The Directorate of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs at the Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held its Capacity Building and Strategic Planning workshop from 22-26 July 2024 in Magaliesburg, South Africa with the aim of enhancing the capacity of the Directorate to execute its mandate of promoting peace and security in the region.
The Workshop provided an opportunity to enhance coordination and capacities for the Organ Sectors, Units and Programmes namely; Defence Affairs, Public Security, Politics and Diplomacy, Police/SARPCCO, State Security, the Regional Counter Terrorism Centre, (RCTC), Planning Element, Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre (RPTC) and two programmes supporting the Organ, namely, Enhancing the Capability and Effectiveness of SADC’s Peace and Security Architecture (ECEPSA) and the Fourth European Union-African Peace and Security Architecture (EU-APSA IV) programmes.
The Director of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs, Professor Kula Ishmael Theletsane, commended the SADC Organ Directorate staff for their commitment to the delivery of the outcomes and objectives of Peace, Security and Good Governance which constitute the Foundation Pillar of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP 2020-2030) and the SADC Vision 2050.
The Director of the Organ reiterated the need for Organ Directorate Staff to work together with a common understanding and vision of supporting the SADC region to consolidate peace, security and good governance.
Among the key issues at the Workshop, the participants discussed the implementation of the RISDP 2020-2030 and SADC Vision 2050 in the context of the peace, security ad good governance and other cross cutting issues and the annual security threats in the region with emphasis on acts of terrorism and violent extremism in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Cabo Delgado Province in the Northern Part of Mozambique. The participants also had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the interventions, objectives and outcomes of the EU-APSA IV and ECESPA Projects, both of which are aimed at promoting peace, security, stability and democracy as a foundation for regional integration and development in line with the objectives of the RISDP 2020-2030.
At the end of the Workshop, staff of the Organ Directorate committed to enhance their efforts and collaborate as the continue to support the consolidation of peace, security and good governance in support of regional integration and sustainable development.
