April 16, 2026 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia): The IGAD Education, science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) unit conducted the second Cluster meeting of the Regional Consultation on the Implementation of the Djibouti Declaration for three member states (Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia) from April 14-16, 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The overall objective of the meeting is to show the clustered members efforts by presenting their implementation statuses and taking feedback from their counterparts while learning from what others have done, how they tackle obstacles, and what needs to be done in the immediate future.
On behalf of IGAD Secretariat Dr. Duguma Adugna , Chief of Staff to the Executive Secretary of the IGAD emphasized that the region continues to face complex and interlinked challenges—including displacement driven by conflict, climate change, and economic pressures.
Dr. Duguma, urged all the member states to move from commitment to accelerated action. “This consultation provides us with a timely and strategic platform to take stock of the progress made, identify persistent challenges, and renew our collective resolve to accelerate implementation. As we bring together these three countries in a clustered format, we aim to strengthen cross-border learning, promote the exchange of best practices, and foster deeper regional cooperation,” he added.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Yohannes Wagaso, , chief Executive officer, Education programs and quality improvements, MOE, Ethiopia, disclosed that Education is the only asset a refugee can carry across a border that cannot be confiscated, and the ultimate tool for self-reliance and the most effective antidote to regional instability. “By clustering Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia, we are addressing one of the most dynamic corridors of human movement in the Horn of Africa, and shifted the narrative from seeing refugees as a burden to seeing them as learners, contributors, and human beings with an inherent right to quality education. However, a declaration is only as strong as its implementation,” he pointed out.
During the opening ceremony, Mr. Fisseha Meseret, Education officer, Health and Social Development division, IGAD, reminded that the implementation of the Djibouti Declaration has a number of programs, such as the IGAD Regional TVET Strategy, the IGAD Regional Education Policy Framework, the IGAD Universities Forum IGAD Council of Higher Education, the IGAD Scholarship Program, and the IGAD regional Qualifications Framework, among others. Mr. Fisseha presents on the overall achievement of the Djibouti Declaration so far. He said that Djibouti Declaration brings member states in tendon on the issues of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
In addition, he also mentioned that a clustered approach is a new experiment in the life of the Djibouti Declaration that designed to serve as a bridge between going to individual countries and bringing all IGAD Members in one forum.
The Participants of the second cluster national consultation meeting has drawn from Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia, GIZ and IGAD Secretariat.
Budget for the various activities funded from the IGAD – GIZ/SIMPI Financing Agreement.
Finally, participants of the meeting have provided recommendations and the Way Forward on sharing practical solutions and building a clear and actionable roadmap for the next phase of implementation to strength collective efforts and advance shared vision.
The IGAD Education unit conducted the first cluster meeting (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan) in 2025. It is to be remembered that the Djibouti Declaration was adopted in December 2017.
