Technical experts drawn from IGAD Member States are meeting in Djibouti since yesterday to finalize discussions on the setting up of a mediation support unit.
At the end of the two-day meeting, the delegates who include former envoys, resource persons from the civil society and staff of IGAD are expected to come up with a plan proposing how to establish the long awaited unit. The support unit will enhance mediation efforts in the region through capacity building and preventive diplomacy as well as linking Track I and II diplomacy.
Opening the meeting, the IGAD Executive Secretary pointed out that the process of establishing the unit started in 2007 with the first meeting held in Mombasa to review lessons learned from the IGAD brokered Somali and Sudan peace processes. Other subsequent meetings have been held in Addis Ababa and Nairobi as well as training courses in Mauritius and Kampala.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Apuuli Bwango, the Executive Secretary said that a roster of experts, envoys and other necessary resources would be developed. Mr. Mahboub Maalim further stated that the unit will encourage knowledge sharing and tap on the vast cultural practices of peace negotiations in the region.
A summary of the meeting report and the final proposed plan will be carried in the next edition of IGAD News and posted on this website later.
For more information, contact Kizito Sabala (kizito.sabala@igad.int), the Coordinator, Africa Peace Facility Program at the IGAD Secretariat
