Page 85 - 41st Summit Brochure

SADC VISION
2050
A peaceful, inclusive, competitive, middle- to high-income industrialised region,
where all citizens enjoy sustainable economic well-being, justice and freedom
Cross Cutting Issues
Pillar 3
Gender, Youth, Environment and Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management
Infrastructure
Industrial
Social and
Development Development Human Capital
in Support
and Market of Regional
Integration Integration Development SOCIAL AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Peace, Security, and Good Governance
DIRECTORATE OF SOCIAL The committee has been instrumental in
providing technical guidance to the Ministers of
AND HUMAN CAPITAL
Health and the Council of Ministers on specific
DEVELOPMENT issues related to coordination of the response to
the pandemic by Member States.
The Social and Human Capital Directorate is Since August 2020, SADC Ministers
mandated to implement programmes to ensure responsible for Health have met on a number of
that socio-economic development is achieved in occasions to review the COVID-19 situation. The
a human-centred, inclusive, and sustainable focus of their meetings has been to provide
guidance on the effective approaches that are
manner. These interventions relate to the RISDP
2020-30 pillar on Social and Human Capital required to respond to the pandemic as well as
Development, which includes programmes on approving regional guidelines and standards to
Education and Skills Development, Employment facilitate an effective and coherent response to
and Labour, Youth Development, Health and the COVID-19 outbreak.
The SADC Health Ministers have been
Nutrition, and HIV and AIDS.
meeting to review the prevailing epidemiological
situation in Member States, and making
HEALTH decisions to address the prevailing challenges.
The Ministers have: 83
The Health and Nutrition Unit focuses on a
• Approved the SADC Guidelines on the
specific RISDP 2020-30 Strategic Objective
Facilitation of Cross-border Movement of
which aims at Strengthening and Harmonizing
Goods and Services during the pandemic;
Regional Health Systems for the Provision of
• Approved the harmonisation of testing and
Standardized and Accessible Health Care. The
issuing COVID-19 clearance certificates
Unit works with Member States and partners to
for international travellers;
support coordination in the development of
• Approved the standardized surveillance
regional health policies, strategies, plans and
approach at border crossing points and
guidelines. The Health and Nutrition Unit also
enhanced epidemiological information
supports the implementation and monitoring of
sharing; and
related regional strategies and guidelines.
• Approved the identification of accredited
In the past year, health services in the region
laboratories in Member States that are
have experienced enormous disruptions due to
authorized to conduct covid-19 tests, and
the COVID-19 pandemic which has had a severe
sharing of that information with other
impact on the SADC Region, hence the need for
Member States.
a well-coordinated response by Member States
Health Ministers have been working with the
to address some of the challenges caused by the
Council of Ministers to review their decision on
COVID-19 pandemic.
the suspension of face-to-face meetings during
One key regional mechanism that was put in
the Covid-19 pandemic.
place during the pandemic is the reactivation of
the SADC Technical Committee on Monitoring
the Implementation of the SADC Protocol on NUTRITION
Health by Ministers of Health, with an expanded
mandate to include other sectors such as The lessons learned in the period under
review include the need to develop regional
immigration, transport, commerce and industry
strategies, standards and tools that can
as well as other relevant national stakeholders
strengthen the efforts of Member States
within Member States.