March 23, 2024 (NAIVASHA, Kenya): The IGAD Special Taskforce, members of academic and research institutions from the IGAD Member States concluded an expert technical roundtable dialogue on the dynamics of the Red Sea and its potential implications from March 21-23, 2023, in Naivasha, Kenya. The dialogue was opened by H.E. Ambassador Babikir Elsiddig M. Elamin, representing the Republic of the Sudan as the IGAD Chair. In attendance were H.E Ambassador Mohamed Ali Guyo (PhD), IGAD Special Envoy for the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Somalia, members of Academic and research institutions and the focal Taskforce members from all IGAD Member States.
The session was organized to improve the maritime policy environment in the Horn of Africa through strengthening regional exchanges, cohesion, cooperation, and coordination with a view to effectively implement the 46th IGAD Council of Ministers Resolution as a process for the formulation of Common IGAD Position (CIP), Regional Plan of Action (RPA), and a protocol on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The workshop was facilitated by senior experts and was structured around, among others, the role of academic and research institutions of IGAD member states in development of the IGAD common position and the regional plan of action.
The meeting, acknowledged the role of research and academic institutions in providing in-depth understanding on maritime governance and regional security and stressed the importance of collaboration between research institution/academia/policy makers and IGAD to understand issues around Red Sea arena.
The meeting underlined the importance of utilizing invaluable inputs from research and academic institutions. To this end IGAD expressed commitment to work with research and academic institutions to generate, disseminate and retain knowledge on this important subject.
IGAD thanked the European Union, Finland, and Norway for the resources.
IGAD, further, thanked the people and the Government of the Republic of Kenya for the warm hospitality.
Naivasha, Kenya. 23rd March, 2023
