September 6, 2021 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia): In conformity with the mandated objectives and guidelines of the E€OFISH programme, IGAD in partnership with ECOFISH held a workshop on 6 and 7 September in Addis Ababa, at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

About 30 participants attended the workshop. Fishery Director Generals, Directors and Fishery Senior Experts from IGAD Member States attended the workshop. There was also virtual participation of Ecofish Programme Management Unit Experts from Mauritius.

This 2-day workshop focused on finalizing the terms of reference, including the operational modalities of the IGAD Fisheries Coordination Platform (IFCP) within the ECOFISH programme guidelines.

In his opening speech, H. E. Dr. Fikru Regassa, State Minister of Ministry of Agriculture (Ethiopia) noted that the inland and marine coastal fisheries resources of the Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region represent significant natural wealth and that the ECOFISH strives to ensure the sustainable management of these assets by putting in place policies to handle them effectively, and protecting promoting through good fishing practices.

Dr. Eshete Dejen, Ag. Programme Manager of Environment Protection made welcome remarks on behalf of lGAD. He stated that IGAD is a frontline implementer of Ecofish Programme.

The proposed IGAD sub-regional platform is intended to complement the endeavors of the Marine Fisheries Work Plan Steering Committee of the Ecofish Programme to ensure seamless collaboration and partnership among IGAD member countries. The IGAD Fisheries Coordination Platform is proposed to be implemented based on a proper consultative and participatory approach.

Background

The E€OFISH Programme is a Cross-Regional Initiative funded by the 11th EDF to leverage regional cooperation for enhancing sustainable inland and marine fisheries in Eastern African, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean (EA-SA-IO) region. The programme is promoted and administered by EUD Mauritius and IOC Secretariat in collaboration with the duly mandated regional economic and fisheries organizations (DMROs)for the benefits of the ACP partner countries in the region. It has a total budget of 28 million euros over 62 months starting that started in July 2019, however, its implementation has been delayed by the social restrictions provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.

Several objectives are fixed and consist of to assist in the strategic orientation of sub-regional and national chapter of the regional interventions and to provide inputs for the formulation of Concept Notes and Terms of Reference for Technical studies, background papers and Agenda for the sub-regional meetings and workshops.

August 12, 2021 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia): The IGAD post-harvest loss management (PHLM) strategy was endorsed at a virtual ministerial meeting organized by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on 12 August 2021 with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The PHLM strategy will guide future interventions and activities aimed at reducing food loss and waste towards improving nutrition and food security in the IGAD region. It will contribute to meeting PHL reduction targets under the third commitment of the Malabo Declaration on Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation and the Sustainable Development Goal 12 that call for reducing by half the PHL levels, respectively, by 2025 and 2030. The strategy was technically reviewed and validated prior to its endorsement by Ministers for Agriculture of IGAD member states at the virtual meeting.

H.E. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, in an official statement emphasised that Post-Harvest Loss (PHL) is an important but often forgotten factor that exacerbates food and nutrition insecurity in the IGAD region. Welcoming the PHL strategy, formulated with FAO's support, he stressed that "IGAD is committed to the full implementation of the PHL strategy and to work with member states, development partners and concerned stakeholders towards contributing to the attainment of the global sustainable development goals and the AU agenda 2063."

In his opening remarks, Chimimba David Phiri, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa noted that food losses in Sub-Saharan Africa can be as high as 50 per cent, in high-value commodities products from production up to retail. In 2018, the IGAD region experienced post-harvest losses in grains of approximately 4.1 million metric tons, valued at over USD 1.3 billion, he said.

According to the African Union’s 2019 second Biennial Review Report on the Implementation of the 2014 Malabo Declaration, of the eight IGAD countries, only Uganda in the IGAD region was on track to meet the PHL targets.

Phiri called out to member states to enhance investment in the prevention of food losses, which deprive the population of safe and nutritious food for human consumption, rather than investing only in increasing food production. “Given that nearly a third of the food we produce is lost or wasted, there is a need for governments to seriously consider allocating adequate budgets for food loss and waste reduction”, he concluded.

On her part, H.E. Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the African Union Commission, urged member states to refocus and include the reduction of post-harvest food losses in national Covid-19 recovery plans to transform food systems and, in turn, contribute to ending hunger in Africa.

IGAD member state Ministers for Agriculture unanimously adopted the resolution endorsing the IGAD regional post-harvest loss (PHL) management strategy at the event, following statements they delivered reflecting the post-harvest loss situation in their respective countries.

The next steps agreed included ensuring the domestication of the strategy to the national level, either through integration with national frameworks or through the development of new national strategies. Participants of the event consisted of post-harvest management technical experts, agriculture ministers in IGAD member countries and representatives from IGAD Secretariat, Africa Union Commission, FAO Sub-regional Office for Eastern Africa (FAOSFE) and representatives of the IGAD member states, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and partner organizations.

Reducing Post-Harvest Loss in the IGAD region Food loss and waste represent economic losses for all actors along agri-food value chains, including end consumers. Any loss of produce translates to losses of resources, such as labour, water, energy and land, as well as avoidable climate change and social impacts. This exacerbates food and nutrition insecurity.

FAO in partnership with the AUC and the Rockefeller Foundation piloted an initiative on practical storage solutions. These include metal silos and hermetically sealed bags to store grains and improved crates to transport fresh fruits and vegetables to reduce damage during transportation. In 2018, a continental post-harvest management strategy was developed to effectively guide and coordinate food losses and waste reduction initiatives at the regional and national levels to meet the PHL Malabo and SDG targets. IGAD has dedicatedly included the objective of reducing post-harvest losses in the region’s efforts to build efficient and resilient food systems for improved food security, nutrition and livelihoods.

Matching IGAD’s commitment, FAO has launched a project titled “Post-Harvest Loss Reduction for Enhanced Food and Nutrition Security in the IGAD Member States” towards improving the capacity of IGAD and its member states to bring about lasting solutions of ending post-harvest loss in the region.

###

August 4, 2021 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, on July 29 inaugurated the Second Advisory Council of the Ethio-Sudan Cross-border Programme between Ethiopia and Sudan - Benishangul Gumuz Regional State of Ethiopia and the Blue Nile State of the Sudan.

July 28, 2021 (NAIROBI, Kenya): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) today convened the Ministerial meeting for the Ministers responsible for Land and Ministers responsible for Gender/Women Affairs in the IGAD Member States in Nairobi. The meeting adopted the IGAD Regional Women’s Land Rights Agenda which is aimed at supporting the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa toward The Africa We Want and Leaving No One Behind.

The Regional Women’s Land Rights Agenda is a framework document that will enable IGAD Secretariat provide the necessary support to its Member States in implementing gender and land projects for the next 10 years.

IGAD Executive Secretary, Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, in his opening remarks noted that IGAD was desirous for all Member States to institute policies that seek to transform the existing distribution of resources and responsibilities in order to establish a more equitable relationship between women and men. “For our region to attain the peace, prosperity and integration that we keenly aspire to, we must therefore systematically address the deficiencies in our policies and practices in land governance”, he remarked.

Dr Workneh called on the Ministers to support the implementation of the Regional Women’s Land Rights Agenda “through national budget and resource allocation”.

The Ministerial meeting was preceded by a Directors’ level meeting on July 26 and 27. To move the gender equality on land forward from a regional perspective, the Directors’ meeting drew common threads from the National Women’s Land Rights Agenda for the Member States and the recommendations from the IGAD Regional Women’s Land Rights Conference held on June 28-30 this year into the IGAD Region Women’s Land Rights Agenda.

The first ever Regional Women’s Land Rights Conference brought to bear the transnational and intergenerational connectedness of women’s rights to land. Statements of commitment were received from the highest representatives of Government in the Ministries responsible for Lands and the Ministries responsible for Gender/Women Affairs of each of the IGAD Member States. The Outcome Document of the Regional Women’s Land Rights Conference was also endorsed at the Ministerial meeting of today.

The IGAD Land Governance Programme is an initiative of IGAD and is supported by among others the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa.

Communiqué from the ministerial meeting and the IGAD Regional Women’s Land Rights Agenda are here attached.

Attachments:

COMMUNIQUE of the IGAD Regional Women\'s Land Rights Agenda	[ ]	265 kB	2021-07-29 14:46
IGAD Women\'s Land Rights Agenda (2021-2031)	[ ]	919 kB	2021-07-29 14:47

July 27, 2021 (NAIROBI, Kenya): The Director of Agriculture and Environment of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Mr. Mohamed Moussa, yesterday opened the meeting of the Directors responsible for Lands and Directors responsible for Gender/Women Affairs in the IGAD Member States in preparation for the Ministerial level meeting to be held tomorrow July 28.

The Main objective of the meeting was to review the IGAD Regional Women’s Land rights Agenda and the IGAD Regional Conference Outcome document in preparation of the Ministerial Meeting on 28th July 2021.

“We have experienced and learned the power of collaboration as the Ministries of Gender/Women Affairs supported the Ministry of Lands in mainstreaming gender. There is power and value in inter-ministerial collaboration”, the Director said in his opening remarks.

“We pledge our continued commitment to supporting our Member States through research, capacity development, policy development and implementation as well as knowledge management. We are further committed to mobilizing resources for and with our Member States to ensure that the commitments on gender equality are made are implemented and delivered at scale” he continued.

The Meeting of Directors responsible for Lands and Directors responsible for Gender brought reviewed and approved the Regional Women’s Land Rights Agenda as well as the IGAD Regional Women’s Land Rights Conference Outcome Document, with the aim of preparing for the meeting of the Ministers to endorse the IGAD Region Women’s Land Rights Agenda. Furthermore, this was the initial meeting in which the Directors responsible for Land and the Directors responsible for Gender form the IGAD Member States interface and discussed matters of mutual interest in as far as implementing a common agenda on gender and land is concerned. These discussions informed further programing of the regional women’s land rights agenda.

The IGAD Region on 28 – 30th June 2021 held its first ever Regional Women’s Land Rights Conference that brought to bear the transnational and intergenerational connectedness of women’s rights to land. Statements of commitment were received from the Highest representatives of Government in the Ministries responsible for Lands and the Ministries responsible for Gender/Women Affairs of each of the IGAD Member States. The Planning and organizing of this regional conference was done with the IGAD Directors of Lands Platform being at the core supported by the Gender Focal Point Persons in the Ministries.

The IGAD Land Governance Programme launched in 2015 is aimed at helping IGAD and its Member States to address the various land policy and governance issues faced by countries in the region. The Land Governance programme is currently implementing its 10-year business plan for period 2020-2030 with 4 strategic objectives:

• Land administration in IGAD region is more efficient, harmonized and gender inclusive;
• Enable sustainable development through strategic gender-sensitive and conflict-sensitive approach to land use and management;
• Increased Member States capacity to leverage land (rural, peri-urban, and urban) for economic transformation;
• Reduced barriers and enhance protection of women’s rights to land in the public and private sphere.