Foreword

Peace, security and political stability are the linchpins for socio-economic development. The vision of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reminds the Member States and citizens of their historical bonds underpinning the SHARED FUTURE. It is in pursuance of this noble and unflinching desire that SADC concluded the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to serve as an instrument for dealing with the Southern African region’s political, defence and security challenges.

The effective operationalisation of the Protocol will provide a positive contribution in addressing the political, socio-economic and security strategies and careful planning that can provide coherent focus towards advancing and promoting our regional objectives. This is the reason d’être for formulating the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO). The SIPO is not an end in itself. Instead, it is an enabling instrument for the implementation of the SADC developmental agenda embodied in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP). The core objective of the SIPO therefore, is to create a peaceful and stable political and security environment through which the region will endeavour to realise its socio-economic objectives.

The SIPO and the RISDP are distinct, yet complementary. Thus, it is imperative that in the implementation process, special attention is paid to the maximisation of their synergies and the rationalisation of the cross-cutting issues.

SIPO provides general guidelines that spell out specific activities, in accordance with the Protocol’s objectives, and the strategies for their realisation and public security. It provides the way forward through appropriate strategies and activities in each specific field. The SIPO also provides the institutional framework for the day to day implementation of the activities of the Organ, including the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and the Mutual Defence Pact.

While the implementation of the SIPO should, to a large extent, rely on regional resources, this should not preclude the involvement of our cooperating partners. Partnership is primordial for the realisation of the activities in the areas of peace support and humanitarian operations; disaster management; combating organised crime; management of refugees; post-conflict reconstruction and reintegration programmes; demining; HIV and AIDS programmes; combating of illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons; combating of illicit drug trafficking; and capacity building in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peace and security.

I strongly believe that we cannot succeed to implement our regional political, Peace and security agenda without linking up with the continental political, peace and security agenda. Hence, in the implementation of SIPO, SADC will align its political, peace and security agenda with that of the African Union. Particular emphasis will be in the areas of Standby Force, democracy, human rights, good governance the fight against corruption. We will do so with a strong conviction that the political and security agendas of SADC and the African Union are not mutually exclusive.

For a peaceful, stable and prosperous Southern Africa.

Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili (MP)
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Chairperson of
the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
5 August 2004

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