Dos Santos said Angola will ensure that “SADC launches a crusade against hunger, whether it is due to drought or armed conflict.”

He said this as the SADC Summit ended here with a renewed appeal for international assistance to avert the humanitarian crisis caused by food shortages in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Over 14 million people in these countries are in urgent need of about a million tonnes of cereals between now and March 2003.

A joint SADC-UN appeal for US$611 million in assistance was launched in July. Of that amount, about US$195 million has been secured for food aid and non-food requirements. Against this background, the summit has instructed the SADC Secretariat to intensify its efforts at resource mobilisation.

And in view of the current food shortages, the summit endorsed the regional position which allows members states to accept or reject food aid with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

“In the event that a member state accepts [GMO] grain, it should undertake awareness campaigns to ensure that all GMO maize is milled into flour before any distribution to beneficiaries,” the Summit said in its final communiqué.

As a medium term measure, an Advisory Committee on GMOs has been established. Its mandate is to develop guidelines to assist member states in guarding against potential risks in food safety, contamination of genetic resources, ethical issues, trade related issues and consumer concerns. It is hoped that in the long run member states will develop their own capacity to deal with GMO issues, particularly for testing and monitoring.

The question of GMO food arose as a result of countries not being sure whether or not to accept genetically modified food aid. SADC has hitherto lacked a regional position on GMO food, a situation that has been worsened by the absence of national laws that deal with the matter.

To date, only Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have enacted legislation on GMOs, according to the SADC communiqué issued in Luanda.

On the question of consolidation of peace in the region, the summit resolved that the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security shall be the sole mechanism for addressing such matters. Mozambican President Joachim Chissano was elected to continue as chair of the Organ, deputised by Lesotho’s Pakhalita Mosisili. It was resolved that the organ will no longer be lead by a troika as was the case in the last 12 months.

Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa who was elected deputy chair of SADC, will host the next summit. Zimbabwe, which had originally been elected to the same post turned down the offer. (SARDC)

SARDC has been reporting on SADC from a regional perspective since 1990. SANF can be reproduced in print or broadcast with credit to SARDC and the author.