| 1. SARPN REGIONAL SCOPING RESULTS |
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The Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN) has just completed a preliminary
regional scoping exercise during which it met with 87 organisations in seven SADC states.
They were Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa.
The organisations were drawn from civil society, governments, donors and international NGOs.
The process was not intended to be comprehensive but to rather provide signposts for future
activities, relationships, structure and partnerships for SARPN's unfolding activities.
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SARPN would like to thank all the individuals who met with SARPN staff and to thank the
organisations who hosted roundtables for SARPN to meet with a range of their own stakeholders.
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The findings of the scoping exercise were that:
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There is a need for a facility and mechanism which facilitates the sharing of access to
new information and perspectives on issues impacting on poverty in Southern Africa
between poverty practitioners and specialists in different sectors;
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That these different sectors (civil society, government, international NGOs and donor
agencies) inevitably prioritise their needs and actions in the poverty field in different
ways;
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The key focus areas can be summarised as
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Poverty Reduction Strategy Processes including PRSP activities
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Regional and Continental frameworks for poverty reduction (NAI, SADC etc) with
specific focus on the impact of Trade, Economic policy and Migration on poverty
in the region
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Rights-based issues, including
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HIV/AIDS
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Land
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Access to Justice for the poor
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That SARPN should promote public debate through means which break down the often
exclusive nature of social and economic policy debates;
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That SARPN should promote exposure visits around best practices in the region as a way
of stimulating cross-country thinking and policies around poverty reduction.
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The way forward: SARPN has produced a Report of the Regional Scoping Process and will soon
hold a meeting with donors active in the region to share these findings in greater depth.
The meeting will also discuss whether there is an interest in funding SARPN as a public
education facility for sharing information across the region, multi-sectorally and inclusive
of government and civil society policy makers, implementers, researchers and the private
sector.
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SARPN will report on progress in future newsletters.
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