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3. POVERTY POINTERS
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3.1 WIDENING PARTICIPATION IN REGIONAL POLICY DEBATES
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SADC members are expected to move soon to establish multi-sectoral National Committees as a
way of broadening involvement in SADC's regional policies and programmes, including its
nascent anti-poverty strategy. The committees will bridge government, labour, civil society
and private sector interests within each state.
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According to draft guidelines distributed by SADC to member states in a bid to establish
common standards on the proposed committees, each state will be obliged to establish
"functional and effective" committees. They will also be expected to establish a national
secretariat, staffed by full-time employees and to provide funds for its operations.
Technical committees can be established to deal with sectoral issues.
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The guidelines note that the main functions of the committees will be to:
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promote and broaden stakeholder participation in SADC affairs in member states
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facilitate information flows and communication between member states and the SADC secretariat
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provide inputs at the national level in the formulation of regional policies, strategies,
programmes and projects
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co-ordinate and oversee the implementation of these policies, strategies, programmes and
projects at the national level, and
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co-ordinate the provision of inputs at the national level for the development of the
RISDP and to monitor its implementation at the national level.
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The proposed committees are a potentially powerful tool for stimulating debate on regional
issues as SADC moves towards deeper integration. But just how much room individual
government's give to the committees to debate regional policy issues and their national
implications remains to be seen. SADC states are expected to report to the next meeting of
the SADC Review Committee on progress made with establishing committees.
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3.2 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND THE POOR
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The Commission on Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR) is an initiative of the UK Government,
financed by the Department for International Development (DFID). It will examine how national
and international intellectual property rules and practices might be improved to take greater
account of the needs and interests of poor people and developing countries. The idea of
creating the CIPR originated in the UK Government's White Paper on International Development
"Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor" published in December
2000. The Commission is expected to report by March 2002.
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The CIPR's website is intended to be a means of communication with the far-flung and diverse
constituency interested in this subject, and a way for the Commission and this community to
exchange views. Besides reports, the web site will run a series of moderated on-line debates.
But the CIPR says it would also value any comments by persons interested in the broad issue
of intellectual property rights and poverty/development.
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Linking up: Persons who wish to register with the CIPR and be kept informed of progress can
register at
http://www.iprcommission.org/register.asp. Persons or institutions who wish to
send submissions to the CIPR can do so via
http://www.iprcommission.org/submit.asp. Published
submissions can be viewed at
http://www.iprcommission.org/submissions.asp
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3.3 UNDERSTANDING SOUTH AFRICA'S GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC STRATEGY
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South Africa's clear regional dominance in the SADC region is often pointed to as a political
issue that will have to be managed sensitively as the region moves towards greater
integration. One such indicator is South Africa's growing trade surplus with SADC countries
— which is used to offset trade deficits with other regions. The South African Department of
Trade and Industry notes that this structural trade imbalance with SADC is economically
unsustainable over the longer term.
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A new publication by the Department, Sisebenza Zonke, notes some of the key issues
confronting regional economic development in SADC and proposes policy options which would
facilitate more balanced economic growth in the region. It proposes that "integrated
manufacturing platforms" should become the basis for a regional industrial strategy. This
would entail using the region as an "integral part of supply chains for globally competitive
manufacturing processes". Specific elements of such a strategy would include:
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implementing the SADC Free Trade Agreement to provide rapid and significant market
access to regional exports, while attending to sensitive regional sectors through
specific protocols
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linking regional trade development and industrial restructuring to reflect current and
dynamic comparative advantages across the region
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promoting co-ordinated infrastructure and resource-based industrial development
through Spatial Development Initiatives
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encouraging South African firms to invest regionally through the relaxation of
foreign exchange control on capital destined for the region and
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promoting regional trade facilitation, strengthening custom control and
administration and eliminating non-tariff barriers.
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Linking up: Given the centrality of understanding and confronting these issues within a
regional context, SARPN is prepared to distribute the Department of Trade and Industry
document to readers who request a copy. The Department has given SARPN an electronic version
of the journal. It is not available on the DTI website. Readers who want a copy should
contact:
sarpn@hsrc.ac.za
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The Departmental web site contains another document which might be of interest to readers
interested in economic issues — the document is entitled "Driving competitiveness: an
integrated industrial strategy for sustainable employment and growth". The document can be
accessed at:
http://www.dti.gov.za/downloads/docs/indstrat2.pdf
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