A five-day meeting to review the progress of the IGAD Regional HIV and AIDS Partnership Program (IRAPP) for the period between July 2011 and September 2012 started today in Kampala with an appeal to the World Bank to consider continued support to the program as the Canadian International Development Agency facilitates the continuity of activities in the 18-month transition before the second phase.

(IGAD – Djibouti) A multi-stakeholder consultation on the African Development Bank’s first Human Capital Development Strategy was convened in Djibouti bringing together representatives from IGAD Member States, mainly from ministries of education, health, gender, labour, development partners, academia, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.

A follow up meeting towards the development of an IGAD protocol on free movement of persons opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia today, 17th July 2012. The meeting bringing together representatives of IGAD member states immigration and labour agencies as well a IGAD partners aims at discussing provisions in the proposed protocol with an aim to kick starting the negotiation process.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariat has conducted a Technical Review Meeting of the Revisited and Updated IGAD Gender Policy and Strategy from 21st to 22nd June 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was attended by delegates from women/gender affairs ministries of IGAD Member States as well as development partners.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariat has conducted a Follow up Meeting of the IGAD Women in Business Conference convened in November 2011.  The Follow up Meeting conducted from 25th to 26th June 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya was attended by delegates from ministries of women/gender affairs as well as trade and commerce, national chambers of commerce and women in business associations of IGAD Member States. Also in attendance were representatives of the African Trade Policy Center of the UNECA as well as FEMCOM of COMESA.