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Southern Africa: SADC Summit
Southern Africa: SADC Summit
Date distributed (ymd): 970922
Document reposted by APIC
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Southern Africa
Issue Areas: +economy/development+ +gender/women+
Summary Contents:
This posting contains a report of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) summit held on 8 September in Malawi, and a separate report on the
Gender Declaration adopted by the summit. SADC also admitted two new members,
the Seychelles and the Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the total
of SADC members to 14 countries.
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
SARDC (Southern African Research and Documentation Centre)
Internet address: [email protected]
Tel: (263-4)738694/5/6 Fax:738693
Box 5690, Harare Zimbabwe
GROUND-BREAKING DECISIONS TAKEN AT SADC SUMMIT
by Munetsi Madakufamba
September 19, 1997
The 17th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit held on
8 September in Blantyre, the commercial capital of Malawi, will go down
in the history of the regional organisation for taking landmark decisions
aimed at driving the community across new frontiers and forging its integration
agenda.
This year's summit saw the signing of a historic Gender Declaration,
demonstrating the organisation's commitment and willingness to break new
ground. New protocols on mining, and education and training were signed
by the heads of state and government.
To show commitment to creating a landmine free southern Africa, the
summit also signed a declaration on the ban of anti-personnel landmines.
The leaders also approved the establishment of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
In a bid to expand the regional market, the summit unanimously decided
to accept into the family of SADC nations two new members namely the Indian
Ocean island of Seychelles and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
a country previously denied membership because of its undemocratic record
under the leadership of the late dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.
Although the DRC was not a member of SADC until the Blantyre summit,
the country was already enjoying close links with the region in a number
of areas including that of energy where a Power Pool Memorandum of Understanding
was signed between SADC and the former government in 1995.
On the back of democratic reforms being implemented by President Laurent-Desire
Kabila whose new government has ushered in a new era of political stability
and economic reconstruction, the SADC Summit agreed that the DRC provided
great potential for cooperation, especially in key sectors such as energy,
water, tourism, transport and communications. The summit, which brought
together for the first time chairmen of SADC, the Common Market for East
and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU),
was officially opened by South African President Nelson Mandela, who presided
over the meeting for the first time since his election in Maseru, Lesotho,
in August last year.
Mandela called for a review of the activities of the regional grouping.
In this regard, he highlighted ongoing efforts to transform SADC's institutional
structures and rationalise its policies and activities saying this was
necessary to mould the organisation into a major player in continental
and global affairs.
In a welcome address, Malawi President Bakili Muluzi said for the region
to achieve desirable levels of productivity, which was the theme of last
February's SADC consultive conference in the Namibian capital Windhoek,
there was need to pay particular attention to the development of small
to medium scale enterprises.
Muluzi recognised the critical role played by women in the development
of the region particularly in rural communities and urged his fellow leaders
to do everything possible in upgrading the status of women in the region.
"We need to desperately do something to promote gender equality,"
he told the summit.
"We shall all deeply regret having left our women behind. Their
position as workers, their legal status, social position and their participation
in development planning, decision-making and community participation can
no longer be marginalised," declared Muluzi.
The heads of state signed the Gender Declaration following recommendations
by the Council of Ministers at the Windhoek Consultative Conference where
gender issues were pushed high on the SADC agenda.
The Gender Declaration seeks to ensure that gender equality be regarded
as a fundamental human right and demands equal representation of women
and men in decision-making structures at all levels as well as facilitating
women's full access to, and control of productive resources.
Realising that high literacy and a well-trained labour force are vital
for the region to achieve its full potential, the summit did not hesitate
to sign the protocol on education and training.
The new protocol provides a policy framework that allows the region
to move progressively towards equivalence, harmonisation and eventual standardisation
of education and training systems. It also seeks to consolidate cooperation
in the development and formulation of coherent education and training policies,
and research and development as well as publishing and library services.
The Protocol on Mining, which was also signed, provides for the harmonisation
of national and regional policies, strategies and programmes related to
the development and exploitation of mineral resources in the region.
The summit urged those member states that have not ratified protocols
so far signed to speed up the process. The process of ratifying signed
protocols has been rather slow, raising concern on the implementation of
the SADC Community Building Programme which centres around the involvement
of stakeholders in the development of sectoral protocols. Sectoral protocols
are intended to pave the way for, and provide the legal framework of the
process of regional integration.
For instance, the Trade Protocol, which is regarded as the critical
gateway to the region's integration agenda, has so far been ratified by
Mauritius and Tanzania only following its signing in August last year by
all members except Angola.
However, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland,
Zambia and Zimbabwe have all indicated that they will ratify the protocol
by the end of this year, according to Dr Kaire Mbuende, SADC Executive
Secretary.
South Africa, which is still preparing its list of products on which
tariffs are to be reduced, is expected to submit the protocol to parliament
for ratification by early next year.
"If the South African parliament ratifies the protocol at the beginning
of next year, then we will be on course for a free trade area within the
eight-year time-frame," hoped Mbuende in an interview with Reuters
news agency at the summit.
The regional business community and foreign investors are eagerly awaiting
the establishment of the SADC Free Trade Area as this would mean an expanded
market and increased investment opportunities.
As regards post Lome relations between the African, Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) states and the European Union (EU), SADC member states reaffirmed
their common position that they would want the cooperation maintained and
improved without undermining it.
In response to a call made by the 4th International NGO Conference on
Landmines: "Towards a Free Mine Southern Africa" which was held
in Mozambique last February, the summit endorsed a declaration entitled
"Towards a Southern Africa Free of Anti-personnel Landmines".
"The Declaration envisages a `landmine free' southern Africa and
calls for the total ban on use, production, trade and stockpiling of anti-personnel
landmines in the territories of SADC member countries," notes the
summit communique.
Six SADC member states namely Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South
Africa and Zimbabwe are still infested with anti-personnel landmines in
certain areas. As a show of their commitment to creating a mine-free zone,
all member states were called upon to support the signing of a Total Ban
Treaty in Ottawa, Canada, in December this year.
On the issue of food security, the summit called upon the SADC Early
Warning System and the SADC Food Security Unit to closely monitor prospects
for the 1997/98 season. Southern Africa has been strongly warned of a possibility
of a severe drought associated with the El Nino phenomenon.
In a bid to promote dialogue and popular participation at grassroots
level, the summit endorsed the establishment of the SADC Parliamentary
Forum as an autonomous institution. The Parliamentary Forum is made up
of all national parliaments and is currently chaired by Namibian Speaker
of Parliament, Moses Tjitendero.
The SADC heads of state and government could not however, reach a consensus
on the future of the Organ on Politics, Defence, Peace and Security. They
felt further discussions were needed and will meet again next month over
the issue.
The 1998 SADC Summit will be hosted by Mauritius, the newest member
before the DRC and Seychelles joined in Malawi taking to 14 the total number
of member states. (SARDC)
SADC LEADERS SIGN A HISTORIC GENDER DECLARATION
by Caiphas Chimhete
Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders have signed a
historic Declaration on Gender and Development for the "eradication
of all gender inequalities" in the region.
At this year's summit in Malawi, the leaders committed themselves to
placing gender firmly on the agenda of the SADC Programme of Action and
Community Building Initiative to ensure equality of women and men in all
spheres of life.
The declaration, signed by all the 12 SADC member countries, has been
hailed a as major breakthrough towards gender equality and true democracy.
Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Gertrude
Mongella from Tanzania, said in Malawi that "this gigantic step makes
SADC the first in the Africa region, and one of the few institutions in
the world, to recognise that gender equality is an inalienable right and
pre-requisite for real development and true democracy."
"SADC has always distinguished itself among regional organisations
for its ability to innovate and to lead rather than follow", she proudly
added.
The Heads of State committed themselves to ensure equal representation
of women and men in the decision-making of all member sates and SADC structures
at all levels, and the achievement of at least 30 percent target of women
in political and decision- making structures by the year 2005.
Among commitments made by Heads of State are:-
- Repealing and reforming all laws, amending constitutions and changing
social practices which subject women to discrimination, and enacting empowering
gender sensitive laws;
- Enhancing access to quality education by women and men, and removing
gender stereotyping in the curriculum, career choices and professions;
- Taking urgent measures to prevent and deal with increasing levels of
violence against women and children;
- Encouraging the mass media to disseminate information and materials
in respect of human rights of women and children. The Declaration says
while some SADC member states have made progress towards gender equality
and mainstreaming, disparities between women and men still in the areas
of legal rights, power sharing and decision making, access to and control
over productive resources, education and health.
While most SADC countries' constitutions proclaim equality of men and
women, traditions and practices continue to undermine the realisation of
gender equality in the region.
Policies and programmes continue to overlook the central role women
play in the economy and reinforce inequality in women's access to productive
resources. For example in Zambia, 90 percent of the land available for
agriculture falls under traditional land controlled by chiefs who follow
patriarchal principles in its allocation. This often denies women access
to land and other related resources although they make almost half of the
country's population.
The leaders also launched a book entitled "Into the Future: Gender
and SADC", which features recommendations endorsed by the SADC Council
of Ministers last February in Namibia, on integrating gender considerations
into the work of the regional body.
The book, written by several gender experts from all over the region,
chronicles the state of women affairs in the region, achievements of gender
initiatives outside formal SADC frameworks and the way forward.
In a forward to the book, SADC chairman and president of South Africa,
Nelson Mandela said, "as leaders of SADC, we recognise that freedom
cannot truly be achieved unless women attain equality, respect and dignity
through their full participation in every aspect of our regional endeavour."
During the Malawi summit, Heads of State also endorsed the establishment
of a policy framework for mainstreaming gender in all SADC activities,
a Standing Committee of Ministers responsible for gender affairs, focal
points dealing with gender in all sector co- ordinating units and a gender
unit in the SADC Secretariat.
The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Nairobi Forward Looking
Strategies, the Africa Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration
and Platform for Action which all aim to promote women promotion and advancement.
Several conferences, workshops and seminars have been held since Nairobi,
and have culminated in the meeting of SADC Minister responsible for gender
in Botswana in August who a made a set of recommendations approved by Heads
of State at the summit.
Mongella hopes that the new institutional framework for gender in SADC
will be allocated sufficient resources to make a meaningful difference
because "all too often, similar institutions have been marginalised,
under-resourced and used a dumping grounds for gender issues."
Into the Future says while the concept of equal pay for equal work has
been agreed to in theory in SADC and legislation guarantees it, women remain
scarce at higher levels of management and are concentrated in low-paying
jobs. In Mauritius for instance, 98.7 percent of working women are found
as typists, stenographers, and confidential secretaries while only 2.7
percent and 3.4 are magistrates and engineers respectively.
Mandela says though SADC has made outstanding achievements in the areas
such as infrastructure development since inception in 1980, the region
largely tend to gloss over the complex problems that make men and women,
boys and girls unequal in the society. He said domestic violence and abuse
of women and the girl-child have to be uprooted and purged from our social
practise as a matter of urgency.
Gender activists are hopeful that the much-hailed declaration would
not be theory but translated into practice to further the cause of women.
Mongella says men and women in SADC managed to liberate themselves from
colonialism and apartheid but "gender is indeed the last frontier
we need to conquer." (SARDC)
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the Africa
Policy Information Center (APIC), the educational affiliate of the Washington
Office on Africa. APIC's primary objective is to widen the policy debate
in the United States around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa,
by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant information and
analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
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