Final Evaluation of the 'Support to Peace and Security in the SADC Region (SPSS)' Programme And Identification and formulation of the 'Building the Capability and Effectiveness of the Peace and Security Architecture in SADC (BICEPSS)' Programme

As part of the SIEA framework contracts (Lot 3) our consortium was awarded this project. The Southern African Development Community (SADC or the Community) was formed in 1980 as the “Southern African Development Co-operation Conference” (SADCC) by nine of the current Member States. On 17 August 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia, the SADCC was transformed into SADC with the signing of the SADC Declaration and Treaty. SADC currently has 16 Member States: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SADC has a combined population of approximately 360 million and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 700 billion (2019). Peace and security are considered as the necessary preconditions for regional development because instability in one Member State could have negative impact on neighboring countries and become a stumbling block in regional integration. That is why the revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 (RISDP) and SADC Vision 2050, acknowledge that peace, security, democracy and good political governance are the foundation and key primary enablers of regional integration and development.

The EU has been a long-term cooperating partner of SADC, supporting the regional integration process and advancing SADC’s regional integration agenda. The EU’s key instrument for planning its support to SADC during the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) was the Regional Indicative Program (RIP). The RIP aligns with, RISDP and SIPO in three key priority areas: Good Governance, strengthened regional capacity and sustainable peace and security in the region.

The main objectives of this evaluation are to provide the relevant services of the European Union, the interested stakeholders and the wider public with:

Strengthened capacity for electoral assistance in SADC;
Enhanced capacity in SADC for (gender-sensitive) conflict prevention, management and resolution;
Strengthened capacity of SADC Member States to uphold and enhance cross-border safety and security, and;
Strengthened SADC capacity to address the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence.