STRENGTHENING REGIONAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE: IGAD’s Unwavering Commitment to Pandemic Preparedness
Excellency, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister of Health of the Republic of Uganda and our gracious host.
- Excellency, Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, Minister of State of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Republic of Uganda
- Excellency, Sarah Cletto Hassan Rial, Minister of Health, Republic of South Sudan.
- Excellency, Dr. Marian Mohamed Hussein, State Minister of Health and Human Services, representing the Minister of Health and Human Services of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
- Honourable Mary Muthoni, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kenya.
- Mr. Mohamed Ali Mohamed, Secretary-General, Ministry of Health representing the Minister for Health, Republic of Djibouti.
- Dr. Edith Namutebi, Head of Regional Peace & Security Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic if Uganda
- Dr. Charles Businge, Africa Regional Director – International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
- Dr. Robert Kwesiga, Secretary General of the Uganda Red Cross
- Dr. Kasonde Mwinga, WHO Country Representative, Republic of Uganda
- Esteemed colleagues from IGAD Member States and the Secretariat.
- Ladies and gentlemen,
- Today marks yet another milestone in IGAD’s four-decade journey of standing shoulder to shoulder with our member states in times of need. As we formally hand over these vital pandemic preparedness supplies and equipment, we reaffirm a commitment that has defined our organization since its establishment in 1986, born from the ashes of the devastating 1983-84 drought that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives across our region.
- IGAD was founded on the fundamental principle that collective action and regional solidarity are our greatest weapons against adversity. From our inception, we have consistently demonstrated that when disaster strikes one, it affects all, and when one member state strengthens its resilience, the entire region becomes more secure.
- This philosophy has guided our response to countless crises over the past thirty-nine years, from recurring droughts and floods to conflicts and disease outbreaks. I vividly remember when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in early 2020, IGAD was the first regional organization to hold a virtual emergency summit meeting of the Heads of State and Government and mobilize comprehensive support and distribute it to all our Member States including Uganda.
- Through the leadership of our Heads of States and Government, we establishedregional coordination mechanisms in less than 10 days in March 2020, and by May 2020, we had successfully secured over 60 million Euros from the European Union and development partners.
- This unprecedented mobilization enabled us to provide similar life-saving equipment, medical supplies, and technical support to all our member states, demonstrating our capacity for rapid, coordinated response to regional emergencies.
- Uganda’s engagement with IGAD exemplifies the importance regional cooperation. Over the past 8 months alone, from January this year, IGAD has implemented 36 distinct activities across Uganda, representing a total investment of approximately 2.9 million US dollars in 2025 so far and a further 2.5 million in 2024 leveraging Uganda’s contribution to IGAD.
- These initiatives have spanned climate prediction and agricultural services through ICPAC, pastoral development and cross-border peace through ICPALD, conflict early warning through CEWARN, refugee management, sexual and reproductive health, land governance, blue economy development, and food systems resilience programmes.
- The equipment we officially transfer to the Ministry of Health today, valued at over 650,000 US dollars, represents far more than a donation. These 3 vehicles, ten motorcycles, 150 isolation centre beds, comprehensive laboratory supplies, and disease surveillance apparatus for Ebola and MPOX response embody IGAD’s commitment that no member state faces health emergencies alone.
- The additional 4.73 million dollars in specialized MPOX laboratory and non laboratory supplies further underscores our dedication to comprehensive preparedness and ensuring that none of our member states is ever caught unprepared ever again.
- This handover is part of our broader 31.9 million dollar PREPARE Project investment, leveraging an additional 4.3 million dollars in co-investment, working alongside our valued partners in the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the Pandemic Fund.
- Uganda has been selected as the launching point for this initiative precisely because of its strategic importance as a frontline state and its exemplary track record in managing health emergencies.
- As we have done for Uganda, IGAD commits to providing equivalent support to all our member states. Every nation in our region will receive the same amount of comprehensive assistance, ensuring standardized training, equipment, and capacity building across the IGAD family. Our approach to regional resilience must be inclusive, equitable, and comprehensive.
- Ladies and gentlemen, as I formally hand over these supplies to Her Excellency Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng and the Government of Uganda, I do so with the full confidence that this equipment will save lives, strengthen systems, and contribute to the health security of not only Uganda but our entire region.
- Through PREPARE, we are building bridges of preparedness that span borders, creating a shield of regional resilience that will protect our people from the next pandemic, whenever and wherever it may emerge.
- I now have the distinct honour of officially launching and transferring these pandemic preparedness supplies and equipment to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uganda. May these resources serve as instruments of life, hope, and regional solidarity.
Thank you.
Download the attached speech in PDF.
