Attachments
1. The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on El Niño Induced Drought and Floods, hereafter called Summit, was held virtually on 20th May 2024.
2. Summit was chaired by His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola in his capacity as the Chairperson of SADC.
3. Summit was attended by the following Heads of State and Government or their representatives: Angola: H.E. President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço Botswana: H.E. President Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi Democratic Republic of Congo: H.E. President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo Lesotho: The Right Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane Namibia: H.E. President Dr. Nangolo Mbumba Zambia: H.E. President Hakainde Hichilema Zimbabwe: H.E. President Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Eswatini: H.E. Russell Dlamini, the Prime Minister United Republic of Tanzania: The Right Hon. Kassim Majaliwa Majaliwa, MP, Prime Minister Madagascar: Hon. Rafaravavitafika Rasata, Minister of Foreign Affairs Malawi Hon. Nancy Gladys Tembo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauritius: Hon. Maneesh Gobin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade South Africa: Hon. Dr Naledi Pandor, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Seychelles: Hon. Mr. Flavien Joubert, Minister for Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment Mozambique: Hon. Ivete Maibaze, Minister of Land and Environment 3. Cabinet ministers from SADC Member States and the Executive Secretary of SADC also attended the Summit.
4. Summit was also attended by the following humanitarian partners, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies and Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET).
5. Summit strongly condemned the attempted coup d`état by a group of national and foreign terrorists to destabilise the democratic institutions of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, 19 May 2024 and reaffirmed its categorical opposition to any unconstitutional changes of government.
6. Summit expressed its solidarity with the Congolese people and reiterated SADC's commitment to actively support the efforts of the DRC authorities to safeguard its territorial integrity and sovereignty and ensure the security of its population.
7. Summit acknowledged the expression of gratitude by His Excellency Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the SADC’s solidarity with the DRC in light of the attempted coup d`état.
8. Summit expressed gratitude for the selfless contribution to the SADC region by the late President of the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Dr. Hage. G. Geingob and welcomed the fourth President of the Republic of Namibia His Excellency Dr. Nangolo Mbumba to SADC.
9. Summit received an update on the recent climate and weather situation in the region, and their impacts on its socio-economic development including their effect on basic commodity prices. Summit urged Member States to continue to monitor the situation and provide an enabling environment for agricultural stakeholders including farmers with surplus grain and vegetables to facilitate access to those in need.
10. Summit noted the multifaceted and cascading impact of the El Niño induced drought and floods across multiple sectors, including Agriculture and Livelihood Security, Food Security, Nutrition, Health, Water and Energy, and called for coordinated, integrated, and harmonised interventions to address the adverse impact of El Niño.
11. Summit received a report on the impact of disasters in the region and expressed concern over the humanitarian situation brought about by El Niño-induced drought and floods, which has affected over 61 million people.
12. Summit launched the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal of at least US$5.5 billion, aimed at augmenting domestic resources of the affected Member States, including efforts for resource mobilisation from national, regional, and international partners in response to the impacts of El Niño induced drought and floods.
13. Summit noted that an addendum of the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal will be issued in August 2024 to reflect the change in humanitarian needs as more Member States finalize their in-depth assessments on the impact of El Nino induced drought and floods.
14. Summit called on Member States to be proactive and strengthen anticipatory action programmes to mitigate climate risks such as the La Niña phenomenon which is projected for the 2024-2025 season.
15. Summit expressed its gratitude to the International Cooperating Partners, including the United Nations Agencies and Regional Based Organisations for the support rendered to SADC in the assessment and development of the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal.
16. Summit acknowledged the pledge of US$33 million from OCHA; and US$10 million from FAO towards the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal and appealed for additional support from the international community to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in the affected Member States and communities.
17. Summit commended Member States that have declared State of Disasters and Emergencies or State of Agricultural Drought for acknowledging the severity of the El Niño induced drought and floods.
18. Summit urged other Member States and International Cooperating Partners to express solidarity with, and support Member States that have been affected by national disasters.
19. Summit urged Member States that have not yet finalised their assessment of the impacts of El Niño to fast-track the process to enable them to determine the level of the impacts.
20. Summit urged SADC Member States with surplus cereal to prioritise exports to other SADC Member States with deficits.
21. Summit urged Member States to continue to support the affected communities and to develop and operationalise their disaster preparedness and response plans, with support from the SADC Secretariat and other partners.
22. Summit extended its appreciation to the Chairperson of SADC, His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola, for convening and successfully hosting the virtual Summit and for his unwavering commitment in galvanising regional efforts to address the dire humanitarian situation in the region.
23. The Chairperson of SADC, His Excellency João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, expressed gratitude to all Heads of State and Government for attending the Summit and for their collaborative efforts in addressing the pressing humanitarian situation facing the region.
Done on 20th May 2024