Malawi yet to ratify 24 Sadc agreements

Malawi is yet to ratify 24 of the 47 treaties and protocols of the Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) listed in the update for the agreements circulated at the just-ended Sadc annual meetings in Lilongwe.

Sadc documents which The Nation has seen, showing the status of the region’s protocols as at July 30 2013, indicate that 20 of the agreements yet to be ratified by Malawi are already in force while the other four are yet to enter into force. Malawi has, however, signed 43 of the 47 treaties and protocols.

Some of the agreements Malawi is yet to ratify include the Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights, Mutual Defence Pact, Protocol on Forestry, Protocol on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Agreement on the Establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission.

Malawi is yet to ratify the Agreement Amending the Protocol on Politics, Agreement Amending the Protocol on the Development of Tourism in Sadc, and the Declaration on Regional Cooperation in Competition and Consumer Policies.

Zimbabwe, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius and Angola are yet to sign other protocols.

There are 17 agreements, including the Agreement on Assistance in Tax Matters, Protocol on Trade in Services and Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights and Charter of the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa which have not been ratified by all Sadc member countries although most of the countries have pended their signatures to the agreements.

The four Sadc treaties and protocols which are yet to enter into force include the Protocol on Science, Technology and Innovation and Protocol on the Facilitation of Movement of Persons.

In an interview, Sadc head of legal affairs unit Teodosio Uate said not all the treaties and protocols need country ratifications to enter in force.

“On the 17 agreements which have not been ratified by any of the member States, most of them entered into force by virtue of signing them. In that case, you don’t need ratification for the agreements to enter into force,” said Uate.