Luanda — The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is holding, on 20 May, an extraordinary virtual summit of Heads of State and Government on the negative impact on the lives and livelihoods of around 58 million people affected by drought.
According to a statement from the organization's secretariat, it will assess the measures to be implemented to mitigate the impact of the drought induced by "El Niño" and address the situation of food and nutritional security in the region.
At the event, the note reads, the acting president of SADC, João Lourenço, will make the "SADC Humanitarian Appeal", highlighting the priority needs of the affected population.
The Angolan Head of State will also request immediate support from regional and international partners to respond to the needs of the affected population.
The Extraordinary SADC Summit will be preceded by several joint meetings of senior officials and ministers from the agriculture, water, energy and disaster risk management sectors.
There is also a meeting of the Standing Committee of senior officials and another of the Council of Ministers on the agenda.
In accordance with article 10 of the SADC Treaty, the Summit of Heads of State and Government is responsible for the general political guidance and control of the functions of the community, making it the supreme policy-making institution in the region.
SADC is an organization made up of sixteen Member States, established in 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) and later, in August 1992, transformed into the Southern African Development Community (SADC). .
It's mission is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development, through efficient production systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance and lasting peace and security.
South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, are SADC's member state.
