Civil society organizations from SADC member states will meet at their Annual Civil Society Forum during the Heads of States Summit in Kinshasa from 3 – 5 September. This year’s theme is “Transformation of SADC: Towards equitable and people-driven regional integration.” The Forum is a partnership project of churches, NGOs and trade unions undertaken through their apex bodies: the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa, the SADC Council of Non-Governmental Organizations, and the Southern African Trade Union Coordinating Council.

Civil society would like to see SADC states working together effectively on issues such as regional economic integration, peace-building, poverty alleviation, conflict resolution, and the construction of strong and democratic states.

The current global financial crisis has adversely affected the region, and CSOs argue that while dealing with this recession, SADC should also transform itself for the better. The SADC Council of Non-Governmental Organizations (SADC-CNGO) has called for:

• regional integration that is people centred, equitable and sustainable;
• SADC to transform itself into an institution that genuinely involves and works for the betterment of the people of SADC, particularly the poor majority;
• SADC member states to scale up efforts, individually and collectively, to fight poverty and to implement the proposed Regional Poverty Observatory;
• team-work towards a common goal, which will better enable SADC to attain its goals in respect of food security, responsible production methods that do not contribute to climate change, effective SADC policy, and the efficient use of resources reserved for trade and development in the region.

It is imperative that leadership in the region must be efficient, proactive and responsible. It is only through responsible leadership that we can have a balanced and sustainable region for generations to come. CSOs therefore expect decisions to be made that will promote the rights of Africans and restore their dignity.

Guided by the theme, it is our hope that this year’s forum will generate interest and trigger open dialogue. The forum seeks to produce concrete policy recommendations on ways of addressing impediments that hinder SADC’s common goals and objectives. We also want to ensure that the SADC integration and development agenda remains equitable, sustainable, and people- centred, as is clearly spelt out in the founding SADC Treaty.