Foreword Peace, security and political stability are the linchpins for socio-economic development. The vision of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reminds the Member States and citizens of their historical bonds underpinning the SHARED FUTURE. It is in pursuance of this noble and unflinching desire that SADC concluded the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation to serve as an instrument for dealing with the Southern African region’s political, defence and security challenges. The effective operationalisation of the Protocol will provide a positive contribution in addressing the political, socio-economic and security strategies and careful planning that can provide coherent focus towards advancing and promoting our regional objectives. This is the reason d’être for formulating the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO). The SIPO is not an end in itself. Instead, it is an enabling instrument for the implementation of the SADC developmental agenda embodied in the Regional Indicative 5