March 2, 2020 (NAIROBI, Kenya): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, today inaugurated the third IGAD-United Nations Conference along with the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, in Nairobi.
The two-day conference allows the stakeholders brought together including government, civil society, private sector, academia, media, and the academia to discuss challenges facing the region.
These stakeholders for peace are discussing strategic issues, the inputs will help national and regional efforts for peace and stability in the region, as the outcome of the deliberations will be owned by all stakeholders involved in peace building.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary recalled that IGAD and its partners at the United Nations ‘have been working together to forge a strong partnership that delivers peace and security for our region’. ‘In 2015, IGAD Member States and the United Nations entered into a partnership agreement to coordinate peace and security initiatives in this region’, he said.
He appreciated the excellent progress that has been made so far ‘through the efforts of the Office of the Special envoy and the IGAD focal point’.
The joint tasks by the IGAD Peace and Security Division and the Office of the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa are to:
- Identify current issues in the region, which will contribute to ensuring sustainable peace;
- Engage peace and security experts and practitioners to discuss current trends in peace building in Africa with special focus on the IGAD region; and
- Ensure that government, CSOs, private sector, academia, and media are represented.
The overarching purpose of this initiative is to contribute to the on-going discussion and debate on peace and security developments in the Horn of Africa.
