Regional Civil Society Organizations Call on SADC to Accelerate Implementation of Development Plan
Co-convened by 14 regional organisations, the event focused on the theme of "Accelerating SADC's Development through the Socially Accountable Generation and Use of Public Resources."
Johannesburg, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Harare, and Dodoma - More than 200 representatives from regional civil society organisations, governments, and parliaments gathered for the third consecutive year in parallel meetings across five different countries and online on September 13th and 14th, 2023, writes Winston Mwale.
The purpose of the meetings was to urge the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to expedite the financing, implementation, and monitoring of its regional strategy, the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–30.
Co-convened by 14 regional organisations, the event focused on the theme of "Accelerating SADC's Development through the Socially Accountable Generation and Use of Public Resources."
Participants assessed SADC's progress in financing and implementing the strategy, highlighting several key areas that require urgent attention.
During the meetings, participants called on SADC and its member states to establish and strengthen SADC National Committees, which serve as multi-stakeholder accountability bodies as required by the SADC Treaty.
Currently, these committees are only functional in a few countries. Additionally, the participants emphasized the need to expedite the establishment and financing of the Regional Development Fund and Agricultural Development Fund, both of which are significantly behind schedule. They also urged regional leadership in mobilizing climate adaptation finance.
Another crucial recommendation put forth by the participants was the requirement for countries to provide mandatory annual reporting to SADC in a timely manner.
They stressed the importance of making these reports available for public scrutiny.
Furthermore, the establishment of the Regional Non-State Actor (NSA) Engagement Mechanism, aimed at improving citizen involvement in regional programming, was highlighted as a priority.
The participants also emphasised the need for the prompt establishment of the SADC Parliament, with eight countries still needing to sign the amendment to the SADC Treaty and forthcoming Protocol.
The participants focused their discussions on the key social sectors of health, education, and agriculture.
They also assessed regional actions supporting women and young people, as well as the generation of resources for development through industrialization and trade.
Action plans were developed during the meetings, outlining advocacy and monitoring strategies for the upcoming year.
The outcome of these meetings reflects the commitment of regional civil society organisations, governments, and parliaments to push for the accelerated implementation of the RISDP.
The call for increased accountability and timely action aims to ensure that SADC's development goals are achieved, benefiting the citizens of the Southern African region.