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Employment and Labour
SADC has put in place measures to promote full and productive employment
across the region. The main legal instrument is the Protocol on Employment
and Labour, adopted in August 2014. However, only one SADC Member State has ratified
the Protocol, meaning that it is yet to enter into force. A process to review the Protocol is
underway to ensure that it incorporates changing global dynamics in the labour market.
A number of instruments have been developed to make it easier for SADC Member
States and the employment and labour sector to promote common interests through deeper
cooperation among the various stakeholders. The instruments include the Labour Migra-
tion Action Plan (2020-2025) adopted in 2020, and the
Guidelines on Portability of Social Security Benefits.
Among the major achievements are the establishment
of a Labour Market Information System that tracks
progress using 23 key labour-market indicators. The
system provides Member States with information on
demand and supply of labour and market trends to fa-
cilitate planning. Another achievement is the devel-
opment of Cross-Border Portability of Social
Protection Instruments which aid the
exportation/transfer of benefits gained by a migrant
worker in one Member State to his/her country.
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Youth Employment Promotion
A SADC Youth Employment Promotion Policy
Framework and Strategic Plan was approved in 2016
and is being implemented by all SADC Member
States, including minimum standards of social protec-
tion for youth.

Agriculture, Food Security and Natural Resources

Agriculture is the backbone of most economies in the region, contributing be-
tween four percent and 27 percent of the regional Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), and about 13 percent of the total export earnings. Therefore, to ensure the success
of the agriculture sector, SADC has ensured that most of the legal instruments on agri-
culture are aligned to other sectorial plans such as infrastructure development, trade, cli-
mate change, and gender.