May 25, 2017, Djibouti (Djibouti): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, today actively participated in the European Union (EU)-East Africa Regional Seminar held in Djibouti.
This EU-East Africa Regional Seminar was gathering high level representatives from IGAD, the East African Community (EAC), the Common Eastern and Southern Africa Market (COMESA), and Ministers and officials from their member states, along with officials from the EU headquarters and country delegations in the presence of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN).
The Seminar was aiming at refocusing the 11th European Development Fund towards implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing emerging challenges in the East Africa region.
Amb Maalim contributed to the plenary discussions on the way to the upcoming midterm review of the EU 11th EDF.
IGAD Executive Secretary was also a member of a panel which presented on “Stability, Security and Countering Violent Extremism, and the European Union Emergency trust Fund for Africa” along with the Director General for International Cooperation and Development of the EU and the State Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development of Somalia.
During his intervention as a panelist, Amb Maalim highlighted that peace and Security were a high level priority area for IGAD through early warning mechanisms, mediation, security sector programmes. He nevertheless noted the importance of preventing violent extremism and irregular migration that should be seen as interlinked. “IGAD has running programmes in the areas I mentioned and many of them are made possible with support from the EU”, he said.
Amb Maalim also pointed out to the commitment by IGAD heads of state and government to sustainable solutions for refugees during the recent Summit held in Nairobi in March 2017. He briefed the audience of the most recent achievements of IGAD such the establishment in Djibouti of the IGAD Center of Excellence in Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism.
