adminFarirai Machivenyika-Senior Reporter
Non-state actors such as business organisations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations in Southern Africa have an important role to play in the achievement of the SADC integration agenda, Sadc Deputy Executive Secretary Ms Angele N’tumba said yesterday.
Speaking at the beginning of a two-day SADC Non-State Actors Forum called to operationalise the engagement mechanism between the SADC Secretariat and the many groups she said the Sadc Treaty and all the key instruments such as Protocols and Declarations recognised non-state actors as important partners in the implementation of the SADC regional integration agenda.
Article 5 (2) (b) of the SADC Treaty holds that: “SADC shall encourage the people of the region and their institutions to take initiatives to develop economic, social and cultural ties across the region, and to participate fully in the implementation of the programmes and projects of SADC.”
Despite the absence of formal recognition of the relationship between Sadc and non-state actors, it did not mean that they did not work together.
“The SADC Secretariat in one form or the other involved the non-state actors in meetings and workshops. Non-state actors have been involved in policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and have also been involved in the review of SADC projects,” she said.
Ms N’tumba said the SADC Secretariat signed memoranda of understanding with apex bodies for non-state actors such as the Southern African Council of NGOs and the Association of SADC Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Southern African Trade Union Council among others.
“These MoUs provide a legal framework for cooperation and collaboration between SADC and key stakeholders working towards the attainment of common goals like sustainable development, economic growth and poverty eradication,” Ms N’tumba said.
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