Comments

1. sara page says:

   January 5, 2010 at 8:52 am

   The three most important challenges facing southern Africa:
   1. The HIV epidemic continues to place a burden on weakened health systems. there is a need to strengthen health systems for improved prevention, care, treatment and support. while HIV prevention needs to continue to be a core focus, overall health systems strengthening is fundamental for supporting development in southern Africa.
   2. Orphans and vulnerable children need greater support and protection. If adequate support is not provided to the high number of OVCs and child-head households (support in terms of improved access to basic needs, psychosocial support, education, and protection of child rights within communities and countires), the development gains made today, are likely to be a ‘drop in the bucket’ in future.
   3. Democracy- many countries in southern Africa are new or emerging democracies. There is limited understanding of what a democracy means, and how it translates on the ground, its benefits, and how it integrates with current social and cultural practices in southern Africa. Civic education on democracy, role of government, role of civil society within a cultural context is important for southern Africa. However, this must be done in a manner that enables leadership from within southern Africa to guide democractic development from an African cultural context (i.e. it cannot be externally dictated). The role for DFID would be to support platforms for government and civil society to discuss democracy, civic education, diversity and culture.
2. Tony Dykes says:

   January 15, 2010 at 5:51 pm

   What distinguishes southern Africa is that its member states have the most recent experience of colonial rule, of the denial of and struggle for liberation, freedom and democracy. The struggle against apartheid and the impact of apartheid South Africa on the region. Democratic South Africa with the largest economy on the continent for the first time becoming part of the region. The region has in past 20 years witnessed broadly positive political development, with some clear exceptions, but to many this has not yet been accompanied by socio- economic transformation.

   3 most important challenges
   i) reducing poverty and inequality
   ii) achieving effective democracy and delivery at local level
   iii) HIV/AIDS pandemic

   3 most important issues
   i) creating decent jobs/work (decent pay and decent conditons)
   ii) improving goverment capacity to deliver and facilitating ability of citizens to hold government to account.
   iii) leadership which is inclusive develops a comprehensive plan and ensures it is turned into action.
3. Ramachandraredy says:

   January 15, 2010 at 5:53 pm

   Let me answer the second part of the question. first

   Let introduce my self , I am Ram and bean working for the last 17 years, of which close to two months I was working with one the reputed intuition called Administrative Staff college of India(ASCI) were my primary role to concurrent on the policy frame work, either adding or sizing the content of it. So with this kind of thing in past that I equipped I just part of this effort, alas this is going to last by the 18th jan, but let me share my though on this particular issue. The reason why I would like to be part of it when one look at the history , colonial rule sapped as many years as India, so the frame work of policy may be same, with independence to India good sixty years back , yet changes are not made to same policies that suit to current day, though India has fast tracked it development by amending the then basic frame work on the existing financial frame work thus, although much need to done yet this change in the economics/financial policies rather helped in the kind of economic BOOM

   Need to focus on literacy elevation
   Unlike india where 85% british system directly copied, sine SA though ruled by Europe as whole the flavor British is still around
   Education should be addressed more through the non-formal methods
   Infant mortality is very high in north than south, need more volunteers/NGO should encouraged
   Trbiles culture need to preserved, for that more and more immigrations should be stopped and panning of development should be uniform across

   Wide gap between rich and poor
   -education
   -Try to stop migrations
   -Encourage preserve there traditions

   Not encouraging young people to join political process,
   Expand grass –root level people participation
   Make awareness of politics in democracy
   Encourage value driven though process at school level

   Still making huge cry on a partied, it should move on
   Cause of economic disparity they still thinking they were they were treated that way. so, use technology mixed traditional propagating and to get awareness
   Involve them in more govern process
   Provide more social benefits such as reservations in the government
4. Tony Dykes says:

   January 15, 2010 at 5:59 pm

   key players are
   national and local goverment
   civil society but especially support for that part of civil society such as trade unions that organise, mobilise, represent as well as have policy positions.
   private sector- both local and international. Is it really supporting the reduction of povery and inequality.
   International community- some of the countries( not all) are significant receipients of international aid, what role are such as IMF, WB, EU and bilateral donors including DFID playing? Large donors seem to have somewhat contradictory stances- on one hand it is up to the national goverment to set priorities, hence such as budget support but on the other we have to have influence, impact.
5. Southern Africa Trust says:

   January 18, 2010 at 2:21 pm

   1. What are the key characteristics of the Southern Africa region which should influence development efforts? What distinguishes the region from other parts of Africa?

    [High incidence of poverty and inequality within and across countries; HIV and AIDS pandemic
    Level of economic activity: large scale private sector investment (foreign), high level of informal and micro enterprises
    Regional integration without social dimensions
    Climatic change and vulnerability of Southern Africa. Southern.Africa being opened region will attract FDIs which have to be environmentally sentitized on the effects of carbon emissions.
    Dependency on few exported items except for South Africa
    Lack of capacity in most countries to face the challenges of globalization
    Education system not really aligned to development needs
    Linkages between SMEs and big enterprises

   2. What are the three most important challenges facing the Southern Africa region?

   • Climatic change (impacting on food security and other impacts)
   • Poverty, inequality and diseases (including)
   • Nation-state-in-the-making (fragile governance and institutions, human insecurity)

   3. What are the three most important issues to be tackled to overcome those challenges?

   • Sustainable economic growth and development with a people centred focus
   • Ensuring regional integration (equitable, institutional structures, and market expansion.
   • Governance (including leadership, corruption,…)

   4. Who are the key players responding to these challenges? Are their efforts effective? What are the constraints?

    Government, private sector, and civil society (these stakeholders are specified in the Treaty)
    Lack of dialogue between key players is a constraint\
    Role of the international community is important, but needs to be re-focused and be demand driven
    Government has short- term vision; private sector too much focus on profitability and civil society not really organized and strong to make significant impact