| by Afonso
Campos SADC leaders assemble in the Mozambican capital of
Maputo on August 17 to attend the last summit of the millennium, planned to coincide with
the celebrations of the 7th anniversary since the organisation was transformed from a
coordination conference into a fully fledged development community.
According to Mozambique’s minister of foreign affairs and
cooperation, Leonardo Simao, the Maputo summit will also be attended by former heads of
state, some of whom were instrumental in establishing the organisation. These include Sir
Ketumile Masire of Botswana, Ali Hassan Mwinyi of Tanzania and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.
For the first time, the SADC Day commemorations will be held at a
regional level. Nigerian President, General Olusegan Obasanjo will attend as guest of
honour and deliver a statement during the official opening ceremony.
At a news conference in Maputo, Simao told journalists that
Mozambique was less concerned with the contested issue of the chairpesonship of SADC than
with the need for member states to uphold the principles contained in the SADC Treaty.
Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, who is also SADC’s
deputy chairperson, is tipped to take over the leadership of the organisation, a position
until recently held by South Africa’s former president, Mandela.
High on the agenda of the summit will be the conflicts in Angola
and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as ways of ensuring a rapid ratification by
member states of the 1996 SADC Trade Protocol.
Cultural and sporting events will mark the occasion in each of the
14 countries that form the organisation, according to Ana Nemba, deputy secretary of the
Maputo-based SADC culture information and sport sector.
In Maputo, a football match has been planned between Nigeria and
Mozambique, on 17 August. This will be preceded by a children’s parade.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Can peace
prevail?
Lesotho opposition parties lobby for
electoral change
SADC in the next millenium: Working
together for peace, progress and prosperity |
In a colourful, festive
atmosphere that is expected to engulf the city for the week of the summit, SADC officials
will address students at schools, in a move aimed at teaching them about the objectives of
the organisation. The culture, information and sport sector
was established with the view to coordinate the development of cultural relations within
the SADC region, and among its future programmes it plans to organise an exhibition of
visual arts in Namibia next year.
Nemba says the exchange of information in the region, which the
sector is expected to promote, is hampered by limited availability of electronic mail
facilities in some SADC member states.
Landmine Monitor report: Toward a
mine-free world
Reporting gender
Recent publications and acquisitions
All Africa Games Update |
Leonardo Simão, Mozambican Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Co-operation.
The changing face of beauty pageants
Tourism Protocol to strengthen growth of
sectors
Children use art to condemn
violence
More SADC states go to polls
OAU seeks home-grown solutions
Water hyacinth cleared from Lake
Kariba
Old Mutual completes
demutualisation |
| Children use art to
condemn violence |
| by Diana
Mavunduse Violence against children is one of the most
pervasive forms of violation of human rights. It results in the disturbance of
children’s lives and it impairs their full and equal participation in the development
of their communities and societies. An environment free from violence is a prerequisite to
achieving sustainable human development and eliminating poverty.
“Violence is systemic in society, not the privilege of one
group, and it is not the problem of others, it is a problem for all,” said UNIFEM
regional adviser, Dr. Gita Honwana Welch.
She added, “A successful campaign against it (violence) is a
necessary process for children to regain control of their lives and rebuild confidence in
their capacities to play a meaningful and decisive role for sustainable human
development.”
The United Nations Development Fund for Women-Southern Africa
Regional Office (UNIFEM-SARO) based in Zimbabwe recently organised a competition as part
of its world wide media campaign to raise awareness of violence and to change behaviour
and policies.
A total of 720 students from Botswana, Mauritius, Mozambique,
Seychelles and Swaziland entered the competition titled, ‘A Life Free From
Violence’. Many children discussed different forms of violence and its effect on the
young and vulnerable.
The eighteen month campaign was launched on 31 July 1998, in
Zimbabwe. Various activities have been undertaken since the launch,including workshops,
seminars, media events, and community activities within various countries in southern
Africa. |
All Africa Games Update
The Zambian national soccer team has continued their domination of
their southern neighbours, Zimbabwe, by beating them in home and away matches recently in
the qualifying stages of the All-Africa Games to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in
September.
Southern Africa will be represented by South Africa who qualify by
virtue of being host, and Zambia. In the last All-Africa games in Zimbabwe, the host were
runners-up to Egypt who lifted the soccer trophy
Meanwhile, most countries in the region are in the process of
choosing their athletics teams to compete in the Johannesburg games. |
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