IGAD member states to work together as a region to increase investment towards ending drought emergencies by building sustainable livelihoods
NAIROBI, Kenya, November 26, 2012 — IGAD member states and partners meet to validate the IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI) Strategy. This strategy was developed by the IGAD Secretariat in consultation with member states, development partners, non state actors and other stake holders as a result of the Summit of Heads of State and Government which convened in Nairobi in September 2011 that declared their commitment to end drought emergencies from the IGAD region once and for all.
In 2011, the IGAD region was hit by a severe drought that affected more than 13 million people and exacerbated chronic food insecurity to famine levels. In responding to the drought emergency, the Heads of State and Government of the Horn of Africa region made a collective decision that called for a strategy to end drought emergencies while emphasizing the need to do things differently (holistic approach in a regional setting) and supported by investment plans at member states’ and regional levels. The summit held in Nairobi tasked IGAD with the responsibility of leading and coordinating the implementation of the initiative.
This strategy will guide and inform the process of coordinating and leading the implementation of the initiative. The initiative will drive a regional agenda to harmonize policies, strategies and systems throughout the IGAD region; it will improve efforts to enhance cooperation and integration among member countries and cause the execution of national and regional projects in a coordinated framework of implementation, aimed at ending drought emergencies.
Indeed as stated by the September 2011 Summit ‘droughts need not, and should not, lead to famine and other disasters in the region’.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Mohamed Moussa (mohamed.moussa@igad.int),
Director – Agriculture and Environment Division, IGAD Secretariat
