SADC Justice Ministers Meeting: Strengthening Regional Cooperation
From Thursday 20 to Friday 21 July 2023, Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), hosted the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of Justice of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This event made it possible to lay the foundations for enhanced cooperation between the Member States.
The objective of this meeting was to deepen Southern Africa’s regional integration and foster its development, in line with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan for 2020-2030. Rose Mutombo, Minister of Justice of the DRC, welcomed the conclusions of this meeting, affirming the satisfaction of the Congolese government.
During the meeting, Ministers considered amendments to Annex VII of the Trade Protocol relating to trade in sugar, to be validated before being recommended to the Committee of Trade Ministers for adoption. Minister Rose Mutombo also stressed the importance of the rapid ratification of legal instruments by SADC Member States.
The issue of the SADC Tribunal was also discussed during the meeting. The Minister expressed her belief that cooperation among Member States will build a stronger, more united and more prosperous SADC.
On the sidelines of this meeting, discussions were also held on draft crucial legal instruments aimed at strengthening regional integration, such as the draft SADC Protocol on Employment and Labor, as well as the draft SADC Declaration on Accelerating the Implementation of Measures to End AIDS as a Public Health Threat by 2030.
This meeting of SADC Ministers of Justice marks an important step in the pursuit of regional cooperation in Southern Africa