(IGAD – Nairobi) The Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) agreed to strengthen their cooperative relations to facilitate effective undertaking of complementary activities in the Horn of Africa.

During a brief ceremony held at the IGAD Liaison Office in Nairobi this morning, the IGAD Executive Secretary Eng Mahboub Maalim and the ISS Executive Director Dr Jakkie Cilliers signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

We appreciate the role of ISS as a think tank and therefore very keen in the cooperation between our two organizations to provide leadership in peace and security of the region,” Eng Maalim told the delegation from ISS.

He added that IGAD as a regional intergovernmental organization has benefitted from technical and research inputs from ISS, especially in the management of its capacity building program against terrorism as well as the conflict early warning and response mechanism. The IGAD Executive Secretary further appealed to ISS to support the regional body to finalize its peace and security strategy.

The ISS Executive Director commended the cooperation between the two organizations so far pointing out that it is the longest with regional economic communities in Africa.

“While we continue to respect the complementary roles of our organizations and value the success of our past relationship, we need to seek new, innovative ways and means that would carry our cooperation further, stated Dr Cilliers.

He called on IGAD to spearhead a regional process that would ensure the ratification and domestication of existing international as well as continental conventions and protocols on peace and security.

The two principals further agreed to hold regular consultations in order to exchange views on past and present activities, and to develop modalities and details that would govern future collaborations in specific areas outlined in the signed MoU.

Some of the areas of cooperation include:
•    Conflict Analysis and Early Warning;
•    Conflict Prevention, Mediation Support and Peace Building;
•    Combating Terrorism;
•    Sustainable Livelihood and Pastoral Security;
•    Combating Money Laundering, Corruption and Organized Crime;
•    Arms Management;
•    Peacekeeping/Peace Monitoring; and
•    Security Sector Transformation, Demobilization and Reintegration.The cooperation could be in form of:
•    Field, desk and comparative research;
•    Provision of advice and policy support;
•    Review of best practices and lessons learnt;
•    Thematic workshops, seminars, conferences and briefings;
•    Information exchange;
•    Liaison and outreach to various stakeholder groups such as civil society groupings in the Horn of Africa;
•    Provision of training; and
•    Capacity building and implementation support.