Deputy Minister Sue van Der Merwe to attend SADC Meeting on ISPDC in Swaziland

Pretoria- International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Sue van Der Merwe will on Monday 20 July 2009, depart for Swaziland where she will attend the SADC 30th session of the Inter-State Politics Diplomacy Committee (ISPDC) scheduled for 20 July 2009.

South Africa participates in the SADC ISPDC within the context of the consolidation of the African Agenda as well as promoting peace and stability within the region. In this regard, issues on the agenda of this session of the ISPDC include:

• The Progress Report on the Hashim Mbita Project;
  
  
• Budget for the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Affairs.
  
  
• The Political and security situation in the region;

• The Consolidation of Democracy in the region: the creation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Advisory Council (SEAC);

• Elections in the region;

• Disaster management;

• Implementation of the UNIVISA;

• Progress on the staffing of the Directorate of Politics, Defence and Security Affairs; and

The Specific objectives of the ISPDC: safeguarding the development of the region, promoting political co-operation among states and the evolution of common political values and institutions, preventing and resolving inter and intra-state conflict by peaceful means, developing common foreign policy approaches on issues of mutual concern, promoting the development of democratic institutions and practises within the territories of State parties and to develop peacekeeping capacity of national defence forces and co-ordinate the participation of state parties in international and regional peacekeeping operations.

The SADC region is among the regions in the world that are relatively stable and peaceful. This session of the ISPDC will therefore feed into the various SADC efforts that seek to entrench the consolidation of democracy within the region.

Deputy Minister Sue van Der Merwe is expected to return to South Africa later on the same day.

Issued by Nomfanelo Kota on 082 459 3787

Department of International Relations and Cooperation
Private Bag x152
Pretoria
0001

20 July 2009