06-05-2018, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Minister for the Promotion of Women and Family Planning of Djibouti, H.E. Mrs. Moumina Houmed Hassan, this morning officially opened a regional workshop to validate the Strategic Plan and Resource Mobilization Strategy for the IGAD Women and Peace Forum (IWPF) in Djibouti in the presence of the Director of Peace & Security Division of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Amb Tewolde Gebremeskel.

 Participants to this three-day workshop are the Board Members of the IGAD Women and Peace Forum (IWPF) which was launched in 2013, partner organizations, development partners and relevant staff from IGAD Secretariat and its Specialized Offices.

 At the launch of the IWPF in 2013, conference participants had resolved:

• To set up the IGAD Women and Peace Forum (IWPF) Board that will comprise three members from each Member State representing the Executive, the Legislature and the civil society; and
• That IGAD Secretariat develops a strategic plan and financing plan for the operationalization of the IWPF to be presented to the Board for adoption.

Thus, the main objective of the validation workshop is to collectively review the draft IWPF Strategic Plan and Resource Mobilization Strategy, receive more inputs for enrichment and reach consensus on finalizing the document.

 The IWPF Strategic Plan and the Resource Mobilization Strategy will identify priorities of action for the short, medium and long term and galvanize efforts to ensure functionality of the mechanism. The plans will also delineate roles of different actors, partners and stakeholders at national and regional levels for a more coordinated, coherent and effective engagement on gender, peace and security issues in the region.  

 In her opening remarks, H.E. Mrs. Moumina noted that the gathering was dedicated to finalising a long time due endeavor which consisted in endowing the IWPF, chaired by Djibouti, with tools to operate. The Minister also stated that the meeting was the opportunity to “revitilise this regional mechanism that is key to women integration in peace processes”. She thanked Sweden for the financial support provided for the convening of the workshop.

 Amb Tewolde recalled that the IWPF Board inaugurated in October 2015 in Djibouti. And that “as a new regional mechanism, the Forum has had to go through ‘momentum building’ that is absolutely necessary for delivering the shared vision of gender-aware peace building and conflict resolution in the region”. He continued that IGAD Secretariat was pleased to “play a vanguard role in championing the normative cause where women are at the centre of peace building and conflict resolution in the region”.

 The IWPF Chair, Mrs. Oumma Mohamed Hamid, expressed her appreciation for the “technical inputs made by all stakeholders consulted during the development of the two technical documents” and committed Board Members to making every effort to ensure that the vision of a world that was “safe for women and men, boys and girls is realised and that the process of building and sustaining peace in IGAD Region is all inclusive”.

                                                                                                                          ஜ۩END۩ஜ

13 January 2018, Dire Dawa - The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Security Sector Program (IGAD SSP) in close cooperation with the IGAD Special Mission to Somalia (IGAD SMS) has concluded a four days training for Somalia religious scholars, traditional leaders, CSO representatives, and relevant ministries on “Counter Radicalization, Disengagement, and Reintegration of Terrorist” held between 10-13 January 2018 in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. 

07-12-2017, Kampala (Uganda): The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) this morning opened the Regional Policy Consultative Workshop on the Implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) related to women in peace in partnership with the South Africa based African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Kampala.

23-11-2017, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The Director of Peace & Security Division of the Intergovernmental on Development (IGAD), Ambassador Tewolde Gebremeskel, yesterday opened a comparative validation workshop for the assessment of conflict prevention and resolution capacities of women in Somalia, South Sudan and the Sudan alongside Ms Irene Limo, Peacemaking Unit Coordinator-the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD).