The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have launched the Regional Framework 2024-2030 to address crime, corruption, and social challenges while promoting security and development. The launch took place on January 7, 2025, in Gaborone, Botswana, bringing together regional leaders and experts.
The framework focuses on five priority areas: strengthening drug control while protecting public health, combating organized crime and terrorism, safeguarding natural resources from illicit activities, preventing corruption and illicit financial flows, and enhancing the capacity of the criminal justice system to uphold the rule of law and support victims of crime.
Zambia’s High Commissioner to Botswana, H.E. Pamela M. Chisanga, said SADC nations must intensify efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime. She warned that illicit financial flows were draining regional economies and stifling development, adding that Southern Africa’s biodiversity and resources needed protection from exploitation and corruption.
UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana, Zia Choudhury, reaffirmed the UNODC’s commitment to helping SADC nations tackle drug control, organized crime, terrorism, and corruption. He said the framework aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Angele Makombo Ntumba, said the framework aims to build a safer and more resilient Southern Africa through stronger legal institutions, data-driven policies, and increased regional and international cooperation. She called for a coordinated response to crime, urging inter-agency collaboration within and across borders.
The initiative builds on the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UNODC and SADC, which established cooperation on crime prevention and drug control. The new strategy continues efforts to provide professional training, technical expertise, and coordinated interventions across SADC’s 16 member states.
