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23 January 2006

The Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya, will this evening (23 January 2006) depart for Bamako, Mali, to attend the first meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Social Development of the ECOWAS region.

The Forum of Ministers of Social Development serves as a space for dialogue and the sharing of experiences on issues and programmes that have proven effective in promoting social development, in order to eradicate poverty and social inequalities.

Dr Skweyiya will share with his ECOWAS and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) colleagues the experiences of South Africa in the social development field and views on social development policies and challenges in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The Forum meets under the auspices of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) programme of the UNESCO.

Dr Skweyiya is the President of the Intergovernmental Council of the MOST programme and will attend the Mali meeting in that capacity, as well as that of Minister of Social Development in the Republic. He was elected to the position last October, bringing the position to Africa for the first time.

The MOST Programme was launched in March 1994 and focuses on building efficient bridges between research, policy and practice. The programme intends to promote a culture of evidence-based policy-making – nationally, regionally and internationally.

The first Forum of African Ministers of Social Development, for the Southern African region, was hosted by the South African Ministry of Social Development in Cape Town in November 2004. Dr Skweyiya is scheduled to return to South Africa on 29 January 2006.

Enquiries:
Lakela Kaunda
Tel: (012) 312 7653
Cell: 082 782 2575
E-mail: Lakela.Kaunda@socdev.gov.za

Issued by: Department of Social Development
23 January 2006