SADC headache: 56 million food insecure, as RISDP22 dialogue delegates call for action

SADC Member States should expedite the establishment of the Regional Development Fund and the Agricultural Development Fund to ensure adequate support for the implementation of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), particularly for sustainable nutritious diversified food systems and SRH interventions for adolescents and young people.

The call is contained in a communique issued at the conclusion of the 2022 RISDP NSA dialogue, which brought together civil society and government together to emphasise the importance of socially accountable public resource management in SADC development.

According to the 2023 RVAA Synthesis Report, the number of food insecure people in the SADC region is estimated to be 55.7 million, and 18.6 million children are stunted, accounting for one-third of all stunted children in Africa, according to the communique (covering 12 Member States).

Given the region's continued impact of climate change, there is a need to ensure the widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural practices to assist smallholder farmers in adapting to the effects of climate change and accelerating agricultural growth as a means of combating hunger and poverty.

Another recommendation made at the national level was for the SADC Secretariat to share and promote the adoption of the SNC blueprint guidelines by the Member States in order to inform the urgent establishment/strengthening of SNCs in all 16 Member States.

The delegates also encouraged SADC to broaden NSA participation in regional processes by operationalizing the Regional NSA Engagement Mechanism and including NSAs in consultations and technical working groups to inform monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, as well as the development of anticipated regional strategies, such as the planned regional extension services strategy.

The delegates also emphasised the importance of improving the health of SADC citizens in general, as well as promoting access to HIV testing and treatment, as well as sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for adolescents and young people, in the communique.

The delegates also underscored the importance of increased women's participation in political processes, better data collection on gender indicators at the national and regional levels, and strengthened protection, monitoring, and strategies to combat gender-based violence in the SADC region.

Participants at the event also discussed strategies and develop action plans for the SADC Member States to strengthen accountability in the generation and management of public resources in order to ensure greater support for gender-responsive public services, as outlined in the RISDP, with a focus on the health and agricultural sectors, as well as actions that benefit women and youth.

The dialogue helped participants to develop action plans that will guide NSAs in monitoring the implementation of the RISDP regional and national plans.

The hybrid event, which included parallel regional and national meetings, drew over 120 people from five of SADC's 16 member countries and took place from September 13 to 15, 2022.

Below is the #RISDP22 communique.