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5.2.1 Institutional Framework
The special SADC Summit in June 1996 agreed that the SADC Organ on
Politics, Defence and Security would operate at the Summit level, as well as
Ministerial and technical levels, and function independently of other SADC
structures, with the chairing of the Organ to rotate on annual and on a Troika
basis. The Summit agreed that the Inter-State Defence and Security Com-
mittees would be one of the institutions of the Organ, and that the Organ
may establish other structures as the need arises.

Figure 5.1 Organ Structure
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5.3 SADC Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation
The SADC Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security was signed in 2001 as an instrument
to formalise the SADC Organ established in 1996, and to strengthen and deepen cooper-
ation in this area. The protocol was ratified and entered into force on 2 March 2004, pro-
viding an institutional framework through which Member States coordinate policies and
activities in this area. The Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security Cooperation (SIPO) was developed to operationalize the Protocol, providing guide-
lines on implementation for five-year periods before review. The SIPO is based on the ob-
jectives and common agenda of SADC within the SADC vision of “a shared future in an
environment of peace, security and stability, regional cooperation and integration based on
equity, mutual benefit and solidarity.”