09.11.2011 - Government negotiations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) have been successfully completed
On 28 October 2011, Germany and the 15 countries of southern Africa comprising a population of 250 million in the regional organisation SADC, have successfully completed development negotiations in Gabarone, Botswana.
The objective of the German – SADC development cooperation is to contribute to peace and security and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the SADC Region by supporting the regional integration agenda. The priority areas of cooperation to enhance the efficiency of German development cooperation are: transboundary use and protection of natural resources as well as regional economic integration and transboundary water management. Great successes were recorded in all these areas, for example the recent support to launch and the establishment of the Kavango Zambesi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
Transboundary management of forests and other ecosystems including national parks and conservation areas, ensures not only protection of biodiversity and helps to fight climate change, but also offers substantial chances of income for the local population by implementing sustainable tourism. In creating regional development, the foundations are laid for the economic progress far beyond national borders.
In the SADC region, integrated transboundary water resource management is crucial since it is the only way to ensure continued access to water as a basis for survival and economic development. Regional cooperation in all key areas will thus prevent conflicts and therefore promotes peace and stability in southern Africa.
For Namibia all of these focal areas are relevant: It shares
- all of its main permanent water resources with neighbouring SADC countries (Kunene, Okavango, Zambezi and Orange Rivers) as well as
- huge natural conservation areas with its neighbours, such as the national parks and conservation areas in Kavango and Caprivi, which form now part of the bigger KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area or the AiAis-Richtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Area.
Namibia is also benefiting from newly developed common SADC strategies on climate change, forest and fire management, which gives all SADC countries a stronger position on international platforms such as the forthcoming COP 17 meeting in Durban. For the year 2011, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) additionally allocated almost 26 million Euro for these priority sectors and for other support programmes in the area of peace, security and good governance in the region as well as for programmes on strengthening the reform agenda and management capacities of SADC institutions. A further 3 million Euro were also allocated by the Federal Ministry for Environment.
