Thursday 8 November
8.30 a.m. Registration and coffee
9.00 a.m Opening session
Moderator, Mr Jarosław Mulewicz , EESC Member, President of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee
- Opening remarks by Ms Luge Zaamwani-Kamwi, Presidential special advisor, private sector, interface constitutional affairs
- Introductory remarks – Mr Achim Schaffert, Head of cooperation section on behalf of H. E. Jana Hybášková, head of the European Union delegation to Namibia
- Welcome address – Ms Dilyana Slavova, president of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) External Relations Section, on behalf of EESC president Luca Jahier
9.30 a.m . Introductory session-Presentation of the EESC Opinion "A Renewed Impetus to the Africa-EU Partnership" – Mr Mihai Manoliu, EESC Member.
Debate with contributions from participants
10.00 a.m. Coffee break
10.30 a.m. Civil society and trade
Presentations
Moderator, Ms Lindiwe Sephomolo, Association of Lesotho Employers and Business.
- The state of play regarding civil society in the SADC region, Mr Maxwell Mkumba, SADC Secretariat.
- The role of civil society in EPAs, Ms Ewa Synowiec, Director responsible for sustainable development, European Partnership Agreements, Directorate-General Trade of the European Commission.
- Initiation of a Simplified Trade Regime in three Members States of the Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa (COMESA) for an Informal cross-border traders, Mr A. H. Tawanda, Southern African Cross-Border Traders’ Association (SACBTA).
- The SADC EPA M & E System and the role of Civil Society, Ms Keatlaretse Dintel, SADC Secretariat.
- The European External Investment Plan (EP): an integrated approach to sustainable development, Mr Achim Schaffert, Head of cooperation section, European Union delegation to Namibia.
Debate with contributions from participants
1.00 p.m. Lunch Break
2.30 p.m. Resilience in the face of environmental changes in the SADC
Presentations
Moderator, Ms Josiane Willems, EESC Member
- The impacts of climate change on the management of natural resources, United Nations Climate Change Convention, Mr Walters Tubua, Programme officer, adaptation programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- Project to combat soil degradation and desertification in Mauritius, Mr Gunshan Seeborun, President of Falcon citizen league & member of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee.
- The Kasungu-Lukusuzi Transfrontalier Conservation project, Mr Lackson Mwenya, Project coordinator, Malawi-Zambia Transfrontalier Conservation Area (TFCA).
- Assisting small and medium-scale farmers to respond to climate change: the experience of farmers and their support organizations in Southern Africa, Mr Munhamo Chisvo, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network.
Debate with contributions from participants
5.30 p.m. Meeting of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee
7.00 p.m. Reception hosted by the EESC
Friday 9 November
9.30 a.m. What is civil society's role in SADC-EU economic relations?
Presentations
Moderator – Mr Anselme Amoussou, Conféderation des syndicats autonomes du Bénin (CSA)
- A description of migration flows in the SADC Region, International Organisation for Migration, Mr Charles Allan Kwenin, Regional Director for the Southern Africa, International Organization for Migration (IOM).
- Migratory challenges in the context of informal economy, Streetnet international, Ms Patricia Horn, Coordinator at Streetnet international.
- Migrant workers: the experience of the African Trade Union Migration Network, Mr Michael Kandukutu, ZCTU.
- Refuges and migrants in the south of Africa, Mr Thifulufheli Sinthumule, Director of the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA).
- Presentation of position of the EU civil society on migrations, José Antonio Moreno Díaz, EESC Member.
Debate with contributions from participants
11.45 a.m. Information session on Namibia
- Mr Willy Shimbome, chief investement Promotion Executive - Ministry fo Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development.