SADC and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) engaged in discussions regarding potential areas of mutual cooperation concerning the displacement of people within the region.

The discussions took place at the SADC headquarters in Gaborone during a courtesy call by Mamadou Balde, the Director of the UNHCR Regional Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

Dr. Balde also formally presented his Letter of Credence to the SADC Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi, following the transition of UNHCR's regional oversight responsibilities for Southern Africa to the Regional Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, effective last October.

Assistant SADC spokesperson Anethe Mutambanengwe told NBC News in an interview that the meeting discussed areas of mutual cooperation between SADC and UNHCR.

These include addressing forced displacement, refugee protection, statelessness, and broader humanitarian challenges affecting the region.

"Discussions focused on the evolving displacement landscape across the SADC region, which continues to host significant numbers of refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and stateless individuals displaced by conflict, violence, natural disasters, and the growing effects of climate change," said Mutambanengwe.

In 2019, SADC and the UNHCR revised a Memorandum of Understanding that provides for cooperation in promoting the implementation of the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions related to refugees, stateless persons, and internally displaced persons.