ZIMCODD to host Sadc people's summit

Harare, July 09,2014 - The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) has said it will next month host several civic society groups from Southern African Development Community (Sadc) at a regional conference to be held in Bulawayo next month, lobbing for governments to be accountable for revenue collected from exploited natural resources.

The conference will be held under the theme "Reclaiming Sadc for People's Development: Sadc Resources for Sadc People" and will run from the 15-16 August 2014, at ZITF grounds.

The conference would run concurrently with the Sadc Annual Summit in Victoria Falls.

"The meeting seeks to influence the building of an alternative regional bloc through people-driven processes and also aims at carving out space in the Sadc policy-making processes for peoples' participation," Zimcodd executive director Patricia Kasiamhuru.

The meeting comes as communities in the region still live in abject poverty yet foreign multinationals are making millions in profits from natural resources like minerals and oil.
Zimcodd is a civic society group aimed at ensuring that citizens of Zimbabwe enjoy their social and economic rights (education, housing, health, clean environment, social security, food, decent work) without hindrance.

This is meant for Zimbabweans to enjoy social and economic justice and to promote decent and sustainable livelihoods for marginalized citizens.
Participants for this regional meeting will come from South Africa, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

SAPSN is made up of regional civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, trade unions, faith-based organisations, economic justice networks and community-based organisations.
SAPSN was formed in 2000 with funding from among others Open Society Institute of Southern Africa (Osisa), MS Zimbabwe, DIAKONIA, Africa Groups of Sweden (AGS) and Action Aid Southern Africa.