- Your Excellency, Rahma El-Obeid, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to the Republic of Djibouti and Chair of the IGAD Committee of Ambassadors;
- Your Excellency, Amb. Yabesh Oreni Monari, Director, Africa and AU Directorate, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya and Our Host;
- Your Excellencies Ambassadors of;
o Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia o Republic of Kenya
o Republic of Somalia - Directors of IGAD Divisions, Special Envoys and Fellow Members of Secretariat Staff
- Ladies and Gentlemen,
It with great pleasure that I welcome you here today with my secretariat team to this Ordinary Session of the IGAD Committee of Ambassadors.
I will open my remarks by taking this opportunity to welcome your Excellency, Rahma El-Obeid, Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan, as you officiate as the chair of this distinguished gathering.
IGAD is grateful for the advisory role that this committee plays and stands to benefit from both the fresh perspectives that new members are bringing on board, as well as the endowment of members who are continuing to serve this committee.
We expect this meeting will enrich our knowledge and capacity to deliver peace, prosperity and integration for our region. I reiterate the commitment of the secretariat to support all of our member states in discharging this important responsibility.
Your Excellencies Dear colleagues,
Yesterday I delivered the state of the region address where we touched on all of the issues affecting the region and the progress and aspirations of the secretariat.
I was particularly honoured to have you beside me as I launched the IGAD council of eminent personalities which is a big milestone in my IGAD Response, Reform and Revitalization initiative.
Excellencies,
As you heard and saw or yourselves, IGAD is doing a lot of work quietly all across our region and we need to invest more in our visibility to tell our story better.
In our last meeting in Bishoftu, we demonstrated how one of the biggest challenges IGAD is facing is financing especially from our member states. The funds you contribute to our organization are more than just money, they are signal to the world and our partners of your level of confidence and commitment to IGAD.
I will repeat now what I said then, for every 1 dollar that you contribute as member states, we are able to leverage 10 dollars from our partners.
We certainly understand that we are in difficult economic times worldwide; and this is why I want to once again thank all our Member States who have made an effort to address their arrears and keep up with their contributions.
Your Excellencies,
In conclusion, I invite this committee to do 3 things;
- Closely consider the progress IGAD has made so far to implement the decisions of the 40th Committee of Ambassadors.
- Allow sufficient opportunity for our programs to register impact.
- Support the Secretariat to obtain the resources it needs to run efficiently.
We will always rely on this distinguished committee of ambassadors to give the most balanced and effective counsel to the secretariat as we go about delivering on the mandate that has been delegated to us by you our Member States.
Thank You Very Much.
Download the attached Speech in PDF below
