Foreign Affairs & International cooperation

BACKGROUND

The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) of states is an organisation created by the Georgetown Agreement signed in 1975. The Group was originally created with the aim of coordinating cooperation between its members and the European Union. Its main objective was to negotiate and implement cooperation agreements with the European Union. However, over the years the Group has gone beyond development cooperation with the European Union, to cover a variety of issues spanning trade, politics and culture. There are 79 members of the ACP - 48 Sub-Saharan; 16 Caribbean; and 15 Pacific States.  

EVOLVEMENT OF THE ACP-EU RELATIONSHIP

The relationship between the ACP and the European Union (EU) dates back to the 1960s when the Yaoundé Convention was concluded which was then followed by the Lome Conventions and now the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA). Lome I was signed in 1975; followed by Lome II in 1980; Lome III in 1985; and the Lome IV (1990-2000). As the name suggest, the Lome Conventions were concluded in Lome the capital city of Togo. Currently, the relationship between the ACP and the EU is defined by the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA) signed in Cotonou, the capital city of Benin in 2000. The CPA is the main link between the EU and ACP countries and it expires in 2020.

MAIN PILLARS OF THE ACP-EU RELATIONSHIP

The relationship between the ACP and the EU is based on three complementary pillars, namely: the development cooperation; economic and trade cooperation; and political cooperation pillars.

FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES OF THE ACP GROUP

The core objectives of the Group as outlined in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement are: attainment of sustainable growth and economic development in ACP states; poverty reduction with the aim of eradication; and the smooth and gradual integration of the ACP countries into the world economy through cementing economic, political, social and cultural ties.

THE MISSION: EMBASSY OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND

OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION

The main objective of the Embassy is in line with the stated mission statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: “to establish and maintain international relations, trade and cooperation between the Kingdom of Swaziland and the international community”. The objective of the Mission is also in congruence with the fundamental objectives of the ACP Group as outlined above. To this end, the broad objective of the Embassy is to: promote and strengthen the relationship between the Kingdom of Swaziland and the European Union, the ACP states, the regional and multilateral institutions and the international community at large.

HOW THE COUNTRY STANDS TO UNIQUELY BENEFITS BENEFIT FROM THE MISSION'S PRESENCE

There are vast benefits that the country derives and/or stands to derive from its relationship with the European Union and also by virtue of the Mission’s physical presence in Brussels. The benefits are enshrined in the three pillars of the ACP-EU relationship enumerated above. It must be stated at the outset that the ‘all encompassing’ benefit that facilitates the attainment of the other benefits is the ability of the country to act together with all ACP countries as a single entity in negotiating pertinent issues of common interest. This is a very important strength of the Mission’s presence in Brussels since there is power in numbers. To this end, the ACP’s bargaining power in negotiating with the EU is strengthened.

THE THREE PILLARS AND ASSOCIATED BENEFITS

It is important to prefix the discussions of the benefits derived by underscoring that the European Union is one of the major trading and development partners of the Kingdom of Swaziland. Below is a concise summary of the benefits enshrined in the three fundamental pillars of the ACP-EU partnership. It should be noted that these are discussed in a broad sense; otherwise there are linkages and finer details of the benefits associated with the Mission’s presence in Brussels.

THE TRADE PILLAR

Trade with the EU is reinforced by the preferential market access extended by the EU to all ACP countries. The EU provides duty free quota free (DFQF) access to all ACP (including Swaziland) goods imported into the EU market. This simply means that goods imported from Swaziland (and other ACP countries) to the EU do not pay customs duty and the goods can be exported in unlimited quantities. For Swaziland, topping the list of products exported into the EU under this arrangement is trade in sugar, one of the main exports of the country. Sugar plays a multifunctional role in the Kingdom of Swaziland in terms of revenue, contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as a raw material for other industries and has a ripple effect on numerous formal and informal sectors of the economy. However, the importance of trade in sugar does not in any way negate the importance of other products exported into the EU market at a preferential rate. 

In order to be incongruence with the ever evolving trade both at the regional and multilateral level, there are various trade meetings and/or negotiations that continually take place within the ACP; within the various regional economic communities (RECs); and also between the ACP and the EU. A good example is the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the ACP and the EU. This Agreement is a vehicle that provides preferential access of the ACP goods into the EU market. The Mission though not negotiating directly, it acts as a conduit between the EU and the Capital in updating on the evolvement of developments within the European Union. In all these meetings and negotiations, all ACP countries are expected to be represented because there are important decisions taken in the process. To this end, the presence of the Mission cannot be overemphasized.

The trade pillar is covered and well documented by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade. 

THE DEVELOPMENT PILLAR

Also enshrined in the relationship between the ACP Group and the EU is the development pillar. This involves the provision of financial assistance covering a wide range of pertinent projects of social and economic nature. The financial assistance is provided under the European Development Fund (EDF).

The presence of the Mission in Brussels continues to play an important role since discussions/negotiations of development issues are undertaken by the ACP Committee of Ambassadors in Brussels. The negotiations are also conducted between the EU and the ACP Group. Further, there are other follow ups that the Missions is expected to make regarding these issues, thus the representation of the country is expedient.

The nature and extent of this assistance is well documented by the Aid Coordination and Management Department of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, the Department responsible for the mobilisation and management of external assistance for the implementation of various programmes and projects within and outside Government.

THE POLITICAL PILLAR

The ACP-EU partnership also covers the political dimension of the relationship whereby dialogue among the ACP countries and also between the ACP and EU regions are undertaken as and when necessary. Such issues are discussed by Parliamentarians of the two regions, under the Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) umbrella. The issues discussed by the JPA are not limited to politics but also include trade and social issues that have linkages to politics.

Further, in case of any misunderstanding on political and/or related issues between the EU and an ACP state, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement provides for consultations and political dialogue between the member state(s) in question and the EU. This facilitates the smooth and healthy operationalization of the ACP-EU partnership. The Mission also take part in these discussions, particularly the JPA and coordinates and provides necessary information to the capital.

Issues discussed under the political pillar are well documented in Parliament since the Kingdom of Swaziland is always represented by a designated Parliamentarian in all JPA meetings, courtesy of the sponsorship provided by the ACP Secretariat.

CUSTOMS' MATTERS

The Mission also handles customs and customs related issues. This has been made possible by collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the newly established Swaziland Revenue Authority (SRA). SRA has its office at the Mission and this has reduced costs tremendously as against the setting up of an independent SRA in Brussels working on Customs issues. Most importantly, the SRA office couldn’t have been at a strategic place than Brussels because the World Customs Organization (WCO) is headquartered in Belgium.

The importance of the Customs issues cannot be overemphasized in light of the need for countries to widen their revenue base and strengthen their collection ability especially in the advent of the global economic and financial crises. Further, there are linkages between trade and customs issues. To this end, as the previous discussions above have underscored, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Swaziland in Brussels is one Mission that coordinates important trade issues. Trade and customs issues are interdependent because the latter facilitates the former while one of the major sources of Government revenue is through trade. 
  
CONCLUSION 

In order to be conversant with the issues discussed in Brussels, the Mission has to keep track of all discussions and pay close attention so that an informed analysis is made. This requires participation in the various subcommittees and follow-up to all issues where the country derives maximum benefits.

Further, the Mission together with other countries in the regions, Africa in particular, complements the regional economic communities (RECs) in facilitating integration in the regions such as the SADC whereby investment and tourism seminars are convened in Brussels. Other important regional issues include strategizing on the Tripartite (COMESA-EAC-SADC) integration, whereby the Brussels Based Tripartite Ambassadors have come together to advance and augment the integration process especially in popularizing it at the European Union. This is possible by virtue of their proximity to the European Union Headquarters.

The Mission is also expected to advance bilateral cooperation to discuss issues of economic and social importance to the Kingdom of Swaziland, particularly with countries of accreditation.

Finally, against this backdrop, it is important to reiterate that the presence of the Mission in Brussels cannot be overemphasized.
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BACKGROUND
The Swaziland High Commission in London is the official representative body of the Kingdom of Swaziland in the United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland and is also accredited to the following countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

OBJECTIVES
The Swaziland High Commission in London safeguards and promotes Swaziland political and socio-economic interests in the United Kingdom and other countries of accreditation. As guided by the Swaziland foreign policy and the Swaziland National Development Strategy (NDS), the mandate of the Mission is:

• To promote and maintain sound and effective socio-economic and political relations between Swaziland and countries of accreditation including Scotland:
• Strengthening diplomatic ties, economic and trade relations with countries of accreditation:
• Promote trade and foreign direct investment to Swaziland as an attractive tourist destination: facilitate education and cultural link with countries of accreditation:
• Secure technical and development assistance through multi and bilateral relations: facilitates mobilization of external resources and enhance Swaziland’s participation in the Commonwealth organisation.
• Lastly, the Mission is committed to continue providing services and assistance to Swazis living in the countries of accreditation, multilateral and bilateral partners, investors, tourists, charitable organisations and business people.

STRATEGIC POSITIONING 
In addition to being an industrialised country, the United Kingdom is the financial hub of Europe and a recognised leader in the field of technology and politics. The UK is the sixth largest economy in the world with a GDP  of US2.174 billion. The UK is the number one gateway to the European market, giving it easy access to the 27 states of the European Union, the world’s largest single market. The UK is the most important trading partner for Swaziland.

The London Mission is strategically placed to continue exploiting theses elements with a view to: broaden Swaziland’s economic participation in the world economy: promoting labour intensive foreign direct investment to Swaziland: promoting tourism to Swaziland and securing market for Swaziland produced products.
The London Mission is better placed to secure technical and developmental assistance from both the UK Government and the governments of countries of accreditation to foster sustained economic growth and poverty reduction.
The London Mission is in addition accredited to
(i) the Commonwealth Organisation
(ii) the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and
(iii) International Sugar Association

As these international organisations’ offices are based in London, the Mission is better placed to attend meetings organised by these influential organisations with the sole objective of selling and defending the interests and image of the country in such organisations.
There is a large number of Swazis in diaspora in the UK. The strategic positioning of the London Mission makes it easy for the Swaziland Government through the Mission to provide the necessary services and assistance to the Swazis living in the UK and the other countries of accreditation.

Contact us
Swaziland High Commission
20 Buckinham Gate
London
SW14 6LB
+44 2076306611 (Tel)
+44 2076306564 (Fax)
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (email)

MISSION'S BACKGROUND
The Mission was established in 1968 after the gaining of independence. The establishment of the Mission was through the facilitation by an office which was under the Prime Minister’s office.  Since its inception, the Mission’s main mandate has been centered around maintaining and strengthening the good bilateral relations between Swaziland and the U.S.A.
The Kingdom of Swaziland seeks to maintain and strengthen the bilateral relations that have existed since the country became independent in 1968. 
The Embassy in general serves as diplomatic liaisons between the Kingdom of Swaziland and the host countries.  The diplomatic staff of the Embassy in Washington DC include the Ambassador who heads the Embassy, the Counselor/Deputy chief of mission which position is currently vacant, who handles daily operations, and commercial, economic, agricultural, political and administrative staff, the two First Secretaries – Administration and Trade and Investment, the Third Secretary/Accountant who handles financial matters for the Embassy and the Administrative Attaché who is the Ambassador’s Secretary.

Apart from the USA, the Mission also covers the following countries of accreditation;
• Canada
• Republic of Brazil
• Republic of Chile
• Argentine Republic and,
• Republic of Venezuela

MISSION'S OBJECTIVES
• Representing the Kingdom of Swaziland and maintaining diplomatic relations with the United States and countries of accreditation;
• Protecting in the receiving State the interest of the Kingdom of Swaziland and of its nationals, within the limits permitted by international law;
• Negotiating with the Government of the United States on behalf the Kingdom of Swaziland on different issues;
• Ascertaining by all lawful means conditions and development in the United States and countries of accreditation, and reporting thereon to the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland;
• Promoting friendly relations between the Kingdom of Swaziland and the United States and countries of accreditation, and developing  economic, cultural and scientific relations;
• The Embassy deals with administration, protocol and conference coordination, foreign trade, international relations, consular affairs, information and communications. The Embassy issues visas to people who want to travel to Swaziland and also facilitate in the process of issuing passports to Swazi nationals who reside in the USA and neighbouring  countries , provide travel information and help if a Swazi citizen is arrested or dies in the United States or in the countries of accreditation.
• The Embassy is engaged in ‘direct- dial diplomacy’ with government ministries both for the sending and the receiving states  trade, tourism, finance,  defense, health, education, natural resources, labor, SIPA, transport, central bank and etc.
• The Embassy facilitate in the interpretation/communicating  of the annual reports issued by the State Department which serves as the primary diplomatic tool through which the U.S. Government encourages partnership and increased determination in the fight against forced labor, sexual exploitation, and modern-day slavery which are the 21ST century  challenges.
The Swaziland Embassy in the United States is composed of various sections that work to improve political, economic, and cultural relations between United States and Swaziland. It also interacts with the US government, the private sector, and other stakeholders on bilateral and multilateral finance, investment, trade, economic growth, good governance, environmental and social issues and developing commercial ties between Swaziland and U. S. businesses.
 
COUNTRY'S BENEFITS ON MISSION'S PRESENCE

The Embassy remains an excellent means by which to support if not lead in the execution of key diplomatic functions.  However, it is also exceptionally versatile, and enjoys a strong legal regime in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.  Furthermore, the communications revolution has made it both more responsive and more able to make inputs into policy-making in Swaziland for instance, the recent birth of the Anti-Trafficking Bill.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, two States may enter into bilateral or reciprocal agreements and enjoy privileges and Swaziland has benefited from this bilateral relation in a number of ways and with the Embassy being resident in the United States, tangible and intangible benefits have been achieved and below are some of which the Embassy has played a pivotal role:

• The Embassy being resident in the United States help to aggressively promote tourism in an efficient and effective manner and in a larger scale since it is the only Embassy in North America and also covers South America thus the issuance of visas and travel information make it easy for tourist to travel to Swaziland.
• The government of the United States has always assisted Swaziland with various programs such as sending Swazi nationals abroad every year to further their studies especially at Masters and PHD level mainly through the Fulbright and Humphrey scholarships.  It also provides the country with technical expertise in the field of education under the USAID development and the exchange programs.
• Swaziland is exporting sugar which is our ‘Swazi gold’ and citrus fruits to the United States under the Generalized System of Preference (GSP) program.
• The Coca-Cola plant which is the largest in Africa is the benefit of commercial diplomacy to the balance of payments.
• The Embassy being resident in Washington DC has benefited Swaziland from the multilateral diplomacy in that the government of the Kingdom of Swaziland receives technical and financial support from the World Bank/IMF.  By and large, the USA is the major shareholder for the African Development Bank (ADB) and towards this background, in this economic crisis in Swaziland, and in recognition of the cordial relations that subsist between the two countries and under the auspices of our Foreign Policy, the country stands to benefit from such.
• The Embassy had joined other Embassies in DC some years back to negotiate a trade preference program known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which was finally launched by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and thus Swaziland was and still is amongst the beneficiaries of this program.  Again, it should be noted that AGOA is solely negotiated by Ambassadors in DC which again requires a resident embassy. All AGOA beneficiary countries are those who have resident in the United States and in Swaziland, AGOA draws a workforce of about 15000.00 of which mostly are women which in turn promotes their empowerment.
• The Embassy, with the Embassy of Lesotho and Malawi in Washington negotiated the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2008 – which saw Swaziland receiving an increase in funding. This negotiation is the American tool that helps the government to fight against AIDS.
• The Embassy played a pivotal role in 2009 when the country was ranked Tier3 under the Trafficking in Persons.  It was ‘Public Diplomacy’ at its best when the Embassy became the chief negotiator and the country was moved from Tier 3 to Tier2 and not under ‘watch list’ and thus benefited from being sanctioned.
• In 2010 the Embassy was tasked with a new mandate to shift from political diplomacy to economic diplomacy. Of note, the mission  would like to state clearly that due to economic status and the financial quagmire that buffeted the country it rendered the embassy ineffective in properly fulfilling its goals and objectives.  This is due to fact most of the potential investors are outside of Washington DC, as is known fact that Washington DC is inundated with lobbyists.  However, in spite of all these militating factors, the mission is trying every possible means to get investors to go invest in Swaziland.

SUMMARY OF BENEFITS
With the Embassy being resident in the United States which is established under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the cordial relations that subsist between the two countries, tangible results have always been realized and the United States assists Swaziland with a number of  HIV/AIDS initiatives and programs implemented through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Centers for Disease Control (CDC),  Peace Corps, African Development Foundation, the Department of Labour and the Department of Defense. In addition, the U.S. supports small enterprise development, education, military training, institutional and human resources development, agricultural development, and trade capacity building.  The U.S. is also the largest bilateral donor to the Global Fund, Swaziland’s principal HIV/AIDS funding source.

DIPLOMATIC MATTERS

The Kingdom of Swaziland’s Ambassador to the United Nations is also accredited to the following countries: the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana and Mexico. However, due to lack of funds he has not been able to officially present his credentials to some of these Heads of states. This has also made it difficult to engage in bilateral consultations with these states. A number of countries have made proposals for the establishment of Diplomatic Relations with the Kingdom of Swaziland.

UNITED NATIONS MEETINGS

49TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION OF THE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT – 09 to 19 FEBRUARY, 2011

The Forty-Ninth Session of the Commission for Social Development was held from 09 to 19 February, 2011. The Commission was addressed by a keynote speaker on the priority theme of poverty eradication, and convened two high-level panel discussions: one on the priority theme, and the other on the emerging issue of “Social protection”. In recognition of the priority theme “Poverty eradication” for its forty-ninth and fiftieth sessions, the Commission invited the independent expert on human rights and extreme poverty of the Human Rights Council to address it and engage in a dialogue. In connection with its review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, the Special Rapporteur on Disability also presented his report.

55TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN – 22ND FEBRUARY TO 04TH MARCH, 2011

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held its 55th session in New York from 22 February to 04 March and a Resumed Session on 14 March, 2011. The priority theme was “Access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work. “ The review theme was “The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child.”

44TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT – 11TH TO 15TH APRIL, 2011

The Commission on Population and Development held its 44th Session from 11 to 15 April, 2011. The theme was “Fertility, reproductive health and development”.  The theme centered on the relationship between high-fertility, high maternal and child mortality and high incidence of extreme poverty.

19TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 02 TO 13TH MAY 2011

The Nineteenth Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD – 19), was held from May 2nd to 13th, 2011. The theme was “Policy Options and Practical Measures to Expedite Implementation in Transport, Chemicals, Waste management, Mining and a 10-year Framework of Programmes on sustainable Consumption and Production.

Open-Ended meeting of Governmental Experts (MGE) on the Implementation of the Programme of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its aspects – 09-13 May 2011. Member States converged in view of their substantive discussions on the themes of marking, record-keeping and cooperation in tracing as well as the cross-cutting themes of national frameworks, regional cooperation and international assistance and capacity-building which were identified as the core themes for the MGE.

16TH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE AND COMMEMORATIVE MEETING OF NON ALIGNED MOVEMENT – 23RD TO 27TH MAY 2011, BALI, INDONESIA

The Non Aligned Movement held its 16th Ministerial Conference and Commemorative Meeting in Bali, Indonesia on 23rd to 27th May 2011. The Mission was not able to attend the meeting owing to the prevailing fiscal malaise affecting Government. However, all was not lost because the Swaziland High Commission in Kuala Lumpur managed to represent Swaziland in this meeting. Fiji and Azerbaijan were admitted as new members of the Non Aligned Movement.