The Southern African Development Community (SADC) ended its two-day
summit in
Lusaka on Friday
with leaders of the 14 member countries reaffirming their
commitment to the consolidation of democracy and political
stability in the region.
According to a communique issued at a post-summit press
conference, the summit noted the peaceful and orderly manner in
which the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho,
Madagascar and Zambia exercised their democratic rights as they
voted in the presidential and parliamentary elections in their
respective countries.
The summit took note of the Report of the Executive Secretary on
the economic situation in Zimbabwe and mandated the SADC ministers
responsible for finance to use the Report of the Executive
Secretary in consultations with the government of Zimbabwe and draw
up an economic plan to support the country.
The summit launched the SADC Brigade consisting of, military,
police and civilian components from all SADC member states which
was set up under the provisions of the African Union which
recommends that each of its Five Regional Economic Communities
(RECs) should have a standby capacity for peace support operations
on the continent.
As to gender equality, the summit noted that progress has been
made towards achieving the set target of 50 percent women
representation in decision-making and towards the protocol on
gender and development.
Levy Mwanawasa, Zambian president and new chairperson of SADC,
said that leaders of the member states had deliberated on matters
what are critical to the realization of the vision for deepening
integration, peace and security, as well as strategies on
addressing the objective of poverty reduction in our region. The
summit also announced that there is a basis to declare the SADC
Free Trade Area in 2008.
"We need to re-double our efforts to unlock opportunities for
the SADC liberalized trade, in the context of the Free Trade Area,
Customs Union and ultimately the Common Market," said
Mwanawasa.
Leaders of the 14 member countries held closed-door sessions on
Thursday and Friday, deliberating on a number of regional
development issues with several draft agreements approved. The
summit agreed to amend the SADC Treaty, the protocol on tribunal
and the protocol on trade and signed a memorandum of understanding
amongst SADC member states on SADC headquarters and the
establishment of the SADC standby brigade.
"The summit has been held in the spirit of brotherhood,
sisterhood and dedication, which have characterized this region for
many years," he said in his closing address.
The SADC is a major regional body in Africa with a total
population of over 230 million that accounts for almost one third
of the African continent.
Its members are Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Next year's
summit will be held in South Africa.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2007)
