05-06-2018, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, H.E. Shin-ichi Saida, yesterday presented his accreditation letter to the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Ambassador Mahboub Maalim, at the Secretariat of the regional organisation in Djibouti.

23-05-2018, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, yesterday signed  a Financing Agreement with the Ambassador of Ireland to Ethiopia, H.E. Sonja Hyland, in the IGAD premises in Addis Ababa.

Qatar Charity (QC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in the presence of the UN Secretary General's Humanitarian Envoy, Dr. Ahmed Al Meraikhi, to enhance cooperation in the field of emergency relief, humanitarian assistance and sustainable development in the Horn of Africa.

29-04-2018, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, this morning kick-started a regional workshop on Biodiversity Data Sharing and Visibility in Djibouti which also marks the closing of the IGAD Biodiversity Management Programme (BMP). The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment of Djibouti and a Representative from the European Delegation to Djibouti attended the opening ceremony of the workshop.

 IGAD, with financial support of the European Union (EU) to a tune of 14 million Euros, has been implementing this regional biodiversity programme. The main objective of the programme was to promote regional cooperation and integration in the environment sector, in particular in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity resources in the region.

 The BMP addressed three result areas, namely, biodiversity policy development, biodiversity database and information systems development at national and regional levels, and the conservation of biodiversity resources at three cross-border demonstration sites to showcase the sustainable management and use of biodiversity resources in the region. The demo sites included:

• The Boma-Gambella Landscape (South-East South Sudan and South-West Ethiopia);
• The Tana-Kipini-Laga Badana Bushbush Land and Seascape (North East Kenya and South East Somalia);
• The Lower Awash-Lake Abbé Landscape (North East Ethiopia and South West Djibouti).

 During the last five years, IGAD with the support of its Implementing Partners (IUCN and ICRAF) and with the technical assistance of NIRAS, has formulated a regional policy, a regional protocol and supporting strategies which were approved at Ministerial level. Studies and Joint Management Plans at demo sites were also formulated and approved. In addition, equipment, software and training were provided to the national biodiversity database and information system host institutions. Efforts are being made to operationalize these databases at national and regional levels.

 The current workshop focuses on biodiversity data sharing and visibility. The workshop is bringing together senior experts from the biodiversity management/conservation institutions of IGAD member states, representatives from international organizations (Joint Research Center )JRC of the EU, GeoSolutions, NIRAS, etc), the EU Delegation in Djibouti, the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management Program (BIOPAMA), the Coastal Ocean Research Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO), experts from IGAD Secretariat and the implementing Partners such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), to deliberate on how to enhance the sharing of biodiversity data and the positive experiences gathered by the Implementing Partners and how to minimize the negative experience in future management of biodiversity resources in the region.

At the end of this 3-day workshop, it is expected that the status of biodiversity database at national and regional level will be better known and an enhanced biodiversity data sharing and Visibility of EU, IGAD and other Partner Institutions will be attained.

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26-04-2018, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti, H.E Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, IGAD Executive Secretary, H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, and the Acting Assistant Secretary-Bureau of African Affairs of the US Department of State, H.E Donald Yamamoto, yesterday evening officially inaugurated the IGAD Center of Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (ICEPCVE) in Djibouti. The Regional Strategy for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in the Horn and Eastern Africa Region was also launched on the same occasion.

 Among the numerous dignitaries who attended the ceremony were: the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya, the Minister of Defense of Djibouti, State Minister of Women’s Empowerment of Djibouti, the Head of the European Union Delegation to Djibouti, members of the diplomatic corps to Djibouti and to Ethiopia, UNDP Regional Coordinator.

The commonly shared views during the various speeches by the prime officials were the necessity for soft power in the fight against extremism and the many achievements by the Center during the one year and a half it has been operating with limited resources.

The IGAD P/CVE Center of Excellence is a premier institution that is offering a dedicated platform to institutionalize the prevention and countering of violent extremism in the Horn and Eastern Africa Region. This Center of Excellence is intended to serve as a resource for governments, civil societies, youth, religious leaders, experts, practitioners, business people, and others interested in addressing violent extremism.

Specifically, the Center will endeavor to empower youth, women, religious leaders and civil society, among other P/CVE actors; enhance their resilience and capacity in countering violent extremist ideology; message audiences both online and offline; generate positive alternatives for young people vulnerable to violent extremist recruitment; improve law enforcement and security-force engagement with local communities; amplify influential religious voices and critical thinking skills; prevent radicalization to violence in prisons; and rehabilitate and re-integrate disengaged fighters, including foreign terrorist fighters.

The Center’s focus areas include but are not limited to:

Training and Learning: providing training and practical tools to enhance the capacities of government and non-government stakeholders to design and implement effective programs and policies to counter violent extremism.

Convening and Connectivity: providing a dedicated platform to facilitate focused discussion and collaboration among national and local actors, civil society, researchers and community leaders involved in CVE.

Counter-Messaging: focusing on building the capacity of credible local partners and potential partners to develop and disseminate their own counter-messages and alternative narratives, and to amplify existing ones.

Research and Innovation: catalyzing more research to gain a deeper understanding of the localized drivers of violent extremism, and developing new ways to effectively counter it.

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