Trade Liberalisation and Human Rights Protection Under the SADC

Southern African countries like other countries in the world adopted regionalism as strategy for trade.SADC member states agreed to adopt the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) by the Secretariat to complement restructuring and to provide a clear direction for SADC policies and programmes in order to maximise their benefits and boost their economies.In theory, it is strongly believed that liberalised trade should increase economic welfare but it is misconception that trade itself could bring positive impact on human life. Although liberalisation will bring enormous advantages, it is still not clear how and to what extent it will benefit the vulnerable people. For instance, economic development goes beyond the economic growth that is defined in quantitative macroeconomic terms which is state-centred conception of national income. It does not provide insightful information on the redistribution of resource in the country. From human rights perspective there is a need to reformulate such an approach. Sen¿s defines development as a freedom and it is empowerment and human capacity for personal self-development.