WINDHOEK- The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation has pledged to continue lobbying qualified Namibians to fill Namibia’s employment quota at the African Union (AU), which remains unoccupied.
Although a number of Namibian nationals are working for regional and international organisations, it is still far below the desirable range.
Currently, at the AU level- Namibia’s quota stands at 11 and only two of these shares have been filled, while at the South African Development Community (Sadc) level, representation has since improved, as Namibia has a quota of eleven which is now filled.
Regarding the unfilled quotas, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Tuesday encouraged qualified Namibian citizens to consider applying for, and taking up employment in regional and international organisations.
“The ministry also continued to engage qualified Namibians to seek employment opportunities at regional, continental and international organisations. It is only through filling Namibia’s quotas at international organisations that we can influence decisions and acquire necessary skills to advance Namibia’s development agenda. Through hard work, networking and lobbying, the number of Namibians employed at Sadc, AU and UN now stands at 26, from 22 last financial year,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said.
Further, she noted the ministry will continue to make its mark at the regional, continental and international levels by raising the profile of Namibia and contributing to national development objectives and priorities.
She also said during the period under review, the ministry processed and facilitated the negotiation of 80 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements.
Of these, three agreements and MoUs were signed.
According to her, it is through these engagements that they reap great benefits for Namibia.
These benefits, she says are represented by the number of scholarships offered to Namibians by other countries, technical assistance, exchange of experts, trade and investment, twinning of cities and towns, among others.
Moreover, she confirmed the ministry has faced challenges in executing its operations due to the fact that it operates dominantly in an international environment, thus facing competing priorities that need to be implemented within available resources.
As a small state operating in a complex international system, she said Namibia attaches great importance to multilateralism.
Therefore, she noted the ministry will continue to actively participate in various regional and international conferences, such as the AU C10 meetings, Namibia-EU Political Dialogue, Non-Aligned Movement Conference, Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, and TICAD.
At the Sadc level, she said the ministry will continue to operationalise the theme of the 38th Sadc Summit on Youth Empowerment in the context of industrialisation, as well as contribute to peace and security in the region.
At the continental level, the minister noted Namibia will continue to prioritize AU Agenda 2063 and will host ministerial meetings to evaluate progress on the implementation of the Agenda 2063 and its 10-year implementation plan.
At the UN level, she said Namibia being a member of the international community, will continue to participate in the activities and programs of the UN in order to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security, promote respect for human rights, advance justice and international law, and promote multilateralism. “We will also incorporate UN Agenda 2030 in the National Development Plan,” she pledged.