Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)

The mission of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) is to promote South Africa’s national interests and values, the African Renaissance and the creation of a better world for all.

The Department’s strategic objectives are to: protect and promote South African national interests and values through bilateral and multilateral interactions; conduct and coordinate South Africa’s international relations and promote its foreign policy objectives; monitor international developments and advise government on foreign policy and related domestic matters; protect South Africa’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; contribute to the formulation of international law and enhance respect for the provisions thereof; promote multilateralism to secure a rules-based international system; maintain a modern, effective and excellence-driven department; provide consular services to South African nationals abroad; and provide a world-class and uniquely South African State Protocol service.