Southern Africa today SADC ToDAY Vol 22 No. 2 FEbRuARY 2020 SADC @40 Deepening regional integration in 2020 by Kizito Sikuka THE YEAR 2020 provides an opportunity for SADC to review its integration agenda but also to chart the region’s development path as it enters 40 years of regional cooper- ation. This issue of Southern Africa Today looks at some key issues for SADC this year. Towards Vision 2050 The two strategic documents are ex- One of the priority focus areas for SADC in pected to be presented for approval at the 2020 is the formulation of a new 30-year vi- 40th SADC Summit of Heads of State and sion that will set a strategic direction for the Government scheduled for August in Ma- region to implement its programmes and ac- puto, Mozambique. tivities until 2050. The current regional blueprint, the Re- Strengthening implementation of regional POLICY 3 vised SADC Regional Indicative Strategic initiatives Development Plan (RISDP), which was ap- Closely linked to the development of a new ENERGY 4-5 proved in 2015 is coming to an end in De- vision, the year 2020 is historic as it marks LAND 6 cember 2020. the last year of implementation of the Re- The proposed SADC Vision 2050 is ex- vised RISDP 2015-2020. INFRASTRUCTURE 7 pected to be predicated upon the existing SADC Member States are this year ex- SADC vision, which is that “of a common fu- pected to intensify efforts to implement ac- WETLANDS 8-9 ture in a regional community that will en- tivities set out in the plan as well as the sure economic well-being, improvement of industrial development strategy. AFRICAN UNION 10-11 the standards of living and quality of life, The SADC Industrialisation Strategy and freedom and social justice, and peace and se- Roadmap 2015-2063 provides a framework ELECTIONS 12-13 curity for the people of Southern Africa”. for major economic and technological trans- The SADC Vision 2050 will be aligned to formations in southern Africa. GENDER 14 the African Union Agenda 2063, and the re- To support its implementation, a SADC gion has resolved that the Strategic Plan Protocol on Industry, which aims to improve EVENTS 15 2020-2030 should be termed the RISDP the policy environment for industrial devel- 2020-2030. opment, was approved in August 2019. HISTORY TODAY 16 continued on page 2... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 SADC @40 Deepening regional integration in 2020 The protocol is a stand-alone and binding legal instrument that The proposed establishment of the SADC Regional Parliament will entrench and give legal effect to the SADC Industrialisation will provide a representative institution for the SADC citizenry, Strategy and Roadmap and its related Cost-Action Plan and will thereby serving as a valid interlocutor for the needs and desires of ensure adequate coordination, monitoring and evaluation of im- the general public. plementation both at the regional and national level. Silencing the Guns Advancing gender development Peace and stability are key ingredients for the success of regional On gender and development, SADC and the global community integration and sustainable development. As such, mechanisms for will this year mark the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Con- peace-building and peace-keeping will be another focal area of at- ference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and tention for SADC in 2020. Platform For Action (BDPfA) in 1995. In line with the African Union aspiration of “Silencing the Guns The BDPfA is an agenda for empowerment of women that aims by 2020”, SADC will strive to end wars, civil conflicts, gender- to accelerate the implementation of gender progressive initiatives based violence, and violent conflicts in the region. as well as removing all the obstacles to women’s active participa- The SADC region has generally enjoyed stability despite some tion in all spheres of public and private life through a full and equal pockets of volatility in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. of Congo, the Kingdom of Lesotho and Madagascar. While SADC has made significant progress in advancing gender SADC will thus continue to take stock of interventions under- equality and equity, the year 2020 provides an opportunity for the re- taken by the region to promote peace and stability in these and gion to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achieve- other Member States. ments of women, while taking note of the barriers that hinder the Buoyed by successful elections held in 2019, at least two SADC acceleration of gender equality, especially in the private sector. Member States will go to the polls this year – Seychelles and United Republic of Tanzania . Addressing the regional energy situation Tanzanians will vote in October to elect their President, parlia- During the year, SADC will continue to strengthen energy devel- mentarians and councillors, while Seychelles has its presidential opment at regional level to address power shortages that have hin- election on a date to be announced between September and dered economic growth and development since 2007 due to November. diminishing generation capacity and growth in demand. SADC plans to commission a total of 8,781 megawatts of new Solidarity with Zimbabwe electricity to the regional power grid in 2020 through the Southern On 25 October, SADC Member States will stand with Zimbabwe African Power Pool (SAPP) which coordinates the planning, gen- in challenging the imposition of economic sanctions on the country. eration, transmission and marketing of electricity in southern The region declared the 25 October of each year as the date on Africa on behalf of Member State utilities. Another priority in the which SADC Member States can collectively voice their disap- energy sector is finalizing of the review of the SADC Protocol on proval of the sanctions through various activities and platforms Energy, which is now outdated and does not capture some of the until the sanctions are lifted. changing dynamics in the energy sector such as the priority given The SADC Chairperson, President John Magufuli of Tanzania to greater uptake of renewable energy sources and technologies as said the illegal sanctions “have not only affected the people of Zim- well as the impact of climate change. babwe and their government but our entire region.” SADC is expected to conclude a study on the modalities and Zimbabwe has grappled with economic and banking sanctions operations of a regional policy framework to guide the exploration since 2002 when the United States and its western allies imposed of gas and oil. an embargo on the country in response to the land reform pro- gramme and the leading role played by Zimbabwe in the SADC Establishment of a regional parliament intervention in Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998 in support SADC will remain seized with the proposed transformation of the of the government there. SADC Parliamentary Forum (PF) into a regional parliament. The 39th SADC Summit held in Dar es Salaam, United Republic 40th SADC Summit of Tanzania in August 2019 “directed the SADC Secretariat in col- The region will convene its 40th annual SADC Summit in Mozam- laboration with the SADC PF Secretariat to develop the model that bique in August to track and advance the implementation of its in- the proposed SADC Parliament would assume, in terms of man- tegration agenda. date, powers and functions; and to develop a Roadmap towards At the summit, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi of Mozam- the transformation of the SADC PF into a SADC Parliament.” bique will assume the rotating SADC chair from his Tanzanian The model is expected to be finalized this year and presented counterpart, John Pombe Joseph Magufuli. for approval at the 40th SADC Summit scheduled for August in President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana will become the Mozambique. Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Coop- The newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mozam- eration, taking over from President Emmerson Mnangagwa of bique, Verónica Macamo Dlovu, who will chair the SADC Council Zimbabwe. of Ministers for the year starting in August 2020, was instrumental The SADC Organ is responsible for promoting peace and secu- in lobbying for the transformation when she was President of the rity in the SADC region. It is mandated to steer and provide Mem- National Assembly of Mozambique and Chairperson of the SADC ber States with direction regarding matters that threaten peace, PF before her appointment to her new post in January. security and stability in the region. sardc.net r 2 SouTHERN AFRiCA Today, February 2020 POLICY Assessment of strategy on women, peace and security SADC PlANS to undertake According to the SADC States’ implementation of • Development of a strategy an assessment of the progress Secretariat, the assessment of the UNSCR 1325 at re- with recommendations on made and challenges being the Strategy on Women, Peace gional and national levels; how to address issues and faced by Member States in im- and Security is expected to • Identification of specific challenges in SADC Mem- plementing the SADC Re- start in February, with com- challenges experienced by ber States’ implementation gional Strategy on Women, pletion set for around April. women and children and of the UNSCR 1325. The Peace and Security. Some of the expected out- the measures to address strategy should also pro- The SADC Regional Strat- comes of the assessment in- the issues to ensure that vide details of progress, egy on Women, Peace and Se- clude: women fully participate in representation and gender- curity (2018-2022) provides an • Assessment of the peace and security deci- mainstreaming in SADC overarching framework to progress of SADC Member sion-making; and Member States.