN body that issues binding resolutions to member states.
From January, SA will occupy a seat on the council for two years. This is not a small achievement.
Recently, SA chaired the 16-member Southern African Development Community (Sadc), co-chaired with China the Forum for China-Africa Co-operation, continues to chair the 21-member Indian Ocean Rim Association (Iora) and the Brazil, Russia, India, China, SA formation (Brics).
Our role as chair of Iora is important for a number of reasons. First, the membership of the association accounts for nearly one-third of the world's population (2.6-billion). Half of the world's trade travels through this region. In addition, the Indian Ocean has a variety of natural resources that are vital to the wellbeing of those living in the area, to safe trade and environmental stability.
Second, the Second International Indian Ocean Expedition that will continue to 2020 coincides with SA's tenure as chair of Iora.
To this end SA will use its role to facilitate the participation of African countries in the ocean research expedition, to use the expedition to build human capacity in SA and on the African continent, and facilitate the establishment of African regional training and research institutions as part of our legacy as chair of the association.
The last Sadc summit we hosted took a number of historic decisions. One such decision was the admission of the Union of Comoros as the 16th member of the regional body. The fact that more states want to join the Sadc is an affirmation of the attraction and effectiveness of our regional organisation. We remain firm in our pursuit of peace and stability as well as shared growth and prosperity.
SA continues to play a key role in the African Union (AU) and the UN.
In the AU we are involved as part of continental efforts to "silence the guns" and bring about lasting peace and prosperity in conflict situations such as those in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya.
In the UN we still look back with satisfaction at our recent tenure as chair of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) board of governors. The IAEA is a multilateral body with the responsibility to promote the safe and secure use of nuclear science and technology for peace, security and development.
SA presided over the IAEA board of governors at a time when the global peace and security environment was characterised by heightened tensions and uncertainties.
SA is highly regarded by the IAEA because of the development of its peaceful nuclear programme. Through the power plant at Koeberg, the country generates 5% of its electricity supply from nuclear.
SA is the second-largest producer of medical isotopes, which are used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Sisulu has instructed that one of the barometers to be used to gauge the effectiveness of our foreign policy endeavours is how we contribute to our government's apex strategy, the National Development Plan. The plan sets out a long-term vision that seeks to address the challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality, and puts SA on a path to long-term development and prosperity.
The Southern African region remains the primary destination for South African exports.
At the last count, the region accounted for more than R336bn, or 77.17%, of our total African trade.
In 1994, trade between SA and the rest of Africa stood at R11.4bn. As at December 2016, SA's total trade with Africa stood at R436bn.
According to the report"Africa Economic Outlook 2017: Entrepreneurship and Industrialisation", published by the African Development Bank and the UN Development Programme, "the continent has made steady progress in governance and management of public institutions and resources, and continues to do so".
"Relative to the past, Africa now enjoys better ratings on democratic governance and the rule of law, which are critical to nation building and policy consensus."
Furthermore, the report notes: "Over the past two decades, the value of trade between Africa and the world has quadrupled. Today the continent's trading partners are also more geographically diverse, and regional co-operation is building momentum.
"This is because African countries have adopted more open policies, invested in infrastructure and continued to pursue regional integration."
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Sisulu always remind us that the future of SA is inextricably linked to that of our region and continent.
For that reason, South African diplomats will continue championing the African agenda through all the international forums that we lead, and look forward to more successes in 2019, working towards realising our vision of "a better SA, a better Africa and a better world".
We firmly believe that we have succeeded during the course of the year to elevate our country's stature internationally while remaining true to our principles.
∗ Monyela is head of public diplomacy at the department of international relations & co-operation...