Page 9 - 40th Summit Brochure 2020

WELCOME MESSAGE

REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE
PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC

WELCOME REMARKS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 40th ORDINARY
SUMMIT OF SADC HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
17 AUGUST 2020

The Republic of Mozambique is hosting the 40th Ordinary Session of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government, the supreme body
of our regional Organisation, in Maputo, on 17 August 2020. To all fellow citizens of the SADC
region, I extend a warm welcome to the City of Maputo, capital of the Republic of Mozambique.
This is a special welcome due to the conditions we find ourselves in, not only in our region,
6 but also worldwide, characterised by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has imposed restrictions on
us and has put to the test our ability to find new solutions for coexistence in all dimensions, either
individually, as citizens, or collectively, as Member States of the same regional Organisation.
It is as a consequence of these special circumstances that we host the Summit virtually and,
notwithstanding, we are honoured by your choice to hold this regional event in the City of Acacias:
Maputo.
The Summit takes place at a particular time in the history of our country, as on 25 June we
celebrated the 45th Anniversary of our National Independence. With equal excitement, we celebrate
the Eduardo Mondlane Year, to honour and perpetuate the memory of our national hero, Dr. Eduardo
Mondlane, an Architect of the Unity of Mozambicans, the man who would have turned 100 years
on 20 June 2020.
My task here, on behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, is
to express our appreciation and special greetings to the founders of our Organisation who, with their
astuteness and extraordinary vision, contributed to our political and economic liberation, an
objective that goes beyond our borders. I refer to the integrated social, political and economic
development of our region, which has as its main beneficiary, our peoples. The stages of this
development are clearly outlined in our compass, which is the Regional Indicative Strategic
Development Plan (RISDP).
We have always been bold and determined and, with the precious resources at our disposal in
our region, we have attained the current stage of development, though recognising that much more
is required of us in order to make the region, and each of our countries, more prosperous and
peaceful, a legacy of which future generations will be proud.
To this end, we must address all the challenges, mainly the human capital development, the
construction of efficient and resilient infrastructure, the industrialisation, and the addressing of
threats to peace and stability in the region.
In addition to these challenges, we must respond to the uncertainties arising from the COVID-
19 pandemic, which threaten to undermine the progress our countries have made in implementing
the RISDP.