Question NW3123 to the Minister of Social Development
04 September 2015 - NW3123
Wilson, Ms ER to ask the Minister of Social Development
(1)With reference to her replies to question 727 on 30 April 2015 and questions 952, 1011 and 1596 on 26 May 2015, what were the total costs to her department in terms of (a) facilitating, (b) participating in or (c) hosting (i) two United Nations Conferences, (ii) one International Security Agency Conference and (iii) one Pharmaceutical Product Development Conference; (2) what was the breakdown of costs for each of the events in terms of (a) accommodation for delegates, (b) travel costs, (c) meals and (d) daily allowances; (3) under which (a) account, (b) department or (c) entity were the budgets for each of the events sourced; (4) (a) how many delegates were sent by her department to each of the events held in foreign countries listed above and (b) on what criteria were the delegates selected to go and attend these events in foreign countries?
Reply:
The Honourable Member must refer to my previous replies to questions 727 on 30 April 2015 and questions 952, 1011 and 1596 on 26 May 2015. Partnerships for Social Development present many opportunities. They allow different sectors of society to have access to the comparative advantages of their partners. Again, international cooperation is becoming increasingly important in development because of growing trans-border challenges and major population movements.
The Department is therefore involved in a number of bilateral and multilateral engagements where South Africa is both a partner and a member. The country and Department in particular benefits from these international partnerships through capacity building, development support and information exchanges. The Department regularly conducts an overall assessment of partnership arrangements which focus on long-term view that goes beyond short-term financial goals Partnership often exact large costs in time, energy and financial inputs otherwise known as high transaction costs. Given the importance and desirability of foreign partnerships, high transaction costs are often unavailable. The Department while engaging with partners fully considers benefits on costs, short term versus long-term implications and potential impact of social development.