Mokoro Principal Consultant Ray Purcell was the Team Leader for the preparation of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Post 2016 Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (RVAA) Strategic Plan, an important and complex instrument for providing a coordinated response to nature and human induced food insecurity and vulnerability across the 15 member country SADC region.  The RVAA programme has been designed to realise institutional and conceptual achievements in relation to short-term responses to emergencies and livelihoods hazards as well as broader, longer-term approaches to sustained poverty, and livelihood vulnerability. One of the most significant aspects of the RVAA system is to track, report and respond to food security in the region.

Between 2012 and 2016 DFID funding supported the SADC to enhance regional and national responses to climate change, poverty and livelihood vulnerability as part of the RVAA strategy. This strategy embraces cross cutting themes which broadly target protection of and improvement in people’s livelihoods in the region. The RVAA strategy is to be followed by a policy situated within the wider framework of RISDP (Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2015-2020).

Ray provided technical assistance for this assignment. The nature of the work included reviewing the current 2012-16 strategy, identifying the programme’s strengths and demonstrable sustainability and advising on the design of future stages of the RVAA strategy.  Work throughout SADC was required for this assignment with a methodology involving participatory analyses and reviews at regional and national level.