Consular Corps visiting the Western Cape Disaster Management

Purpose:  To showcase to the new Members of Consular Corps posted in the province, the key offerings, competences and work undertaken by the Provincial Disaster Management Centre. The latter is primarily focused on preparedness, responsiveness and ability to manage crises and disasters in the province and country.

Background and context

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 provides for the establishment of consular missions.  The main functions of a Consular mission are as follows:

a) Protect the interest and nationals of a sending State in the receiving State;

b) Furthering the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific relations and otherwise friendly relations between the sending and receiving State;

c) Ascertain conditions and developments in the fields mentioned in subparagraph (b) above, and report to the sending State thereon;

d) Issuing passports and travelling documents to nationals of the sending State, and visas and appropriate documents to persons wishing to travel to the sending State;

e) Helping and assisting citizens and bodies corporate of the sending State; etc.

Consular missions based in Cape Town are an important interlocutor through which the Western Cape promotes its economic, commercial, cultural, and scientific offerings globally.  As such, it is important to develop and maintain a strong working relationship with members of the Consular Corps based in Cape Town. 

Visiting the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre scheduled for 20 November 2023 from 10h00 till 12h00

A request was made by the Belgian Consul General, Mr Mathias Bogaert on behalf of the French and the Italian consulates to visit the centre. The Directorate: International Relations endeavored to include all other new Consul Generals who recently arrived in the province, to afford them the opportunity to also benefit to this visit. The Directorate: International Relations has on many occasions partnered with Disaster Management to facilitate a couple of visits by the entire Consular Corps to the centre. The visits had been truly beneficial to all, particularly to those whose countries that are prone to disasters to learn and experience the preparedness, responsiveness and management capability of the Western Cape. Welcoming an international audience to the PDMC, also allows for knowledge exchange and key learning s to be shared since the WCDMC has in recent years provided international support like the Türkiye earthquake and Canadian Fires in 2023.

The following Consul Generals would be attending:

• Angola
• Belgium
• Italy

The Consuls General of France and India as new arrivals in the Cape, unfortunately cannot attend due to prior commitments.