The officials from IGAD, the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for East and Sothern Africa (COMESA) Secretariats are together with their colleagues from African Union Commission, the Inter Regional Coordinating Committee (IRCC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the host, Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), to explore ways on how to deepen collaboration at institutional level and create a professional as well as personal network based on a culture of peace and dialogue.
Opening the dialogue, Amb. Callixte d’Offay of the IOC reminded the participants that peace remains a big challenge in the entire region and Africa as a whole. He thanked IGAD for organizing the meeting and called for the two regional organizations to continue working together for the benefit of the peoples of the regions.
The IOC Secretary General said the two organizations had a lot of experience in conflict resolution and shared similar security threats including high sea piracy. “We should therefore collaborate to find social, economic and cultural solutions to our common problems.”
As the newly appointed Chairperson of IRCC that brings together COMESA, EAC, IOC, IGAD and SADC, Amb. d’Offay noted with appreciation the already existing cooperation and experience exchange taking place among the regional organizations under the 10th European Development Fund process (EDF 10).
Addressing the participants on behalf of the IGAD Executive Secretary, the Acting Director of Peace and Security at the Secretariat, Mr. Yufnalis Okubo pointed out that the two regions share a common coastline that stretches from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
He added that while maritime security threats bedevil the two regions, conflict mediation and negotiation remains central to the resolution of many conflicts including other security threats. “We intend to establish a mediation unit within the IGAD Secretariat and expand our institutional capacity under the IGAD Security Sector Program to address other security challenges including terrorism, piracy and organized crime as well as security sector reform in the region.”
The seminar aimed at improving analytical and interpersonal skills in negotiation and mediation of African regional institutions is organized by the Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (CPMR) Program for East and Southern Africa. The CPMR Program Coordinator, Dr. Atnafu Tola identified improvement of mediation capacity of the participants and establishment of mediation units in their respective organizations as the core outputs of the dialogue. CPMR Program is funded by the European Union.
It is facilitated by Prof. Aurelian Colson, Dr. Aziza Akhomouch and Ms. Nathalie Klein, all from the Paris-based ESSEC/IRENE – Institute for Research and Education on Negotiation. The facilitators and resource material for the seminar are financed through GTZ Technical Assistance to IGAD Secretariat.
