July 7, 2021 (DJIBOUTI, Djibouti): IGAD with the financial and technical support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is developing a Regional Post-harvest Loss Reduction Strategy.

The objective of the Regional Strategy is to support IGAD member states improve food security through implementing IGAD level harmonized PHL reduction interventions in line with the Malabo Declaration on post-harvest loss reduction and SDG 12.3 goal on food loss and waste reduction targets.

The meeting was attended by experts from member states, FAO and IGAD Secretariat as well as other relevant experts in the region. It was agreed that the validation of the Strategy will be done in July once the comments from the virtual meeting are incorporated and shared with member states. It will be tabled to the Ministers of Agriculture Meeting scheduled for 5 August 2021 for their consideration and approval.

10 June, 2021: (NAIVASHA, Kenya): As part of the Ecofish Programme, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development yesterday concluded a workshop entitled "National Workshop for Adoption of the draft Lake Turkana Basin Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) and Consultative Meeting on Establishment of Bilateral Fisheries Management Forum” in Naivasha.

The workshop brought together stakeholders representing various ministries of Kenyan Government. Some of the key stakeholders participated were representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Turkana University, County Government of Marsabit, County Government of Turkana, Fish Cooperative Representatives from Turkana County and others.

This two-days workshop was meant to provide a framework for harnessing the fisheries potential and to foster sustainable utilization and exploitation of the fisheries for improving the livelihoods, food security and nutrition, and incomes of members of the communities in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) areas of the Omo Turkana Basin. More specifically, the objectives were to:

• Introduce the project to national stakeholders;
• Review the co-management plan and adopt;
• Discuss on the bilateral (Kenya and Ethiopia) forum establishment processes;
• Review the Project plan based on the prevailing COVID situation.

In her opening speech, Dr. Fatouma Adan, IGAD Head of Mission in Kenya representing his Excellency the Executive Secretary, said "the fisheries management plan aims to ensure that fisheries exploitation, equitable access to fisheries resources and efficient use of fisheries are achieved through collaboration and communication between key stakeholders in the IGAD region”.

Dr. Fatouma added that IGAD is one of the implementing agents of the regional economic communities of the ECOFISH Programme, which will enable the Omo-Turkana Basin to stimulate socio-economically equitable and ecologically sustainable fisheries development and management in the two basins.

The second opening remark was made by Dr. Rodrick Kundu, Ag Director of Fisheries Management and Development, State Department for Fisheries Aquaculture and Blue Economy (Kenya). He expressed clearly that the Government of Kenya is promoting to raise the fish consumption habit of the people. He also mentioned that Kenya is working to industrialize the fisheries sector. He focused the importance of building the spirit of man managing the fisheries in the lake and in the breeding rivers. Finally, he recommended the importance of sharing information and to have database for both Kenya and Ethiopia.

Baseline Study of the Omo Turkana Basin and draft Fisheries Integrated Management Plan (IFMP) prepared through the Support of African Development Bank were presented and discussed. As the workshop closed the project was introduced to the participants, Moreover, the project Support to Sustainable Utilization, Development and Management of the Fisheries of Baro-Akobo-Sobat River Basin (BASRB) between Ethiopia and South Sudan, and Lake Turkana Basin (LTB) shared between Ethiopia was presented and the key activity plans were reviewed in line with the existing COVID-19 situation.

A similar workshop is planned be held in South Sudan in July 2021.

Background

The overall objective of the programme is to "enhance equitable economic growth by promoting sustainable fisheries in the EA-SA-IO region".

The specific objective is "to support sustainable fisheries management and development in order to contribute to poverty reduction alleviation, food and nutrition security while addressing climate change resilience and enhancing marine biodiversity".

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is one of the implementing Regional Economic Communities for the EU funded ECOFISH Programme.

The IGAD Secretariat, in collaboration with its Member States and Development Partners, is organising the 2nd IGAD Water Forum to take place in Entebbe, Uganda from 25th to 27th October 2022.

The theme of this year’s Forum is: Groundwater for resilience. It will be discussed under four sub-themes namely: 1) Groundwater for Peace and Stability , 2) Groundwater for Climate Change and Drought Resilience, 3) Groundwater for Socio-economic Development , 4) Innovation in groundwater financing and Technological Development and 5) Capacity Building in Groundwater

The Forum will provide an opportunity to IGAD Member States, stakeholders, private sector and development partners to discuss groundwater and its role in the sustainable development of the region. It will also provide an opportunity to create synergies among ongoing and planned water-related projects and programmes. It will further provide an avenue for policy makers, technical experts, private sector actors, civil society organisations etc to contribute to the development of an IGAD Ground water programme that is aligned to the overall mandate and strategy of IGAD. The forum will also showcase investment opportunities, new and emerging innovations in groundwater development and management.

Due to prevailing COVID-19 protocols the Forum will blend between face-to-face and virtual online event.

The Forum will feature Key Note Speakers, panel discussions, paper presentations and side events. A training session will also be held for young Professionals

Participation is open to IGAD Member States, academic and research institutions, civil society organisations, private sector, other Regional Economic Communities, and development partners.

      Important Dates:

                         Deadline for receiving final abstracts and full papers: 30 November 2021,
                         Deadline for registering to attend the event physically:  30 November 2021

Opportunities are available for paper presentations, capacity building, and exhibitions.

Click here to submit your abstract online

Sponsors:

 Download Call for Abstracts &  Announcement  👇

The world is celebrating the International Day of Biodiversity on May 22, 2021 with the slogan “We are Part of the Solution”.The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is happy to join the world community in celebrating this International Biodiversity Day.

The economic mainstay of the IGAD region is agriculture and aquatic resources which in turn is mainly dependent on the biological diversity and its integrity. Sustainable management and conservation of biodiversity resources in our region is therefore the basis for our economic and social development.

We are further to note that this year’s slogan is similar with the aims and objectives the IGAD Biodiversity Management Programme (BMP), which did strive to address the challenges faced by our biodiversity in the region at different levels: namely local, national, regional and global levels. The IGAD Biodiversity Management Programme supported by the European Union started in November 2012and was closed in May 2018 with a budget of 14 million euros with the following Result Areas:

• Development and harmonization of biodiversity policies and strategies;
• Conservation and sustainable management of transboundary biodiversity resources; and
• Development of national and regional biodiversity databases and information systems.

 The Conservation component of the programme has a strong focus on three pilot cros-border ecosystems or demonstration sites:

1. The Boma-Gambella Landscape (between South-East South Sudan and South-West Ethiopia)
2. The Tana-Kipini-LagaBadana Bush Bush Land and Seascape (between North East Kenya and South East Somalia)
3. The Lower Awash-Lake Abbe Landscape (between North East Ethiopia and South West Djibouti).

At local level, concerned communities should be part of the solution to sustainable management of biodiversity. Their involvement in sustainably managing the available natural resources and restoring degraded ecosystems is key to maintaining biological diversity in the region. IGAD BMP has shown local communities the link between sustainable management of and improved livelihoods in a cross-border biodiversity management setting. Promoting value addition activities on environmental resources such as honey, shea butter, and other dryland products by training local communities in production, harvesting, processing and marketing as means to improve and sustain their livelihoods, marks one of the most salient aspect of the IGAD BMP.

At national level, the Programme brought concerned member states together to integrate their actions in a sustainable management of biodiversity resources of the region. National institutions and entities including wildlife authorities, institutions in charge of biodiversity management, and Ministries dealing with environment protection jointly formulated and approved a Regional Biodiversity Policy and Regional Protocol to implement the regional policy in June 2016 and July 2017 respectively to enforce the sustainable management and conservation of protected areas in the region. In addition, other supportive regional strategies such as the IGAD Wildlife Management Strategy, the IGAD Invasive Species Control and Management Strategy, the IGAD Biodiversity Benefits Sharing Strategy and the IGAD Strategy for Domestication of Regional, Continental and Global Biodiversity Frameworks were endorsed in July 2017.In November 2017, a Protocol on Enforcement of Wildlife Laws in the Horn of Africa (HAWEN) was signed by Ministers in Charge of Wildlife Conservation of the region. HAWEN is an IGAD Specialized Network of Wildlife Conservation Institutions in the region.

Provisions of all relevant continental (African Union) and global commitments(United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity), Multilateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs) andSustainable Development Goals (Sustainable Development Goals 141 and 152)related to the preservation of biodiversity are taken into account in formulating the regional biodiversity policy3 and protocol4 of IGAD. IGAD BMP therefore facilitated to bring together the different actors at cross border, national and continental levels to act in an integrated manner to address the challenges of biodiversity management in the region, so as to be part of the solution.

Beneficiaries.The total pool of beneficiaries that have directly benefited from the Programme is estimated to 5,338. A total of 2,865 individuals received training most of whom were community members living at those cross-border areas. Capacity building was an important activity area and government staff as well as small farmers were being trained or guided. One effect on local communities was improved awareness on biodiversity loss, and that influenced communities to participate and adopt biodiversity conservation and livelihood interventions.

Achievements.In addition to the achievement in developing and approving a regional policy, protocol and strategies to enhance sustainable conservation and management biodiversity resources, the project has also been successful in changing the livelihoods of the communities. To mention few.

• Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) established on Arta Beach in Djibouti
  The Lower Awash-Lake Abbe Transboundary Conservation Landscape Joint Management Plan (LALA TBCL JMP) 
• Seascape Management Plan for the Gulf of Tadjourah and Ghoubet el Kharab in the Republic of Djibouti
• Support in value chains Development – tapping into natural wealth of Gambella & establishment of CBOs for promoting value chains in honey and shea butter production, processing and marketing
  Infrastructure development in the Gambella National Park

Based on the recommendations from evaluation of the first phase of the IGAD BMP, the EU has approved a second phase of BMP for 5 years (2021-2025) at a budget of 4.5 million euro, with main focus on the conservation and sustainable management of the hot spot transboundary

Boma-Gambella biodiversity.The Boma-Gambella landscape consists of a mosaic of interacting ecosystems on either side of the South Sudan-Ethiopia border. The landscape is globally renowned for its diverse wildlife populations and its rare and threatened species.

IGAD partners, and in particular the European Union, has been part of the solution, not only by financing the BMP, but also other IGAD programmes that impact biodiversity management positively. Such projects are related to water development, fisheries development and development of the blue economy in the region.

There are on-going projects in the area of transboundary water resources management that help to co-manage the biodiversity and fish resources of shared waters, development of regional forestry policy that ensure the sustainable management of terrestrial biodiversity and the IGAD regional Blue Economy Strategy that focuses on the ecosystem, the economy and the society.

 Currently a project proposal on enhancing the Blue Economy in IGAD coastal countries to protect marine biodiversity from pollution and other threats is under development with the support of Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA). The implementation of the project will lead to the sustainable development of the Blue Economy sectors, proper functioning of ecosystem and biodiversity, gender equality, increased socio-economic development, peace and security in the IGAD region, economic growth and increased resilience of the ecosystem and the communities.

Other partners such as Germany, USAID, Sweden, Canada, World Bank, AfDB, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, etc are providing support to IGAD in the implementation of the IGAD Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI)⁵. IDDRSI is an initiative to enhance resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities against climate change and economic shocks through a number of regional priority interventions such as sustainable management of natural resources and the environment among others.

The region cannot afford to continue overlook this important global resource whose health is intimately tied to that of the local communities and national economies. Investing in biodiversity, conservation and sustainable practices is key for a peaceful and prosperous future for our region and beyond. At IGAD, we believe in sustainable biodiversity-based value chains, products and services to ensure a win-win situation on conservation and development.

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¹SDG: 14 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

²SDG: 15 Protect, restore & promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, & halt and reverse land degradation & halt biodiversity loss

³Regional Biodiversity Policy (2016)

⁴Regional Biodiversity Protocol (2017)

⁵Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (2013)

April 6- 8, 2021 (MOGADISHU, Somalia):  In preparation for the Regional Women’s Land Rights Conference scheduled for June 2021, the intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has supported the Member States to formulate their Women’s Land Rights Agenda as a commitment to addressing Women’s Land rights challenges in line with the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.