President Thabo Mbeki is to lead the South African delegation to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania, from Monday August 25 to Tuesday August 26, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
The summit will be preceded by the Council of Ministers meeting, at which South Africa will be represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The summit and associated meetings will provide opportunities to discuss a number of regional political, economic and social issues.
Discussions will include the SADC regional indicative strategic development plan, which will provide a blue print for SADC development for the next 15 years; progress made in the implementation of the report on the review of the operations of SADC institutions, which looks at the restructuring of the SADC and its institutions; and developments around the operationalisation of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
It is expected that the SADC mutual defence pact will also be submitted to the summit for signature.
Other topics to be discussed will include regional political, economic and social developments, as well as progress reports on regional efforts to facilitate gender equality and the combating of HIV and Aids.
Progress in the alleviation of the food crisis in many Southern African countries and the status of the ratification and implementation of SADC protocols will also be on the agenda.
It is also expected that the summit will be requested to consider and sign the SADC charter of fundamental social rights and progress in terms of the operationalisation of the African Union and the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. — I-Net Bridge