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Background and Context
In March 2001, the Heads of State and Government met at an Extra-ordinary Summit in Windhoek and approved the restructuring of SADC institutions. Key features of this restructuring include the grouping of the 21 sectors into clusters under four directorates at the Secretariat, and the establishment of SADC national committees to coordinate their respective individual Member State interests relating to SADC. The restructuring exercise aims at facilitating the implementation of a more coherent and better co-ordinated strategy, with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of SADC policies and programmes. The Extra-ordinary Summit also approved the preparation of this Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) by the Secretariat to complement restructuring and to provide a clear direction for SADC policies and programmes over the long term.
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Scope and Purpose of the RISDP
The focus of the RISDP is thus to provide strategic direction with respect to SADC programmes and activities, and to align the strategic objectives and priorities of SADC with the policies and strategies for achieving its long-term goals. The RISDP is indicative in nature, merely outlining the necessary conditions that should be realised towards achieving those goals. In order to facilitate monitoring and measurement of progress, it sets targets and timeframes for goals in the various fields of co-operation and integration.
The purpose of the RISDP is to deepen regional integration in SADC. It provides SADC Member States with a consistent and comprehensive programme of long-term economic and social policies. It also provides the Secretariat and other SADC institutions with a clear view of SADC's approved economic and social policies and priorities.
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Methodology
As a first step in the formulation of the RISDP, the Secretariat prepared a background study. This study was based on a review of literature, policy and strategy documents such as protocols and plans. It took into consideration regional and international parameters, such as NEPAD, AU, WTO, Cotonou Agreement and the Millennium Summit Declaration. The RISDP is based on this study, and takes into account the views of various stakeholders.
The following highlights summarise the RISDP:
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Chapter Two analyses recent economic, human and social trends. It notes that the economic situation in SADC improved in the 1990s, but is still unsatisfactory, with several countries experiencing low and decreasing levels of per capita gross national product, low growth rates of gross domestic product, relatively high budget deficits and interest rates, relatively low savings and investment rates and high external debt burdens, all of which have contributed to high levels of poverty. The challenge for the region is to create an environment that is conducive to the attainment of high and sustained rates of equitable economic growth and poverty reduction by overcoming the constraints of underdevelopment and dependence on primary sectors of production, improving macroeconomic conditions and maintaining a conducive climate for increasing savings and investment.
With respect to human and social trends, the level of human development improved in some SADC Member States between the middle and the late 1990s. However, on account of a widespread decline in life expectancy at birth, decreases in real per capita incomes and due to setbacks in school enrolment rates, the level of human development declined in the majority of Member States over the same time period. The region is thus haunted by relatively high levels of income poverty, high and in some cases rising levels of HIV/AIDS infection rates, rising levels of illiteracy in some countries, and shortages of critical human skills in key areas, among other challenges.
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Chapter Three analyses and evaluates current policies and strategies in the various areas of regional co-operation and integration. The thrust of these sectoral policies and strategies has been found to be broadly consistent with SADC's strategic priorities. However, these policies and strategies have not been very effective in addressing the strategic priorities, and their impact on regional integration and development has been limited. The RISDP has identified gaps and challenges in the current policies and strategies, and used them to reorient those policies and strategies.
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In light of the identified gaps and challenges, Chapter Four focuses on a selected number of areas that are critical for the achievement of SADC's objectives, in particular promoting deeper regional integration; integrating SADC into the world economy; promoting balanced, equitable and balanced development; eradicating poverty; and promoting gender equality. The selected priority intervention areas, their goals, specific areas of focus and strategies are briefly summarised below. The targets and time frames can be found in Chapter 4 and in the Annexes.
The RISDP acknowledges that poverty eradication is the chief goal of SADC and that combating poverty is the overarching priority of its integration agenda. As a priority intervention area, the aim of poverty eradication is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development that will ensure poverty alleviation with the ultimate objective of its eradication. Since poverty is multi-dimensional in its causes and effects, it is addressed in all the other intervention areas covered by the RISDP. The strategies in the various intervention area areas are broadly consistent with the poverty reduction strategies being pursued by Member States and, in many respects, complement them.
In the HIV/AIDS priority intervention area, the goal is to decrease the number of HIV/AIDS infected and affected individuals and families in the SADC region so that HIV/AIDS is no longer a threat to public health and to the socio-economic development of Member States. The intervention focuses on the incidence of HIV/AIDS infection, the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS, the policy and legislative frameworks and resources for the HIV/AIDS multi-sectoral response in SADC. The main strategy is to promote the re-allocation of responsibilities for planning, coordination, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the SADC response across all areas of co-operation.
For the gender equality and development priority intervention area, the goal is to facilitate the achievement of substantive equality between women and men in the SADC region through mainstreaming gender into all national and regional policies, programmes and activities, and the adoption of positive measures to accelerate progress in this regard. Specific interventions focus on gender policy and institutional frameworks, women's human and legal rights, gender mainstreaming, access to and control of resources, and access to key political and decision-making positions. Strategies include accelerating the development of explicit gender policies; mainstreaming gender into all SADC policies, programmes and activities; and adopting women's empowerment policies and strategies.
The RISDP focuses on promoting trade, economic liberalisation and development as a means of facilitating trade and financial liberalization, competitive and diversified industrial and mining development and increased investment through the establishment of a SADC Common Market. In order to attain this goal, SADC will need to accelerate and complete the formation of a free trade area; begin negotiations for the establishment of a customs union, which will be followed by a common market; enhance competitiveness through industrial development and increased productivity in all sectors; harmonize policies, legal and regulatory frameworks for the free movement of factors of production; and implement policies to attain macroeconomic stability and build policy credibility.
The RISDP emphasises co-operation in infrastructure support for regional integration and poverty eradication in order to ensure the availability of a sufficient, integrated, efficient and cost-effective infrastructure that will support and sustain regional economic development, trade, investment, agriculture and contribute towards poverty eradication. The strategies for achieving this goal include: for Electricity, promoting power pooling through the extension of grid interconnections; and consolidating the transformation of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) from a co-operative to a competitive power pool; for Petroleum and Gas, promoting joint exploration and development of resources; and co-operation in joint procurement of petroleum products; for Tourism, co-operation in marketing and promotion; and attracting investment; for Transport and Communications, reducing capital, maintenance and operating costs; and policy harmonisation and liberalisation of markets in all forms of transport; and, lastly, for Water, establishing and strengthening shared watercourse systems; and promoting the development of water infrastructure.
The RISDP also emphasises co-operation in sustainable food security in order to achieve lasting access to safe and adequate food at all times by all people in SADC for an active and healthy life. The focus of the RISDP is on improving food availability, access to food, and nutritional value of food, while minimizing food losses; improving forecasting, prevention, mitigation and recovery from adverse effects of natural disasters; and improving the institutional framework. The RISDP has formulated strategies for attaining the above sustainable food security goal and objectives, which include: increasing crop and livestock production, productivity and profitability; promoting irrigation and appropriate agricultural production technologies; promoting trade in food and non-food agricultural products; promoting rural non-farm income generating activities, entrepreneurship development, and effective food storage and preservation technologies; improving the quality of processing, packaging, labelling and preparation of food; broadening and strengthening the early warning system; and developing Protocols for Food Security and Agriculture, and the Environment.
In the human and social development priority intervention area, the goal is to contribute to the reduction of human poverty and to improve the availability of educated, skilled, healthy, flexible, culturally responsive, productive and efficient human resources for the promotion of SADC's equitable growth, deeper integration and its competitiveness in the global economy. In pursuit of this goal, the RISDP focuses on the development and sustenance of human capabilities; the development of positive values, attitudes, and practices; and on increasing the utilization of human capabilities. The proposed strategies include the coordination, harmonization and engendering of education, training, health, nutrition, employment and labour policies; the harmonization of policies for employment creation and income generation; and establishment of exchange programmes and mechanisms for key stakeholders.
The RISDP recognises the importance of science and technology in economic development and increasing competitiveness. The goal of this intervention area is to develop and strengthen national systems of innovation in order to provide scientific and technological solutions to/for sustainable socio-economic development, regional integration and poverty eradication. The strategies for achieving this goal focus on strengthening regional co-operation in S&T; developing legal and policy frameworks and programmes to promote regional co-operation in S&T; and developing instruments to promote collaboration in S&T between SADC and other organisations.
As an intervention area, statistics aims at providing relevant, timely, accurate and comparable statistical information for planning, policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of SADC integration activities. The strategies for achieving this goal focus on developing a legal framework for regional co-operation in statistics; harmonization of statistical information; collating, processing and disseminating official statistics; developing indicators for monitoring and evaluating regional integration; and building capacity for national and regional statistical systems.
In the private sector development intervention area, the goal is to integrate the private sector in policy and strategy formulation and programme implementation in SADC in order to accelerate and achieve sustainable regional economic integration and poverty eradication. The relevant strategies focus on institutionalisation of public-private sector dialogue; adequate representation of the private sector at all relevant decision-making levels in SADC structures; adoption by SADC of the Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCCI) White Paper as a current regional agenda for dialogue between Member States and the private sector; establishment of a Private Sector Unit at the Secretariat; reviewing the capacities of national chambers and business associations; and biannual surveys of regional competitiveness and business climate.
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Chapter Five concentrates on resource mobilisation. It argues that successful implementation of the RISDP requires a major commitment of sustainable financial resources. These resources will be an important determinant of the success of the RISDP in achieving its integration and development objectives. In terms of financing its coordination function, currently SADC relies on contributions from Member States and grants from International Co-operating Partners. An increase in funding from both sources is required. Until now, Member States have been making equal contributions to SADC institutions. From April 2003, their contributions will take into account the relative level of their gross domestic product, which is a more equitable and sustainable basis. In order to improve the financial capacity of SADC further, Member States are exploring the potential for developing self-financing mechanisms for the organisation. For the purpose of increasing resources for financing development, governments will need to improve the management of their revenue and expenditure to generate savings, improve the functional use and effective application of foreign aid, and pursue effective debt relief strategies with creditors to release more resources. They will also need to change and improve the policy environment to stimulate private capital inflows, local savings, and private sector participation through public-private partnerships, debt, equity funds, venture capital, and credit guarantee insurance facilities.
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Chapter Six asserts that successful implementation of the RISDP will also require an appropriate institutional framework. The RISDP envisages that at the political level the Council of Ministers through the Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) will provide policy direction and oversight to implementation. At the operational level, management and coordination of the RISDP will primarily be the responsibility of the Secretariat. The implementation of particular programmes will involve some or all of the following structures: the Secretariat, Technical Advisory Committees and Sub-committees, Programme Steering Committees, participating Member States and SADC National Committees. The challenge will be to ensure that these structures have the requisite human and financial capacity. International Co-operating Partners, Implementing Agents and Contractors will also be involved. Since implementation will be participatory, there will be participation by women to facilitate gender mainstreaming, the private sector and civil society as well. The RISDP makes proposals for strengthening the role of these key stakeholders and enhancing their participation in implementing it.
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Chapter Seven identifies the mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the RISDP, whereby the Summit will exercise continuous oversight using progress reports from the Secretariat. At the technical level, the Secretariat will coordinate and monitor implementation through an integrated monitoring system; and SADC National Committees will coordinate and monitor implementation at the national level with regular feedback from the Secretariat. In addition, a Stakeholders Forum will review and contribute to annual progress and evaluation reports before they are considered by the ICM, the Council and the Summit. Furthermore, the Summit, the Council, the Secretariat, SADC National Committees and the Stakeholders Forum will all be involved in evaluation on a regular basis. As and when necessary, an in-depth, independent evaluation of the RISDP will be conducted.
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