9-10, 2018, Addis Ababa (Ethioipa) IGAD’s Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) emphasized the significance of   cross-border animal health coordination for the control and eradication of Peste des petis ruminants (PPR) and other priority transboundary diseases from the Horn of Africa (HoA)  as most countries have long and porous borders ; and animals move for pasture ; water and trade. This remark was made by Dr. Ameha Sebsibe, Head of Livestock and Fisheries at ICPALD on the Sixth Regional PPR Control and Eradication Committee (CECC) workshop conducted in Addis Ababa from Oct 9-10, 2018. The workshop was financially supported by FAO-Ethiopia’s PPR Eradication Project (EU SHARE). Dr. Gijs Vant Klooster, Head of Livestock and Pastoralism Thematic Program with FAO-Ethiopia made a welcoming statement and then Dr. Alemayehu Makonnen Anbessie, Director of Disease Prevention and Control made opening remark on behalf of the State Minister, Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries

It was also reported at   the workshop that : “Ethiopia and Kenya have signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) through its responsible ministries and that implementation framework (IF) for the operationalization of the MoUs are developed and governance structures were established in August 2018.” As part of the IF; the two countries have identified three key activities for immediate implementation and these include Participatory Disease Surveillance (PDS), sero-monitoring, and vaccination against PPR in Turkana-South Omo, and Marsabit-Borana borders. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is working closely IGAD/ICPALD and financially supported the development of the MOU and IF for the Ethiopia-Kenya; Karamoja and Dhikil clusters, among others

Workshop organizers also heralded the progress made by Ethiopia and Kenya on implementing national PPR eradication projects with the objective of freeing its small ruminants from PPR with a generous financial support from European Union’s Supporting Horn of Africa Resilience (EU-SHARE) Program and the interventions are expected to significantly redress the gaps in tackling cross-border coordination and harmonization issues between the two countries.

During the two days, the workshop has reviewed the progress made at the regional, continental and global PPR control and eradication levels, received updates on PPR control and eradication efforts from IGAD member states, shared good practices and lessons and made clear recommendations. The main recommendations are to undertake coordinated resource mobilization, promote information sharing and coordination among member states.

 IGAD/ICPALD is grateful for the financial support of FAO Ethiopia through the EU-SHARE Program for undertaking the 6th regional PPR control and eradication coordination meeting.

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13-14^th September 2018, Entebbe, Uganda ,A two-day regional dialogue on how to enhance animal health service delivery in the IGAD region was organized by IGAD/ICPALD with financial support from the Regional Pastoral Livestock Resilience Project (RPLRP) funded by the World Bank being implemented in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The meeting discussed the recommendations from a study report of 2017 on the roles of public and private sectors in the supply and provision of animal health services in the IGAD and the validated regional framework, on update provided by the MS on status of animal health service delivery by the public and private sectors including vaccine production and marketing. and lessons on the PPP in the delivery of Animal health services delivery in the member states.

Dr. Anna Rose Ademun Okurut, the Chief Veterinary Officer, Uganda officially opened the workshop. She highlighted that loan schemes in agriculture faces serious challenges because of unfavorable weather patterns like drought that decimate crops and contribute to increased livestock mortality. More efforts is required from the livestock sector to attract private sector investors into potential areas like export slaughterhouses, quarantine facilities, vaccine production & marketing among others. Dr. Solomon Munyua, Director of ICPALD, made welcome remarks. The meeting attended by 25 participants from Ministries responsible for Livestock, and Finance (public private partnership/ PPP Unit), veterinary boards, vaccine production units and private veterinarians from the three RPLRP supported Countries. Chief veterinary officers from Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia and OIE, VSF-G participated in the meeting.  The meeting made the following recommendations:

1. Member States are encouraged to rollout the proposed actions on the validated study on roles of public and private sectors and framework in the supply and provision of animal health services in the IGAD region;
2. Member States should encourage private sector investment in disease prevention and control through surveillance, vaccinations and laboratory diagnostics;
3. IGAD to support member states to develop/ review/ strengthen PPP policy and legislative framework to guide animal health delivery initiatives;
4. Member states should identify potential PPP projects under the livestock sector for private sector investment such as vaccine production and supply, disease control/ management, control of food borne diseases/ food safety, animal breeding/Genetic resources, Quarantine stations among others;
5. Ministries responsible for livestock should develop bankable projects that can attract more budget allocation from national / federal governments and development partners to undertake PPP identified projects
6. IGAD should collaborate with PPP trainers such as Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute (MEFMI) of Eastern and Southern Africa, Zimbabwe to build the capacity of livestock sector country teams on PPP
7. Ministries responsible for Livestock should work closely with their country PPP units in Ministries responsible for finance to push through potential PPP projects
8. IGAD to convene a follow up annual regional meeting to review the progress realized by MS in adopting and implementing the PPP viable initiatives after the Entebbe meeting; and
9. MS should develop and implement clear animal health service delivery strategies to regulate free and or subsidized vaccination programmers; unless during emergency periods, to avoid market distortion and unfair competition with private sector operators.

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14-09-2018, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in collaboration with The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) concluded the Third IGAD High Level Retreat on Mediation today in Addis Ababa with valuable recommendations to developing a Regional Reconciliation Framework and Dialogue Index; as tools that will help prevent and resolve conflict and strengthen conflict transformation for a positive change.

The mediators extensively touched on ways to enhance gender responsive dialogue in the reconciliation process; how the youth can be engaged to strengthen reconciliation processes as well as a faith based approach to dialogue and reconciliation in order to address cross cutting issues like human rights, justice, spiritual healing, forgiveness and so on.

The key recommendations going forward were as follows; In-depth assessment of the historical causes of conflict; In depth assessment of the existing mechanisms on dialogue and reconciliation to determine how well they are working; a regional mechanism to address electoral violence; capacity building in methods to dialogue and in trauma healing; institutional strengthening for effective transitional justice, healing and reconciliation and IGAD to develop a regional policy on reconciliation and dialogue.

There will be numerous consultations henceforth to have in-depth assessments and analysis for IGAD to develop an implementable and impartial Reconciliation Framework and Dialogue Index.

Partnerships and collaborations were also a major highlight to be able to have an inclusive reconciliation framework not forgetting financial and technical expertise and structural capabilities at national and regional levels.

The High Level Retreat is a platform that enables discussions on the role of reconciliation and dialogue in peace processes and is also an avenue for learning and sharing experiences between the IGAD Members of the Roster, IGAD Special Envoys; AU’s Members of the Panel of the Wise with members from other Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs) like the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) and East African Community (EAC).

The retreat was facilitated by IGAD Mediation Support Unit in partnership with ACCORD and with the financial support from the EU-APSA Support Programme.

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IGAD, FAO and WMO join forces to stave off impacts of climate change on agriculture.