by Munetsi Madakufamba – SANF 05 no 69
Southern African Development Community (SADC’s) historic Silver Jubilee Summit on 17-18 August in Botswana is set to deliberate on a wide range of pertinent regional issues including the appointment of new leadership for the secretariat.
The summit will discuss the chairperson’s report, which covers key issues since the previous summit last year in Mauritius. South Africa, which chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, will also table a report for discussion.
Key issues on the political front include elections held in Botswana (October) last year, Namibia (November), Mozambique (December), and this year in Zimbabwe (March) and Mauritius (3 July). Another key political issue that is likely to feature at the summit is the electoral and constitutional process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The country is preparing to hold a referendum on a new constitution which if adopted will pave way for elections. The poll was postponed in June for six months pending the creation of an appropriate legal environment.
The summit is expected to review progress towards a SADC Free Trade Area in 2008 as well as current multilateral trade negotiations, including a new partnership agreement with the European Union.
Progress on implementation of the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security is expected to come under scrutiny, especially with the backdrop of current food shortages in some southern African countries including Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The HIV and AIDS pandemic, which has severely dented development efforts in the region, will almost certainly feature during the deliberations. The region is guided by a declaration and action plan on HIV and AIDS adopted by Heads of State and Government in Maseru in 2003.
On gender and development, SADC Heads of State and Government are expected to consider a proposal to upgrade the SADC gender declaration into a protocol, thus making it a legally binding instrument.
The proposed protocol is expected to raise the target for women representation in decision-making positions from 30 to 50 percent in line with the African Union.
The summit is expected to discuss the outcome of the African Union Summit which took place early July in Sirte, Libya, and of the Group of Eight industrialised countries which among other issues made far- reaching decisions on debt relief and aid to developing countries.
Progress will be reviewed on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), as will be progress towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in view of the forthcoming UN Millennium Review Summit in September.
A decision is expected on the candidate membership status of Madagascar which submitted its application in August last year and was to be assessed over one year. Heads of State and Government are expected to discuss the appointment of a new executive secretary and deputy.
A progress report will be heard on the financing, design and construction of the new SADC headquarters. SADC House has become too small for the enlarged secretariat staff. The new headquarters will be constructed in Gaborone, which has hosted the secretariat since 1980.
Senior officials followed by the Council of Ministers will meet first to prepare the agenda for the Summit of Heads of State and Government, the highest decision-making body of SADC.
Special events are expected to take place to mark the 25th anniversary of SADC, which was launched at a summit in Lusaka on 1 April 1980. Membership has grown from 9 to 13 countries. (SARDC)
