Page 8 - 41st Summit Brochure

SADC DAY MESSAGE

REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

MESSAGE BY HIS EXCELLENCY FILIPE JACINTO NYUSI,
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE AND CHAIRPERSON OF SADC

Dear Brothers and Sisters from SADC Member States,
Precisely 41 years ago, on 1 April 1980, in Lusaka, Zambia, nine Heads of State and Government signed the Memorandum of
Understanding (Lusaka Declaration) establishing the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) with
the main objective of coordinating the socio-economic development of Southern African countries and reducing dependency
on the then Apartheid regime in South Africa.
In the advent of Southern Africa’s full liberation from colonialism and minority regimes, SADCC Member States
embarked on a more comprehensive and equitable regional political, economic and social integration with the signing of the
Windhoek Declaration establishing the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on 17 August 1992. We, therefore,
celebrate this day every year as the SADC Day, to highlight the peace, unity and solidarity that characterize the peoples of
Southern Africa.
We mark the anniversary to remember our history and to honour the Founding Leaders who had a vision and a model
of cooperation that remains relevant today, because it is premised on the requisite peace, security and stability for the
development we want for our region.
We are a community that is proud to bring together 16 countries, converging in shared interest and future, with our own
identity based on culture and values of democracy and freedom, committed to deepening regional integration anchored in legal
6 instruments such as the SADC Treaty, the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISPD) 2020-30, and other
instruments.
Since the establishment of our cooperation in 1980, numerous strides have been made in various areas, such as the
prevalence of an environment of relative peace and stability, the Free Trade Area consolidated every year, the industrialization
that transforms and adds value to our natural resources, and governance based on the principles of democracy where the rule
of law prevails.
Despite its devastating impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic (which is an unprecedented health crisis) reminds us that
isolationism will get us nowhere in responding to global challenges. Today, more than ever before, solidarity, the spirit of sharing
and mutual help are the right way to overcome any adversity and the greatest tribute we can pay to the visionary and selfless
Founders of our regional organization.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Under the 2020/21 SADC Summit theme “SADC: 40 Years Building Peace and Security, and Promoting Development and
Resilience in the Face of Global Challenges”, Mozambique assumed the rotating chairmanship of SADC in August 2020 from
the United Republic of Tanzania, in a context in which the wellbeing , peace and harmony for the Peoples of Southern Africa
must be consolidated since they belong to the shared future enunciated by in the Founding Declaration and the SADC Treaty.
The colossal and existential challenges we are facing, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorism, violent extremism,
and climate change, should not distract us from intensifying trade, creating the common market and practicing highly efficient
economies of scale where goods, services, human ingenuity and other inputs can circulate without any barrier.
Let us therefore commemorate the historic SADCC that gave birth to today’s SADC, with the conviction that its 41-year
journey, although full of ups and downs, is a testament to our endurance as a united regional entity that is making strides
towards a more integrated Africa.
Let us bring together synergies and intelligence and harness our most precious assets – our youth and abundant natural
resources – creating the wealth that will catapult us to the desired stage of well-being, a condition that will allow us to better
respond to any crisis, be it a pandemic, terrorism or violent extremism, or even extreme climate events.
I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the consolidation of regional, political, environmental, the economic
integration, democracy and respect for human rights, and the strengthening of multilateralism are the ingredients for sustainable
lasting solutions and, ultimately attain the aim of our Region – SADC.