Mr Neville Gabriel at the launch of the 2007 SADC secondary schools essay competition

The Executive Secretary of SADC;
Your Excellencies, SADC Heads of Mission;
Distinguished guests;
Members of the media;
Ladies and gentlemen.

Allow me at the outset to express my sincere gratitude to the SADC Secretariat for the opportunity to collaborate with us on the 2007 and 2008 SADC secondary schools essay competition. We are indeed delighted that our collaboration is the first of its kind.

I note with appreciation that our partnership is in line with article 23 of the SADC Treaty which states that, “……… SADC shall seek to involve fully, the people of the Region and key stakeholders in the process of regional integration”.  Among the key stakeholders, civil society is included.

There is no doubt that increased involvement and participation of stakeholders in regional integration for sustainable development brings about buy in and ownership of policy processes and outcomes. It is therefore, critical for different stakeholders to identify and define their space and roles in regional development processes to eliminate poverty in our region. As Southern Africa Trust, we will continue to place poverty eradication firmly on our agenda and advocate for effective and constructive civil society engagement in official policy processes.

SADC governments have shown commitment to overcoming poverty by adopting the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan and other continental and global initiatives. They have taken another bold step to convene a SADC Conference on Poverty and Development in the near future. We are therefore, keen to work with SADC governments on initiatives that will make a difference in our region.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the process of regional integration, it is imperative that young people who are the future leaders have a voice in development processes and policies that have an impact on their lives. We would not like to only hear the views of the youth but see their involvement in better policy development processes and in implementing these policies to make a real difference in their lives.

It is of great concern that our youth today, are faced with challenges of joblessness, drug and alcohol abuse; HIV/AIDS; teenage pregnancies; and food insecurity among others. This calls for interventions at both the national and regional levels to empower our youth with life skills.

As the 2007 competition centres on the elimination of poverty, I look forward to reading the proposals/actions suggested by the students to liberate our region from poverty. It is my conviction that they will not only tackle the topic in relation to their own circumstances but will also reflect on the experiences of their communities.

Executive Secretary,

Let me conclude by noting with gratitude the decision of the SADC Council of Ministers held in August, 2006 in Maseru, Lesotho, directing you and your team to develop viable ideas from the essay competition into policies and programmes. This will indeed, bring to the fore diverse wealth of experiences from a wide range of students that have the potential to inform policy formulation.

Allow me to reiterate that we are keen to work with SADC and will continue to support processes to deepen and widen engagement in policy dialogue with a regional impact on poverty.

Muito Obrigado!

I thank you!

>> View images of the Launch