ASC members attended a meeting confronting foreign policy issues affecting Africa and South Africa.
The keynote address was done by Dr. Eddie Maloka who currently serves as the Special Advisor to the South Africa Minister of International Relations and Cooperation and South Africa’s Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region. Dr. Maloka’s address highlighted the importance of reflecting on the past development plans such as the Lagos Plan of Action and Abuja Treaty, and exploring the opportunities that the Agenda 2063 presents for the whole of Africa. In his presentation Dr. Molaka emphasized the importance of collaboration amongst African states particularly when dealing with peace and security within the continent. The panel also included Ambassador Bene M. Poko who also stressed the importance of collaborative efforts of all African states on the management of resources, implementation of economic development programmes and the prioritizing of peace and security.
The policy dialogue also provided an opportunity for discussion on South Africa’s foreign policy from a civil society perspective. Some of the key points to come from this discussion was the importance for South Africa to engage in more solidarity efforts towards South Sudan and Swaziland as well as to have more interaction and engagement between civil society and governments.
This was a very successful policy dialogue and we look forward to seeing the outcomes influence South Africa’s foreign policy.
This meeting was hosted by the Southern African Liaison Office.