|
The East African Treaty was signed
by the three East African heads of governments of Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda, on November 30th, 1999 in Arusha,
Tanzania to officially launch the East African
Community. This was a culmination of concerted efforts
by the peoples of the three neighboring and sisterly
countries sharing many historic and common attributes.
It was an effort to revamp a protracted and better
community compared to the unworkable and ultimately
dissolved one in 1977. The main reasons for the
dissolution of the former EAC were lack of strong
political will, lack of strong participation of the
private sector and civil society in the co-operation
activities, the continued disproportionate sharing of
benefits of the Community among the Partner States due
to differences in their level of development and lack of
adequate policies to address the situation.
On signing the current treaty, the
heads of the three governments, on behalf of their
people, were determined to strengthen their economic,
social, cultural, political, technological and other
ties for fast balanced and sustainable development. The
East Africans are convinced that co-operation at the
sub-regional levels in all fields of human endeavor will
raise the standards of living of African peoples,
maintain and enhance the economic stability, foster
close and peaceful relations among African states and
accelerate the successive stages in the realization of
the proposed African Economic Community and ultimate
Political Union.
EAC headquarters is in Arusha,
Tanzania. For more information, please make contact with
the CEO of the community secretariat using the following
address:
The Chief Executive Director,
East African Community (EAC),
P.O. Box 1096,
Arusha, Tanzania.
Tel. 255.27.4253; Fax.
255.27.4255.
E-mail: mailto:eac@cybernet.co.tz
SOUTHERN AFRICAN
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC)
SADC was formerly known as the
Southern African Development Coordination Conference
(SADCC) and was established out of positive experiences
of closer co-operation among the governments and peoples
of the Southern Africa. The Declaration and the Treaty
establishing SADC was signed in Windhoek, Namibia in
1992. Member countries are as follows: Angola, Botswana,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South
Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The SADC treaty is a legal binding
document by which all regional countries are required to
coordinate, harmonize and rationalize their policies and
strategies for sustainable development. There are four
fundamental principles which the treaty commits its
member, these are:
 Sovereign Equality of member states
Solidarity, Peace and Security
Human rights, Democracy and Rule of law
Equity, Balance and Mutual Benefit
Member countries are expected to
demonstrate their commitment to act in accordance with
these principles. The main SADC institutions are as
follows:
The Summit of Heads of State and Government
Council of Ministers
Sectoral Committees and Commissions
Standing Committee of Officials
National Contact Points
Sectoral Contact Points
Secretariat
Tribunal and
Other additional Institutions
Before the recent restructuring SADC
had the following sector co-ordinating offices located
in the country that has the expertise in the respective
sector : For recent restructuring information
please visit the the sadc web site http://www.sadc.int/
|
|
The SADC US co-operation dates
back in December 1995 when Vice President Al Gore
visited the regional headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana
and met with SADC Executive Secretariat. They signed a
memorandum of understanding endorsing and encouraging
expansion of trade and investment as a means for
promoting growth and job creation in the region. The US
government also provided technical assistance to SADC to
help develop Trade and Transport protocols.
The Second SADC US Forum was held in
Maputo, Mozambique in May 2000 whereby more commitment
on co-opeartion ranging from commerce and industry,
political, social and economic issues between the two
sides was endorsed. Deputy Secretary of State Mr. Strobe
Talbott headed the US government delegation while the
current Chairman President Joachim Chisano headed SADC.
The Forum agreed to maintain the momentum of the earlier
agreements by making follow-ups and ensure the
implementation of the all projects. It has been agreed
to meet annually to review the progress of
implementation. In the same vein, in July 2000 the US
government invited SADC signatory officials and
non-signatory countries to participate in a program
titled, The NAFTA Experience: Model for Economic
Regionalization. The program was intended to provide
insights on how the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) was designed and its implementation.
|
