The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the United Nations (UN) have renewed their commitment to accelerating sustainable development and regional integration across Southern Africa following diplomatic talks in Botswana.

SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi hosted UN Resident Co-ordinator in Botswana Wenyan Yang at the SADC Secretariat headquarters in Gaborone on Wednesday. During the bilateral engagement, regional leaders focused on strengthening joint negotiations regarding critical minerals, promoting local beneficiation, and building regional value chains to ensure Member States derive direct economic benefits from their mineral endowments prior to export.

The discussions also targeted operational co-operation across border management, disaster risk reduction, and social welfare programmes aligned with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020–2030 and SADC Vision 2050. The delegation explored the rollout of modern biometric border-management systems, migration management, and joint public health interventions focusing on nutrition and the ongoing regional HIV response.

“The meeting provided an opportunity for the two leaders to reaffirm the longstanding partnership between SADC and the UN and exchange views on regional priorities and practical ways of translating policies, strategies and programmes into tangible results that improve the lives of the people of Southern Africa,” Magosi said in an official communique. “Particular attention was given to the growing strategic importance of critical minerals and the need for SADC Member States to strengthen their collective negotiating capacity, attract responsible investment, develop regional value chains and promote local beneficiation.”

–ChannelAfrica/SADC–