- Your Excellency, Ambassador Hans Henric Lundqvist, Swedish Ambassador to Ethiopia, accredited to IGAD and Permanent Representative to the African Union and UNECA;
- Distinguished Members of the Swedish Delegation;
- IGAD Directors, Programme Managers, and Coordinators managing and administrating over programs and projects under the IGAD-Swedish cooperation;
- Ladies and Gentlemen,
- Good morning and welcome to the 2025 IGAD-Sweden Annual Partnership Meeting.
- This engagement represents not merely a continuation of our longstanding partnership, but a transformative opportunity to deepen our cooperation in addressing the complex challenges facing the Horn of Africa region.
- IGAD deeply appreciates Sweden’s unwavering commitment to regional stability and development over many years.
- Your sustained support has been instrumental in advancing our collective efforts toward peace, security, and sustainable development across our member states. Today’s dialogue builds upon this solid foundation while charting a path toward enhanced strategic alignment and operational effectiveness.
Strategic Alignment and Shared Vision
- Following extensive internal consultations, IGAD affirms our strong commitment to the proposed strategic partnership framework. We welcome Sweden’s vision for integrated programming and recognize the mutual benefits of streamlined cooperation modalities.
- IGAD agrees in principle with the concept of establishing one comprehensive strategic agreement that encompasses our shared priority areas while maintaining the flexibility necessary to address the diverse contexts within our region.
- Our internal deliberations have reinforced the importance of adopting a unified “One IGAD” approach that promotes coherent planning, reduces transaction costs, and maximizes developmental impact.
- This approach aligns seamlessly with Sweden’s preference for integrated programming and joint implementation mechanisms. We view this convergence as an opportunity to strengthen both our institutional effectiveness and the tangible outcomes for the communities we serve.
Priority Areas and Implementation Framework
- IGAD proposes that our strategic agreement encompass key thematic areas including peace and security, climate resilience and environmental sustainability, food security and agricultural transformation, health systems strengthening, and cross-cutting gender mainstreaming. These priority areas reflect both our organizational mandate and Sweden’s development cooperation priorities, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Regarding implementation modalities, we emphasize the critical importance of equitable programming that encompasses all agreed thematic areas.
- Our experience demonstrates that selective implementation can undermine program coherence and institutional stability. We therefore propose establishing clear coordination mechanisms that ensure balanced attention across all priority sectors while maintaining the flexibility to respond to emerging regional needs.
Institutional Sustainability and Capacity
- IGAD wishes to address the fundamental importance of institutional capacity in achieving our shared objectives. Effective program implementation requires robust administrative support, adequate staffing levels, and sustainable operational frameworks.
- We propose that our strategic agreement incorporate provisions for strengthening IGAD’s core functions, including legal, human resources, and administrative services that underpin all programmatic activities.
- We recognize the evolving landscape of development cooperation and the need for increased efficiency. However, we emphasize that institutional strength and operational capacity remain prerequisites for delivering quality results.
- We therefore seek Sweden’s continued support for the human and institutional resources necessary to maintain implementation standards and achieve agreed outcomes.
Flexibility and Adaptive Management
- Given the dynamic nature of regional challenges and varying implementation contexts across our member states, IGAD proposes incorporating adaptive management principles into our partnership framework.
- This includes negotiating flexibility in program timelines and closure dates to accommodate different country contexts and implementation challenges. Such flexibility will enable us to maintain quality standards while responding effectively to emerging opportunities and constraints.
- We also propose establishing regular review mechanisms that allow for strategic adjustments based on evolving regional priorities and implementation experiences. This approach will ensure that our partnership remains responsive to changing circumstances while maintaining focus on agreed strategic objectives.
Moving Forward
- IGAD is committed to finalizing the technical details of our strategic agreement through continued dialogue between our respective technical teams. We propose establishing clear timelines for this process while maintaining the momentum generated by today’s high-level engagement.
- In conclusion, IGAD views this partnership as a cornerstone of our regional development strategy. We are confident that our enhanced cooperation framework will deliver meaningful results for the people of the Horn of Africa while strengthening the institutional foundations necessary for sustained progress.
- We look forward to your insights and to charting together the next chapter of our strategic partnership.
Thank you.
Download the attached Speech in PDF below
