Ahead of the SADC Heads of State and Government Summit, civil society organisations have commenced their two-day 4th Regional Dialogue for Non-State Actors on the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 (RISDP) in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Opening the conference, Joy Mabenge, Country Director of ActionAid Zimbabwe, emphasised the duty of non-state actors to align their dialogue with the theme of the 44th SADC Heads of State Summit: “Promoting Innovation to Unlock Opportunities for Sustained Economic Growth and Development Towards an Industrialised Setting.”
Mabenge also highlighted that several protocols ratified by SADC States are not being fully implemented.
“Our dialogue, ladies and gentlemen, is to strengthen social accountability in public resource management for sustainable economic growth and development in Southern Africa. Accountable public resource management is vital in ensuring consistent support for research and development in all industries, including the social sectors.
“Accessible, inclusive, and high-quality education, healthcare, and agricultural services are essential to support the creation and growth of livelihoods and entrepreneurial activities across the SADC Region,” Mabenge stated.
Julie Middleton, Consortium Project Manager for the “Strengthening Social Accountability and Oversight in Health and Agriculture in Southern Africa” project at ActionAid International, urged non-state actors to fully understand the regional strategy and to diligently monitor its progress.
“We have made inroads, such as the adoption of the SADC Model Law of Public Financial Management. Additionally, eight member states have already signed to recognise the SADC Parliament in the SADC treaty. We also saw the approval of the SADC Action Plan on Social Security for Workers and the mobilisation of climate finance across the 16 member states. Our aspiration is for non-state actors to use monitoring tools in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat to track progress on regional commitments,” Middleton said.
George Jobe, Executive Director of the Malawi Health Equity Network and a delegate at the conference, noted that the event seeks to deepen regional integration on key sectors such as health.
“We are focusing on several key sectors, including agriculture and health. It’s an introspective look at what we have achieved, or are trying to achieve, as the SADC region, and what our governments should do to implement international agreements.
“We have shared Malawi’s performance on the Abuja Declaration, which states that 15 percent of the national budget should be allocated to the health sector. Malawi is at 12.2 percent, and hopefully, we will reach 15 percent. We are also examining how HIV/AIDS impacts the youth and what should be done to enhance sexual and reproductive health among them,” Jobe commented.
Delegates from across the SADC Regional Bloc are attending the conference. At its conclusion, they will develop recommendations for SADC and its member states to advance public investment in human and social development.
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