【Date of establishment】 The Southern African Development Community grew out of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference, which was formed in 1980. The summit meeting of its member states, held in Windhoek on August 17, 1992, decided to change the Southern African Development Coordination Conference into the Southern African Development Community and signed the treaty and related protocols, announcing the official formation of SADC, a step forward towards the economic integration of the region.

【Member states】 14 (up to 2001): Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Mauritius, Congo (Kinshasa) and Seychelles.

【Total area】 9.26 million square kilometers, accounting for some 28 % of the whole Africa

【Total population】 200 millions, accounting for 24.7 % of Africa's total population (according to statistics in 1999 of UN Economic Commission for Africa--Same Below).

【Main economic data】 The total GDP of the Community in 1999 was 169.989 billion US dollars, accounting for 30.8 % of Africa's total. The economic growth rate of the Community in the same year was 2.16%.

【Purpose and objectives】 To establish an open economy based on equality, mutual benefit and balanced development; to break down tariff barriers; to promote trade exchanges and mutual investment; to realize free movement of goods, personnel and labour service; to achieve the unification of tariffs and currencies gradually in the Community. The ultimate objective is to realize the economic integration of the region.

【Chief leaders】 The current chairman of the summit meeting is Bakili Muluzi (Malawi President), who took office in August 2001, for a term of one year. Vice chairman is Jose dos Santos ( President of Angola ), who took office in August 2001, for a term of one year. Chairman of the Ministerial Conference is Lilian Patel (Malawi Foreign Minister ) who took office in August 2001, for a term of one year. Executive Secretary is Prega Ramsamy from Mauritius, who took office in Match 2001. Chairman of the Organization for Politics, Defense and Security is Loaquim Chissano ( President of Mozambique), who took office in August 2001.

【Headquarters】 In Gaborone, Botswana

Official address: SADC Secretariat, Private Bag 0095, Gaborone, Botswana

Telephone: 00-267-351863; Fax: 00-267-372848/581070

E-mail: http://www.sadc.int

【Publication】 Annual Report (English)

【Institutions】

(1) Summit Meeting: It is the highest policy-making organ held once a year. There is no permanent venue for the Summit Meeting. Chairman and Vice Chairman are elected by member states on the basis of rotation among the chiefs of states for a term of one year.

(2) Ministerial Council: The Council is composed of the ministers for economic planning or finance, which is responsible and reports its work to the Summit Meeting. Its main function is to supervise the operation of the Community and the implementation of its policies and plans. This Council shall be held once a year at least. The chairman and vice chairman of the Ministerial Council are appointed respectively by the chairman-state and the vice-chairman-state of the Community.

(3) Technical Committee: the committee reports its work to the Ministerial Council and works in coordination with the Secretariat. Its main function is to guide and coordinate the cooperation among special technical departments, as well policies and plans in connection with economic integration.

(4) Permanent Committee of high officials: composed of permanent secretaries or officials of same rank from the member states' ministries of economic planning or finance. This Committee, a technically consulting organ to the Ministerial Council, shall be held once year at least. Its chairman and vice-chairman are appointed by chairman-state vice-chairman-state Council respectively.

(5) Permanent Secretariat: It is the main executive body of the Community responsible for implementing the resolutions adopted in the Summit Meeting and Ministerial Council as well as the plans of the Community, and for coordinating the member states' policies and strategies. The executive secretary is responsible to the Ministerial Council and appointed by the Summit Meeting on the recommendation of the Ministerial Council for a term of four years.

(6) Political, Defense and Security Organ: officially formed in June 1996, which is responsible and reports its work to the Summit Meeting. The chairman of this Organ is rotated among the member states. Its main functions are to promote political cooperation among member states, to develop the ability of collective defense in the region, to handle and prevent regional conflicts, to mediate regional disputes, and to promote the adoption by member states of a common foreign policy in the area of common interest

(7) Court: It puts forward its consulting opinions to the Summit Meeting and Ministerial Council so as to ensure the implementation of the articles of the Treaty and its supplementary documents, and to give correct interpretation to those articles.

【Main activities】

Match 9-10, 2001, an extraordinary summit meeting was held in Windhoek, Namibia. This meeting discussed the economic cooperation in the region, mechanism for resolving regional conflicts, institutional reform of the Community and other issues. It decided to start the 'troika' mechanism for policy-making and leadership, to set up a ministerial committee to check the key problems in the regional integration process and the work schedule in general, and to expand the functions of the Secretariat.

May 9-10, The SADC regional security and defense meeting held in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, called on its member states to quicken the process of establishing a regional security system, so as to ensure the healthy development of regional economies.

June 6-8, the SADC together with the world economic forum hosted the 11th African Economic Summit in Durban, South Africa; during which the participants discussed a wide range of topics including "millennium development program for Africa" and other development issue related to Africa. The Summit also called on the international community to discard its prejudice towards Africa and take a more active role in helping develop African economy, thus enabling the African countries eliminating poverty at an early date.

July 26-27, Ministers of national defense of the SADC member states met in Maseru and adopted the draft treaty for common defense.

July 30-31, Ministers of Finance of the SADC member states met in Pretoria, South Africa and passed a resolution aimed to speed the economic development of this region. The SADC countries would jointly formulate a macro economic development program and coordinate their positions in the fields of tax, insurance and securities so as to unify their policies gradually.

August 12-14, the 21st SADC Summit Meeting, met in Blantyre, adopted and signed five documents on politics, defense and security; arms, ammunitions and related materials; fishery; culture, information and sports; and anti-corruption. The meeting also amended the SADC Treaty and thus starts the institutional reform process. And the Organ for Politics, Defense and Security was officially listed in the SADC framework.