10th August 2017; The Standing Committee of Senior Officials from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) begin their meetings today, 10th of August 2017, at the OR Tambo, Building, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), in Pretoria, South Africa.
This is the first meeting in a series of proceedings leading to the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled to take place on 19 – 20 August 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa, under the theme: Partnering with the private sector in developing industry and value chains.
The Standing Committee of Senior Officials is a technical advisory committee to the SADC Council of Ministers, and meets twice a year. It consists of one Permanent/Principal Secretary, or an official of equivalent rank from each Member State of SADC, preferably from a ministry responsible for economic planning or finance.
The Council of Ministers oversees the functioning and development of the SADC, and ensures that policies are properly implemented.
The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Standing Committee are appointed from the Member States holding the Chairpersonship and Vice-Chairpersonship, of the Council. The Kingdom of Swaziland is the current chair, while the republic of South Africa is the vice chair.
