Projects

Short Description:

Overall goal

ADC’s approach to address SADC’s development challenges is primarily aimed and designed to complement existing poverty reduction initiatives of SADC Member States and to take advantage of the competencies at regional level to boost national efforts. The ADC contribution to the programme area two “Poverty Eradication for Sustainable Development” of SADC-CNGO’s strategic plan 2016 – 2020 addresses concerted or integrated actions and will add value to the work of the SADC Member States. Most importantly the regional poverty agenda will need to remain selective and focused on specific poverty relevant aspects so as to minimize overlapping and overstretching SADC limited resources.

The programme area two “Poverty Eradication for Sustainable Development” aims that by 2020 civil society organizations in the SADC Region have consolidated their participation in various SADC structures and processes mandated for the design, implementation and monitoring of poverty reduction and sustainable development at regional and national levels.

The outcome of ADC’s contribution 2016 – 2018 is that Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the SADC Region acting together to hold SADC and its Member States accountable for progress in the implementation of sustainable development goals and regional poverty eradication programmes.

Expected results

Two research papers presenting civil society’s common analysis in advancing a pro-poor and gender sensible development agenda will contribute toward the drafting of the SADC Poverty Status reports, Poverty Maps of the SADC and specific Country Poverty Profiles.

At least one meeting of the SADC Regional Poverty Observatory is held every year.

Three annual CSO Forums and Apex Alliance Meetings will be held between 2016 and 2018 on issues relevant for poverty eradication for sustainable development.

Target group / Beneficiaries

The SADC Council of Non-Governmental Organisation (SADC-CNGO) is the lead apex organisation of umbrella bodies of non-governmental organisations operating in all the 15 SADC Member States. A Memorandum of Understanding provides a legal framework for cooperation between SADC-CNGO and the SADC Secretariat to facilitate meaningful engagement between civil society organisations and the SADC Secretariat. SADC-CNGO’s ordinary members are the national coalitions of NGOs of the 15 SADC Member States having a membership of about national 2.485 organisations. These organisations represent approximately 18 million people across the SADC Region, including disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

In addition to the ordinary members, SADC-CNGO partners with regional thematic networks: GenderLinks representing 40 national and regional gender organisations; the Southern African Federation of Disabled People has a strong presence in 10 SADC Member States; the Climate and Food Justice Campaign runs in 3 SADC Member States; the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance’s membership comprises over 300 organisations Africa wide and the Eastern and Southern African Small-Scale Famers’ Forum operates in 13 African countries. The Southern Africa Coordination Council is a regional trade union organization representing all major trade union federations in the SADC Region. Currently SATUCC comprises of 21 affiliated national federations in 14 SADC member states with a combined membership of about 5 million working women and men.

The annual Civil Society Forum: The annual forum draws approximately 300 participants from CSOs, grassroots, local communities / movements, trade unions, faith based institutions and organisations, gender and women empowerment network, the youth and children organisations working in the SADC Region.

Activities

Advocating for the institutionalised participation of CSOs intends to effectively mobilise civil society organisations across the SADC Region to challenge SADC to create and institutionalise participatory and consultative processes at national and regional levels. In particular, SADC-CNGO will advocate for the implementation of the Regional Poverty Observatory framework as agreed upon by SADC member states as well as the adoption of civil society engagement mechanism, which will also strengthen civil society’s operating environment.

The consolidation of the poverty observatories at national level provides an important opportunity to incorporate regional and international commitments in a multi-stakeholder framework of mutual accountability and joint decision-making.

Sustainable Development Goals will be addressed in interventions through advocacy for open, accountable and participatory frameworks for implementation and monitoring and will be the key strategic approach over the next three years. Civil society’s capacities will be enhanced to monitor, evaluate, report and disseminate information regarding progress in the implementation of the SGDs to effectively influence SGDs’ outcomes and impact.

Context

The Austrian engagement in the SADC Region is centred in the areas of governance and infrastructure. Moreover, the regional strategy of ADC contains interventions for strengthening the institutions of SADC and their management capacity and the implementation of projects with a regional or cross border dimension. A related cooperation agreement between Austria and SADC was signed in October 2008.

The need for engagement between SADC and civil society organisations is outlined in Article 23 of the SADC Treaty. Article 23 of the SADC Treaty commits both SADC Member-States to "...fully involve, co-operate with and support the initiatives of the peoples of the region and NGOs..." in national and regional development initiatives.