06-05-2018, Juba (South Sudan): The Director of Regional Organization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, Ambassador David Buom Choat, yesterday inaugurated a regional consultation meeting on the development of a draft Mediation Protocol organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in Juba.
The concept behind the consultation with Legal Experts and the Focal Points from IGAD Member States’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs is to provide ground for policy formulation to adopt the decision to draft a protocol on mediation. The first step is to share with member states’ representatives arguments that warrant a policy, to debate on the need for such a Protocol, and discuss the benefits for IGAD to have it in place for conflict prevention and peace making.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Choat noted that the Pre-Policy Consultative Meeting on Mediation Protocol was “an important platform as it prescribes a roadmap for mediation interventions in political disputes and in accordance with the principles of international law of equal member states”.
“We would want to see a Mediation Protocol that is comfortable and satisfied to all stakeholders, and which is in line with the policy of respecting the views of all member states in the region”, he added.
Speaking for IGAD Executive Secretary, Mr. Mubarak Mabuya, Programme Manager of IGAD Gender Affairs, stressed the importance of the workshop as key to strengthening IGAD’s role in mediation and the effectiveness of interventions. He underscored the critical importance of mediation as a tool for promoting sustainable peace and security in the region.
At the end of this two-day workshop, a policy decision to establish a mediation protocol, and an Agreement on the outline of draft mediation protocol would have been attained as expected results.
The IGAD MSU vision is to establish regional viable mediation structures, to which predictability of processes and outcome is ensured, and the objectives of any mediation are governed by collective will and interest of all Member States.
