SADC: Across National Borders (From: Akzente, the GIZ Magazin, 04/2013)
ACROSS NATIONAL BORDERS Elephants are just one of the problems making life difficult for people in the Kavango Zambezi region. In an effort to identify transboundary solutions, 15 African countries formed the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Text Philipp Hedemann PHOTO: GUY STUBBS PHOTO: 38 akzente 04/2013 COMMITMENT > SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY Kinshasa, Dem. Rep. Congo Dodoma, Luanda, Tanzania Victoria, Angola Seychelles Lusaka, Zambia Lilongwe, Malawi Antananarivo, Madagascar Harare, Zimbabwe Port Louis, Windhoek, Mauritius Namibia Gaborone, Botswana Maputo, Mozambique Pretoria, South Africa Lobamba, Swaziland Maseru, Lesotho Towards balanced economic development The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been in existence since 1980, when it was formed as an alliance of countries known as the Southern African Develop- ment Coordination Conference (SADCC). Its transformation into the present-day SADC took place in 1992. The member states are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The regional organisation strives for politically stable, socially equitable and sustainable economic development in order to alleviate poverty in the region. Members have signed 27 protocols, in which governments commit to step up and strengthen their cooperation and promote good governance, peace and security. In 2008, 12 of the member states es- tablished an SADC free trade area. The principal executive institution is the SADC Secre- tariat, which is responsible for strategic planning and coordination of joint SADC pro- grammes. It organises and manages SADC meetings, including the Summits of Heads of Foraging elephants can cause State or Government and the meetings of the Council of Ministers.
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