USAID: Initiative for Southern Africa FY 2002 Congressional Budget Justification

PROGRAM: Initiative for Southern Africa
TITLE AND NUMBER: Broadened U.S.-SADC Cooperation, 690-011
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $997,000 ESF
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $0
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1999 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2004

Summary: The purpose of this program is to strengthen the relationship and develop stronger economic ties between the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the United States. In recognition of the need to strengthen the relationship, the United States and SADC have agreed to conduct an annual U.S.- SADC Forum to facilitate dialogue regarding regional issues of mutual interest and critical importance. The inaugural forum was held in April 1999 and a second forum was held in May 2000. These round-tables have brought together senior U.S. and high-ranking SADC and national officials to explore issues of mutual concern, demonstrate the United States' commitment to the region, and further assist the southern Africans states to develop a sense of common identity and position in dealing with the broader global community. To this end, a set of mutually agreed activities, financed through Economic Support Funds, are being undertaken to further the U.S.-SADC agenda. In FY 2001 USAID will use $997,000 in Economic Support Funds for this initiative.

Key Results: During the second year of operation this program helped to translate a number of agreements into action. These included: (1) assisting SADC in developing the legal basis necessary to successfully stimulate investment and expand trade by providing training related to intellectual property rights from the Department of Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program; 2) boosting the implementation of the SADC trade protocol through analytical expertise and policy advice; 3) providing assistance to conduct analysis of the trade data and revenue implications of implementing the proposed regional free trade area; 4) providing support for SADC's regional HIV/AIDS activities; 5) working with regional entities in the development of desert ecotourism; 6) assisting SADC in disaster preparedness management; 7) providing technical assistance and training to SADC members on the use of a natural resource base; 8) increasing southern African capacity and management experience in conflict prevention and resolution; and 9) creating three model border facilities to serve as demonstration projects.

Performance and Prospects: The second U.S.-SADC forum was held in 2000. This meeting focused on: 1) the economic architecture needed for market economies to function properly to increase trade and to attract investment; 2) regional security; and 3) HIV/AIDS. Various U.S. representatives used this opportunity to effectively engage their southern African counterparts on these and other issues critical to the development of the region.

USAID is continuing to support programs initiated under the initial forum and those new programs identified in the FY 2000 deliberations. Work on commercial law development is being expanded to include training on trade-related intellectual property rights. USAID will support further work in economic development through continuing expert technical assistance and the completion of a regional free trade study in coordination with other regional market integration activities. A needs assessment for a regional natural resources database has been completed and will form the basis for identification of additional environmental initiatives. The program supported a desert ecosystem workshop in April 2000 in Namibia. The workshop attracted broad participation, including representatives from at least seven communities that could potentially engage in desert ecotourism.

USAID is also working with SADC in the area of HIV/AIDS, through the review of member states' HIV/AIDS policies. This exercise enables cross comparisons as well as regional-specific examples of what is being promoted by member states. USAID also facilitated the printing of the SADC labor code focusing on HIV/AIDS policies.

In order to help southern Africans develop a disaster preparedness and management mechanism USAID organized a regional coordination workshop in December 2000 for key representatives from SADC countries. Officials reviewed options for the creation of viable and practical mechanisms for SADC disaster management and planned follow-on activities. USAID is also working with southern Africans to address conflict resolution and sponsored a workshop in FY 2001 for 25 senior SADC government officials and civil society leaders.

Other Donor Programs: USAID seeks opportunities to cooperate with other donors in promoting a variety of initiatives in the development sectors targeted under this activity (i.e., economic growth, HIV/AIDS, and the environment). Since the overarching purpose of the U.S.-SADC Forum is specifically to strengthen U.S.-SADC ties, the scope of donor coordination in achieving this primary purpose is, by definition, limited to U.S. government agencies and SADC.

Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: The principal U.S. implementing partners are various U.S. agencies including the Department of Commerce and the Department of State. The principal southern African implementing partners are the SADC Secretariat as well as governmental and private sector organizations in the region. Field coordination occurs principally through the U.S. Embassy in Botswana and the SADC Secretariat. The Department of State, assisted by USAID, coordinates Washington participation.

Selected Performance Measures: The range of interventions being considered under this activity is so diverse that any measurement of a common denominator would, by necessity, be too broad to have any significance. Therefore, USAID has formally exempted this special objective from developing strategic-level performance indicators. Instead, monitoring of results will be on an activity-specific basis.

U.S. Financing

(In thousands of dollars)

	Obligations		Expenditures		Unliquidated
Through September 30, 1999	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	2,000	ESF	0	ESF	2,000	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA
Fiscal Year 2000	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD
	1,000	ESF	586	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA
Through September 30, 2000	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	3,000	ESF	586	ESF	2,414	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA
Prior Year Unobligated Funds	0	DA
	0	CSD
	0	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA	0	DA
	0	CSD
	997	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001	0	DA
	0	CSD
	997	ESF
	0	SEED
	0	FSA
	0	DFA
			Future Obligations		Est. Total Cost
Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA	0	DA	0	DA	0	DA
	0	CSD	0	CSD	0	CSD
	0	ESF	0	ESF	3,997	ESF
	0	SEED	0	SEED	0	SEED
	0	FSA	0	FSA	0	FSA
	0	DFA	0	DFA	0	DFA

INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA

Activity Data Sheet

U.S. Financing