SADC holds extraordinary summit
Mako Jerera
Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community convened a virtual Extraordinary Summit on 20 May, 2024
to launch the regional bloc’s humanitarian appeal.
The launch follows poor harvests across SADC, caused by low rainfall due to the El Niño phenomenon.
Speaking at the Post Cabinet briefing yesterday, Minister of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Jenfan Muswere said, “The Extraordinary Summit adopted 7 decisions, including the launch of the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal worth at least US$5.5 billion.”
The appeal is intended to augment the efforts of the affected Member States in mobilizing assistance from regional and international humanitarian partners and persons of goodwill.
He added that, President Mnangagwa appraised his counterparts on the economic and humanitarian challenges facing Zimbabwe due to the late onset and early end of the rainfall season.
“The President also briefed the Summit on the interventions that the Government of Zimbabwe is undertaking in order to mitigate the effects of the drought and build resilience.”
Speaking during the SADC Council of Ministers’ meeting, SADC Executive Secretary Mr Elias Magosi said the food appeal was meant to attract the attention of the international community to the region’s urgent need for support.
The El Niño-induced drought has affected crops and livestock, leading to the disruption of lives and livelihoods for an estimated 58 million people in the region.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Ambassador Frederick Shava, said Zimbabwe had taken a holistic approach to addressing the effects of drought.
Ambassador Shava said while the Humanitarian Appeal was important, there was also a need for SADC countries to ramp up efforts to ensure increased production and productivity, with the ultimate effect of reducing over-reliance on external suppliers.
On the related matter of enhancing sufficient energy supply, the Summit directed Member States to prioritise Regional Priority Power Projects and to increase the uptake of renewable energy, as well as to develop and implement waste to energy projects.
The Summit condemned the attempted coup d’etat that occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 19 May 2024 and reaffirmed its opposition to any unconstitutional changes of Government in the region and beyond.
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