It is indeed a great pleasure and honour for me to have been invited to participate at this Regional Consultations in preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit to be held for the first time in 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. Allow me to express, on behalf of SADC, our gratitude to the organisers of this very significant event for bringing together great minds to make input on how we can, together, make a breakthrough in the areas of humanitarian aid, and humanitarian diplomacy in particular, by dedicating our efforts and resources towards helping humanity facing natural disasters. I have no doubt that, all those gathered here, have brought vast knowledge and experiences that will enable mobilise and harness resources at national, regional and global levels to meet the demands of humanitarian challenges facing our communities world-wide.
