Ministerial Meeting on Food Security and Opportunities in the IGAD Region

MINISTERIAL COMMUNIQUÉ

Ministerial Meeting on Food Security and Opportunities in the IGAD Region

28 July 2025, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

We, the Ministers and Heads of Delegation responsible for Agriculture, and Food Security, from IGAD Member States – Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda – convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 28 July 2025, for the Ministerial Meeting on Food Security and Opportunities in the IGAD Region, held on the margins of the UN Food Systems Summit 2025. The meeting was co-organized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), and the Crop Trust under the framework of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.

We met in a spirit of solidarity, urgency, and shared purpose to deliberate on the escalating food insecurity across the IGAD region and to shape a common vision for resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food systems.

While:

• Acknowledging that over 50 million people in the IGAD region are projected to face food insecurity in 2025, a crisis fuelled by the compounded effects of climate extremes, conflict, economic volatility, displacement, and fragile food system infrastructures.
• Recognising the region’s vast and largely untapped potential for agricultural transformation and food systems innovation, particularly in seed security, agrobiodiversity, climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land and water management, digital technologies, early warning systems, and inclusive investment.
• Acknowledging the crucial role of cutting-edge technologies, such as Earth observation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML), in transforming agricultural systems and food value chains by enabling precision agriculture, enhancing predictive analytics, optimising resource use, and strengthening data-driven policy and planning across the region;
• Appreciating the leadership of IGAD, AGFUND, and the Crop Trust in convening this strategic Ministerial dialogue and for their continued commitment to regional coordination, capacity development, and the mobilisation of targeted support.
• Welcoming the interventions planned by AGFUND, through the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, in Djibouti
• Further welcoming the engagement of development partners, UN agencies, research institutions, civil society, and the private sector in fostering inclusive, multi-stakeholder partnerships to enhance food system resilience.
• Reaffirming our alignment with and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDGs), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the Malabo Declaration, and the outcomes of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 and the outcomes of the 4^th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) and their follow-ups.

We hereby:

1. Reaffirm our collective political will and shared responsibility to combat food insecurity and hunger in the IGAD region through coordinated regional approaches, a Joint Vision for Resilient Food Systems, and sustained action rooted in integration, innovation, and sustainability under the framework of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security.
2. Endorse key regional priorities for policy, investment, and technical cooperation, including:
   1. • Enhancing seed security and agrobiodiversity conservation through investments in national and regional gene banks, improved seed systems, and farmer-led seed networks.
   1. • Scaling climate-smart and nature-positive agricultural practices, and promoting sustainable land and water use to enhance productivity and ecosystem resilience.
   1. • Strengthening regional early warning systems, contingency planning, and rapid response mechanisms to prevent and mitigate food and nutrition crises.
   1. • Advancing innovative financing models by leveraging public-private partnerships, mobilizing climate and development finance, and promoting inclusive co-financing mechanisms, and financial inclusion/ micro-insurance services.
   1. • Facilitating data, technology, and knowledge exchange through digital platforms, cross-border learning initiatives, and evidence-based decision-making that empowers smallholders and local institutions.
3. Commit to prioritizing investments in critical food systems components, including seed systems, climate resilience, storage and transport infrastructure, institutional capacity, and financial inclusion services, and to harmonizing relevant national and regional policies to facilitate effective implementation.
4. Support the establishment of a regional technical task force or working group, coordinated by IGAD with support from AGFUND and the Crop Trust, to:
   1. • Operationalize the outcomes of this Ministerial Meeting;
   1. • Monitor and report progress on implementation of agreed actions;
   1. • Align follow-up actions with national development plans and regional strategies.

5. Encourage IGAD Member States to remove barriers to regional cooperation, harmonize agricultural and food security policies, and create enabling environments for investment, trade, and innovation.
6. Urge IGAD Secretariat to take the lead and coordinate the process to ensure that the initiatives articulated in this Communiqué are well synchronized and aligned across Member States by establishing a robust coordination mechanism, fostering joint programming, and facilitating regular intergovernmental dialogue to avoid duplication, maximize impact, and promote mutual accountability.
7. Welcome and acknowledge the commitment of AGFUND and the Crop Trust to providing technical, financial (on a project-by-project basis), and strategic support to IGAD and its Member States, particularly in:
   1. • Conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources;
   1. • Institutional and human capacity development;
   1. • Inclusive agricultural research and innovation systems.
8. Call upon regional and international development partners, including the African Union, UN agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP, UNEP), the African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank, the OECD, and bilateral donors, to align their support with the priorities articulated in this Communiqué, and to reinforce coordinated, regionally driven efforts to end hunger and build sustainable food systems in the IGAD region.
9. Commit to enhancing climate-related early warning systems and disaster risk management frameworks by investing in real-time monitoring tools, forecasting capacity, community-level dissemination mechanisms, and coordinated response protocols to anticipate and mitigate the impacts of droughts, floods, and other climate-induced shocks on food systems. And to fight desertification.
10. Commit to scaling up successful national and regional initiatives, building on best practices and innovations that enhance resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity in food systems.
11. Agree to convene a follow-up technical meeting within six months, facilitated by IGAD and its partners, to:
    1. • Review progress on the commitments made in this Communiqué;
    1. • Deepen technical collaboration and coordination;
    1. • Refine concrete action plans and resource mobilization strategies.
12. Request IGAD, in collaboration with AGFUND and the Crop Trust, to prepare and disseminate a comprehensive post-meeting report summarizing key deliberations, decisions, and follow-up actions, and to share this with relevant national, regional, and international stakeholders and platforms.
13. Urge all IGAD Member States to integrate the themes and outcomes of this Communiqué into their national policies, agricultural development strategies, climate adaptation plans, and food system investment frameworks.

Adopted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the 28th day of July, 2025.

Download Communique in PDF below

FInal Ministerial Communique – Addis