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Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation
The SADC Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (MRH) Project provides a framework
for effective coordination to increase functionality and effectiveness in medicines regulation
in SADC, and supports the implementation of the SADC Pharmaceutical Business Plan.
The objectives of the MRH are to institutionalise the use of medicine registration systems
at national level in SADC Member States to strengthen functionality and effectiveness in
medicine regulation; strengthen and expand areas of technical cooperation; develop and
implement a national and regional Management Information System (MIS) to facilitate
decision-making and sharing of information among Member States and stakeholders; and
facilitate capacity-building of National Medicines Regulatory Agencies (NMRAs).
Under a tripartite Cooperation Agreement between the SADC Secretariat, NEPAD
Agency and the World Bank, the SADC MRH has significantly improved the medicine
regulatory processes in the region in areas of joint assessment, joint inspection, self-bench-
marking, guidelines development, QMS and capacity-building.

Action to Improve Nutrition
Through the SADC Food Security and Nutrition Strategy 2015–2025, there are goals that
the region is committed to achieving in order to improve nutrition and address all forms
of malnutrition. The strategy has targets on stunting, wasting, underweight, anaemia, low
birthweight, exclusive breastfeeding, and overweight, which are in line with the global tar-
gets for the World Health Assembly. A SADC Action Framework for Improving the Quality
of Young Children’s Diets has been developed to activate multi-sectoral national actions
120 from the health, food, social protection sectors, and Water and Sanitation (WASH).

Education
The commitment by SADC Member States to provide education to its citizens
is evidenced by the significant increase in the number of children and youth
who are attending school. This achievement is underpinned by the SADC Protocol on
Education and Training signed in 1997, which entered into force in 2000. The Protocol
guides the SADC Education and Skills Development Programme which facilitates and co-
ordinates the harmonisation and implementation of regional policies to ensure access to
relevant and quality education and training in the SADC region. Other key instruments
include the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, notably Article 14 which calls
for equal education opportunities for both girls and boys.