Page 20 - 40th Summit Brochure 2020

REPORT OF THE SADC EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR

August 2019 – August 2020

Introduction
T is Report for the 40th SADC Summit presents the progress made in driving the devel-
opment and integration agenda of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) since the 39th Summit that was held in August 2019.

Political Developments in SADC
T e political and security situation in the region remained generally stable,
notwithstanding isolated pockets of instability, mostly in the eastern Demo-
cratic Republic of Congo with the continuation of terrorist attacks perpe-
trated by the negative forces, and insurgent attacks fuelled by religious
extremism and radicalism in northern Mozambique. In ef orts to bring
long-lasting peace and security in the Republic of Mozambique, a landmark
agreement on peace and reconciliation was signed between the Govern-
ment of Mozambique and Renamo in August 2019. T is was followed by
general elections which were conducted in a peaceful manner in October
2019.
Seven Member States conducted successful elections – Botswana,
Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.
T e region successfully deployed SADC Electoral Observation Missions to
those countries. T e elections were held peacefully, and in line with the
SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections. Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax,
during her meeting with UN
Secretary General’s Special Envoy
COVID-19 Pandemic to the Great Lakes Region, Mr.
Since March 2020, the region has been operating under very dif cult and challenging Huang Xia, held on 26 September
2019 in New York.
conditions with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in which the social-economic 17
fabric of Member States has been negatively impacted and brought under severe stress
requiring extraordinary measures. It is nonetheless gratifying to note that the measures
and initiatives being implemented at national and regional levels are yielding positive re-
sults in the containment of the spread of the COVID-19, and at the same time cushioning
national economies from the debilitating ef ects of the pandemic. Most important, the
measures are lessening the impact on the wellbeing of the peoples of the region.
Recognizing the need to facilitate the movement of essential goods and services dur-
ing the lockdowns and state of emergencies, SADC developed Guidelines on Harmoniza-
tion and Facilitation of Cross Border Transport Operations across the Region, and
Regional Standard Operating Procedures for the Management and Monitoring of Cross
Border Road Transport at Designated Points of Entry and COVID-19 Checkpoints. T e
guidelines were revised in June informed by the lessons learned from implementation,
and continue to guide the SADC region to balance, realign, harmonise and coordinate
COVID-19 response measures with the requirements for trade and transport facilitation
as well as to promote safe trade and transport facilitation for economic growth and
poverty alleviation in the SADC region. Stakeholders in the public and private sectors
are aligning the Guidelines with their national laws and procedures.
All indications show that until a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is found, which
might take a while, the region has to remain pragmatic and vigilant by considering not
only health requirements but also socio-economic imperatives. T e region has to move
on and continue building its economy, while protecting the wellbeing and livelihoods
of citizens. In this recognition the Secretariat carried out an in-depth assessment of the
socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on SADC economies, out of which a number of
measures across sectors were recommended, and adopted.