UNODC and SADC Launch Regional Framework 2024-2030 to Tackle Crime, Corruption, and Promote Development
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSAF) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have jointly launched the Regional Framework 2024-2030 to combat crime, corruption, and illicit financial flows while promoting security and sustainable development in Southern Africa. The official launch took place on January 7, 2025, in Gaborone, Botswana.
The newly launched framework prioritizes five key areas: promoting public health through balanced drug control, ensuring safety from organized crime, terrorism, and violence, protecting the region’s natural resources and ecology from crime and corruption, safeguarding institutions and the economy from corruption and illicit financial flows, and enhancing criminal justice systems to uphold the rule of law and protect victims of crime.
During the launch, H.E. Ms. Pamela M. Chisanga, High Commissioner of the Republic of Zambia to Botswana, stressed the urgent need to combat illicit drug trafficking and strengthen security measures to protect the region’s abundant natural resources.
She emphasized that corruption and illicit financial flows continue to drain the region of vital funds necessary for development, calling for heightened efforts to curb these challenges and reinforce justice systems.
Mr. Zia Choudhury, UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana, reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to collaborating with SADC Member States to enhance Africa’s response to drug control, transnational crime, terrorism, corruption, and illicit financial flows.
He noted that the framework aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, reinforcing Africa’s long-term development aspirations.
Ms. Angele Makombo Ntumba, SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, highlighted that the Regional Framework 2024-2030 is designed to fortify legal and institutional structures, improve data collection and analysis, and strengthen regional and international cooperation. She stressed the importance of adopting a people-centric, interdisciplinary, and multidimensional approach to crime prevention, advocating for strategic and collective action to enhance inter-agency cooperation at national and regional levels.
The collaboration between UNODC and SADC dates back to April 2011, when the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on Crime Prevention and Drug Control. This agreement established a framework for professional training, technical assistance, and capacity-building initiatives across all 16 SADC Member States.
The Regional Framework 2024-2030 is expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring a safer and more resilient Southern Africa by fostering coordinated action against crime, corruption, and illicit activities while driving sustainable development in the region.
