February 22, 2023 (ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia): IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu concluded the IGAD five-day mission to the 36th African Union Summit.
The Summit, held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saw the attendance of African Heads of State and Government and their representatives, strategic partners, civil society organisations, and foreign observers.
Dr. Workneh met with Member States’ Heads of State and Government in attendance, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, and Foreign Affairs Ministers of Uganda and Eritrea. Dr. Workneh also met his counterpart, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on the margins of the Summit.
The delegation, led by the Executive Secretary, met with High-ranking officials from IGAD Member States’ governments as well as partners on the sidelines of the AU Summit to deliberate on shared priorities in peace and security, regional development, climate change, and drought.
The Executive Secretary held discussions with strategic partners, UNDP, the World Bank, and the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs high-ranking officials to deliberate on shared priorities on peace and security and regional development and integration.
Speaking at the African Union Side Event – Towards a New Humanitarian Agenda in Africa, Dr. Workneh called for selflessness in the multilateralism approach toward solving the humanitarian crisis in Africa.
He said: “Our watchwords now are “African Solutions to African Problems.” I want to add value to this principle for us as committed multilateralists in this room. Let us also adopt the maxim of “Humane solutions to human problems.” There is overwhelming evidence of the unstoppable power of humanity’s ability to recover from our worst excesses through the magic and selflessness of multilateralism.”
During the Kenya’s experience at the UN Security Council side event, Dr. Workneh commended Kenya for advancing and amplifying Africa’s priorities at the UNSC during their term.
On the final day of the mission, the Executive Secretary joined the President of Djibouti, H.E. Ismail Guelleh, and the Prime minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Abiy Ahmed Ali, at the inauguration of the new complex of the Embassy of Djibouti in Addis Ababa. Dr. Workneh expressed his confidence in the embassy’s pursuit to deepen relationships with other diplomatic missions and multilateral bodies for the benefit of the region.
