NGO study finds no common SADC values
Gothataone Moeng | Monday November 11, 2013 16:57
From a study, titled 'The SADC We Need: Towards Values-Based Regional Integration and Development', the CNGO found that values such as 'freedom, solidarity, independence and self-determination' that were formative of the liberation movements of the 1970s and 1980s are no longer prevalent on a regional level, decades after the formation of SADC.
Former Botswana president Sir Ketumile Masire, one of the founders of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC), which preceded SADC, officially launched the study in Gaborone last week. The study found that the common regional values did not evolve into a joint effort even during the liberation movements.
'These 'shared values' have a 'home-grown' and 'African' component; even a reference to the Judeo-Christian tradition of liberation was there. At the same time, there were international values of the socialist or communist international movement that helped to channel national aspirations for freedom and independence,' was one of the study's findings.
The study found that a new generation has emerged that has not directly experienced liberation struggle and its core values. On the other hand, a majority of people who experienced the struggle are yet to see the fulfillment of promises.
One of the objectives of the study was a re-examination of the core values within SADC, particularly when it comes to issues of regional integration. It examined the progress and challenges that SADC faces in its efforts to promote shared values in the region.
Officially launching the study, Masire said the objective of examining the regional body's progress decades after its formation is a commendable effort. He said the ultimate objective was to enable SADC to effectively address the developmental needs of the region.
The SADC CNGO, which undertook the study, was formed in 1998 to facilitate meaningful engagement of the people of the region, and create a common platform for civil society organisations to address issues of poverty alleviation, democratisation, good governance and ending internal conflicts in the region.