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Labour Migration Action Plan
A new SADC Labour Migration Action Plan (2020-2025) was adopted by the employment
and labour sector to promote skills transfer and matching of labour supply and demand
for regional development and integration. The SADC Guidelines on Portability of Social
Security Benefits were adopted to ensure workers moving within the SADC region
maintain social security rights and benefits acquired under the jurisdiction of different
Member States.

Protocol on Statistics
A Protocol on Statistics has been developed to serve data needs for policy instruments on
regional integration. Regional statistical publications are produced and disseminated
regularly, and are accessible online.

Regional Resource Mobilisation
The SADC Regional Resource Mobilisation Framework was finalised and approved by
the Council of Ministers in August 2019. The framework includes proposals for alternative
sources of funding to finance SADC programmes, such as an import levy, tourism levy,
financial transaction tax and transport levy, in which Member States are free to choose
their own way of generating revenue to finance SADC regional programmes, including
contribution to the regional programmes and projects from national budgets.

African Economic Community
80 The SADC Secretariat engaged actively with the African Union in promoting continental
integration in line with the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community, commonly
referred to as the Abuja Treaty, of 1991. SADC continued to collaborate with COMESA and
the EAC in coordinating the Tripartite agenda, so far 22 countries have signed the Tripartite
Free Trade Agreement (TFTA), and eight countries have ratified. The draft Tripartite
Agreement on Movement of Business Persons was adopted during the year.

COVID­19 Pandemic
Since March 2020, the region has been operating under very difficult and challenging
conditions with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in which the social-economic
fabric of Member States has been negatively impacted and brought under severe stress
requiring extraordinary measures. The measures being implemented at national and
regional levels are yielding positive results in the containment of the spread of the COVID-
19, cushioning national economies from the debilitating effects of the pandemic, and
lessening the impact on the people of the region.
Recognising the need to facilitate the movement of essential goods and services
during a period when internal movement of people may be restricted, SADC developed
Guidelines on Harmonisation and Facilitation of Cross Border Transport
Operations, and Regional Standard Operating Procedures for the Management
and Monitoring of Cross Border Road Transport at Designated Points of Entry
and COVID-19 Checkpoints. The guidelines were revised in June informed by
the lessons learned from implementation, and continue to guide the SADC
region to balance, realign, harmonise and coordinate COVID-19 response
measures with the requirements for trade and transport facilitation. Stakeholders
in the public and private sectors are aligning the Guidelines with national laws
and procedures.
Until a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is developed, the region has
to remain vigilant by considering health requirements and socio-economic
imperatives, moving forward to continue building its economy while protecting
the wellbeing and livelihoods of citizens. The Secretariat carried out an in-depth
assessment of the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on SADC economies,
in which a number of measures across sectors were recommended and adopted.