South Africa—Technical Assistance for the EU-South Africa Dialogue Facility

This Technical Assistance for the EU-South Africa Dialogue Facility, a follow-on project with two previous iterations, helped enable the strategic partnership that has existed between the European Union (EU) and South Africa since 2007. The initial Trade, Development, and Cooperation Agreement’s Dialogue Facility was launched as a pilot, as policy dialogue was a new concept, but since its launch, the demand for support steadily increased from a wider variety of stakeholders seeking assistance.

The Facility built relationships between decision-makers as a means of implementing international partnerships between South Africa and the EU. The Facility played a crucial role in fostering discussions between South African government institutions and their EU counterparts. By promoting peer-to-peer exchange and sustainable relationships, the dialogues helped departments address critical policy issues. One outcome was the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism to protect women in the criminal justice system. In all, the program approved 41 dialogues, resulting in 153 events with 12,577 participating delegates.

Sample Activities

• Improve sectoral policy dialogue between the EU and South Africa.
• Increase institutional capacity to help implement the areas of cooperation of various partnerships and joint agreements.
• Increase awareness and understanding of the aforementioned agreements and partnerships.

Select Results

• Supported the implementation of 16 approved dialogues—the highest number of concurrently running dialogues since the inception of the first phase of the Facility in 2011. The 16 events comprised a total of 21 dialogue days with 1,587 delegates participating.
• Arranged dialogue study tours to seven EU Member States.
• Reported an overall general dialogue experience rating of 89 percent satisfaction (with the South African Police Services Cybercrime dialogue rated at the highest satisfaction level of 98 percent).
• Recorded the highest number of delegates at the Public Service Commission dialogue on Values and Ethics in the Public Sector, with 189 delegates attending on the first day and 162 on the second day. The Minister of Public Administration opened the dialogue conference.
• Developed a procurement strategy that empowers young people and women by supporting community-based small and micro enterprises as well as the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable materials.