COMMUNIQUÉ of the IGAD Regional Forum for Eminent Personalities and Leaders for Peace

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE IGAD REGIONAL FORUM FOR EMINENT PERSONALITIES AND LEADERS FOR PEACE

24th – 25th July 2025 Nairobi, Republic of Kenya

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), under the auspices of its Executive Secretary and in partnership with its Member States, convened the Regional Forum of the IGAD Council of Eminent Personalities (ICEP) under the theme “Forging Regional Cohesion through Mediation and Dialogue: The Role of Eminent Voices in the IGAD Peace Architecture.” The Forum brought together regional eminent persons, high-level policymakers and representatives of civil society and the media, from 24th to 25th July 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya to deepen regional collaboration for peace, inclusive dialogue, and preventive diplomacy across the Horn of Africa.

Present were:
H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD and Chair of the Coordination and Collaboration Platform of Regional Economic Communities of the African Union; Hon. Hannah Wendot Cheptumo, Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Republic of Kenya; Dr. Korir Sing’oei, CBS, Principal Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kenya, Hon. Rehema Dida Jaldesa, Chairperson of the Kenya National Gender and Equality Commission; Maj.-Gen. (Rtd.) John Ayabei Seii, Chairman of the IGAD Council of Eminent Persons; Mohammed Abdi Ware, the IGAD Deputy Executive Secretary; Mohamed Ali Guyo, IGAD Special Envoy for Somalia, Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden; and Dr. Fatuma Adan, IGAD Head of Mission to the Republic of Kenya.

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Also in attendance were:
Distinguished members of the IGAD Council of Eminent Personalities; Hon. Aicha Mohamed Roble and H.E Abdourahman Ahmed Ibrahim representing the Republic of Djibouti, Prof. Ahmed Zekaria Abubaker and Col. Derartu Tulu Gemechu, NL representing the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, ACGP. Wincatherine Ndereba, MBS and Dr. Paul Tergat, MBS representing the Republic of Kenya alongside the chair, Mahmoud Ali Ugas representing the Federal Republic of Somalia, Archbishop Hillary Garang Deng, Prof. John Gai Yoah and Prof. Manasse Lomole Waya representing the Republic of South Sudan, in addition to distinguished participants from the Republic of Sudan, and Republic of Uganda; representatives of development partners and civil society organisations; and officials of the IGAD Secretariat.

The Forum:

1. Thanked the Government and people of the Republic of Kenya for the warm hospitality extended to all participants and for providing excellent facilities that enabled the successful conduct of this significant regional forum.
2. Expressed profound gratitude to the Government of Japan for its sustained partnership with IGAD and unwavering commitment to peace, security, and development in the Horn of Africa region, particularly through support for women and youth leadership initiatives and peacebuilding innovation programmes.
3. Congratulated H.E. Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, for his exemplary leadership in strengthening regional integration and his stewardship of IGAD’s role as Chair of the Coordination and Collaboration Platform of Regional Economic Communities of the African Union.
4. Welcomed the establishment and operationalization of the IGAD Council of Eminent Persons as a distinguished advisory body comprising respected figures from diverse sectors, recognizing its vital role as IGAD’s moral compass in addressing the region’s most pressing peace and security challenges.
5. Endorsed the Strategic Roadmap for the IGAD Council of Eminent Persons (2025–2030), which focuses on conflict prevention, facilitation of national dialogues, and development of early response systems designed to address root causes of instability before they escalate into violent conflicts.

6. Appreciatedthe comprehensive presentations on national experiences in mediation and conflict resolution, recognizing the rich repository of indigenous knowledge and traditional peace-making mechanisms that exist across IGAD Member States, and resolved to consolidate these experiences into a shared regional framework for mediation support and knowledge exchange.
7. Called for the establishment of a Regional Initiative on Youth and Women’s Inclusion in Track II Mediation, supported by national eminent persons, acknowledging that sustainable peace requires the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and youth as agents of peace rather than merely beneficiaries of peace processes.
8. Reaffirmedthe commitment to gender-inclusive dialogue and preventive diplomacy, recognizing that peace processes that exclude women and youth ignore half of the region’s collective wisdom and cannot endure because they lack the comprehensive intelligence that makes communities resilient.

1. Expressed grave concern about the ongoing conflicts and instability in the IGAD region, and called for renewed diplomatic consensus to support regional stabilization efforts, emphasizing that these fragile situations demand sustained attention and coordinated international support.
2. Resolved to strengthen IGAD’s diplomatic capacity through enhanced visibility and operational alignment of the Council of Eminent Persons with Member State peace architectures and African Union infrastructure, ensuring proper subsidiarity in conflict resolution efforts while avoiding costly duplication.

11. Committed to fast-tracking the institutionalization of preventive diplomacy missions with full support from the IGAD Secretariat and Member States, representing a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive peacebuilding that can save countless lives and resources.
12. Decided to expand strategic partnerships, into multi-sectoral collaboration encompassing security, economic development, and comprehensive peace programmes, recognizing the holistic approach required for sustainable peace that addresses root causes across multiple dimensions of human development.

1. Pledgedto champion regional stabilization diplomacy in fragile areas by mobilizing consensus, expertise, and coordinated action that draws on the full spectrum of collective regional capabilities, with particular emphasis on early warning and rapid response mechanisms.
2. Adopted to domicile the offices of IGAD Council of Eminent Personalities in Nairobi in appreciation of the generous offer of full diplomatic support by the Republic of Kenya.
3. Established a regular convening of the Council of Eminent Persons as an IGAD- supported institutional mechanism for conflict transformation, with quarterly meetings and emergency sessions as circumstances require, ensuring continuous engagement in regional peace processes.
4. Requested the IGAD Executive Secretary to seek formal endorsement and institutional recognition of the Council of Eminent Persons thereby concretizing IGAD’s commitment to subsidiarity and community-rooted peacebuilding and in furtherance of the protocol to the 1996 agreement establishing IGAD on preventive diplomacy and mediation endorsed in May 2019 by the IGAD Committee of Ambassadors.
5. Tasked the IGAD Secretariat to develop implementation modalities for all decisions taken during this Forum, with clear timelines, resource requirements, and accountability mechanisms, and to report on progress to the next ordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers.
6. Expressed appreciation to all development partners, civil society organizations, and regional stakeholders who contributed to the success of this Forum, emphasizing that sustainable peace requires collective effort and shared responsibility across all segments of society, especially women and the youth.
7. Decided to remain actively seized of these matters and agreed that the next meeting of the Council of Eminent Persons shall be convened within six months to review progress on implementation and address emerging regional peace and security challenges.

Done at Nairobi, Republic of Kenya, this 25th day of July 2025.

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COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE IGAD REGIONAL FORUM FOR EMINENT PERSONALITIES AND LEADERS FOR PEACE