19-12-2018: Mombasa, Kenya. At the conclusion of the recently held 4-day meeting between IGAD Security Sector Program (IGAD SSP) and IGAD Member States that was held in Mombasa, Kenya the member states called on IGAD to facilitate and expedite the establishment of a regional criminal information system to strengthen criminal information exchange and effectively prevent, counter, and swiftly respond to transnational criminal threats such as terrorism, human trafficking and smuggling, and money laundering that require a comprehensive response with high-level cooperation and coordination.
The regional criminal information system will enhance cross border cooperation and coordination between law enforcement and criminal justice systems among MSs in order to address Evolving, Emerging and Existing Transnational Security Threats (EEE-TSTs).
Emphasis was also put on building, improving and facilitating national coordination mechanisms between police and other law enforcement agencies of each MS, once strengthened and coordinated, can feed into the regional mechanism for accurate and timely information to be shared efficiently, effectively and collectively prevent and prosecute TSTs.
For ownership, the delegates of the MSs reviewed, evaluated, improved and validated the reports of the assessment of the national criminal information systems of each Member State. A final report will be presented, adopted and validated by the IGAD policy organs.
The delegates also adopted the roadmap that was first presented in Entebbe, Uganda in November 2018 as a plan of action towards the establishment of regional cooperation and coordination mechanism.
To strengthen the prospect of a robust regional mechanism, the MSs reiterated the immediate need to ratify the IGAD Conventions on Mutual Legal Assistance, and Extradition.
The MSs pledged their support and willingness to cooperate with IGAD and each other to realize the establishment of a regional system, during which the Republic of the Sudan demonstrated interest to host the institution.
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