War against poverty
By News On Sunday
Published on 21st March, 2008
The 14-member states of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) will meet in Mauritius in April from 18 to 20 for high-level
consultations on poverty eradication and regional development. The
conference is expected to propose and adopt a Regional Poverty
Reduction Framework (RPRF) with SMART targets and clear monitoring and
evaluation plans.
The 14-member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will meet in Mauritius in April from 18 to 20 for high-level consultations on poverty eradication and regional development. The conference is expected to propose and adopt a Regional Poverty Reduction Framework (RPRF) with SMART targets and clear monitoring and evaluation plans.
SMART targets are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. The conference will discuss strategies, commitments and resources needed to deepen SADC’s regional economic integration goals and accelerate the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The theme of the conference is “Regional Economic Integration: A Strategy for Poverty Eradication towards Sustainable Development”, SADC Heads of State and Government will participate in a number of panel discussions together with selected Heads of State and Government from other regions of Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. International Cooperating Partners (ICPs) will also participate, many at a senior government level.
Four panels will be held : The SADC Regional Economic Integration – Paving a road to economic growth and poverty reduction, which the Prime Minister of Mauritius will chair; Addressing regional dimensions of poverty-the SADC regional poverty reduction framework, tackling the skills ; Innovation and Technological Gap required for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction through Education;and SADC Region Resource Gaps for Attaining Millenium Development Goals targets.
“About 45% of the population in SADC region lives in abject poverty. The SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan accords top priority to poverty eradication and the Goal 1 of MDGs states that extreme hunger and poverty should be eradicated by 2015,” Dr Tomaz Augusto Salomao, SADC Executive Secretary, says.
“This conference will lay the foundations for a new global partnership for SADC that will accelerate the momentum to achieve the MDG targets by accelerating the removal of barriers, the flow of goods, services and capital,” the Minister of Finance, Rama Sithanen, adds.
SADC is currently implementing a long-term plan for the region called the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), which identifies the establishment of a SADC Free Trade Area in 2008, and a Customs Union by 2010, Common Market by 2015, Monetary Union by 2016 with a regional currency by 2018.
SMART targets are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. The conference will discuss strategies, commitments and resources needed to deepen SADC’s regional economic integration goals and accelerate the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The theme of the conference is “Regional Economic Integration: A Strategy for Poverty Eradication towards Sustainable Development”, SADC Heads of State and Government will participate in a number of panel discussions together with selected Heads of State and Government from other regions of Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. International Cooperating Partners (ICPs) will also participate, many at a senior government level.
Four panels will be held : The SADC Regional Economic Integration – Paving a road to economic growth and poverty reduction, which the Prime Minister of Mauritius will chair; Addressing regional dimensions of poverty-the SADC regional poverty reduction framework, tackling the skills ; Innovation and Technological Gap required for Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction through Education;and SADC Region Resource Gaps for Attaining Millenium Development Goals targets.
“About 45% of the population in SADC region lives in abject poverty. The SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan accords top priority to poverty eradication and the Goal 1 of MDGs states that extreme hunger and poverty should be eradicated by 2015,” Dr Tomaz Augusto Salomao, SADC Executive Secretary, says.
“This conference will lay the foundations for a new global partnership for SADC that will accelerate the momentum to achieve the MDG targets by accelerating the removal of barriers, the flow of goods, services and capital,” the Minister of Finance, Rama Sithanen, adds.
SADC is currently implementing a long-term plan for the region called the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), which identifies the establishment of a SADC Free Trade Area in 2008, and a Customs Union by 2010, Common Market by 2015, Monetary Union by 2016 with a regional currency by 2018.