14-03-2019, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Special Envoy to South Sudan; Ambassador Dr. Ismail Wais this morning together with senior representation from the Governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda and Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (JMEC) this morning met with a delegation representing Lt. General Thomas Cirillo Swaka, former Deputy Chief of Defence Staff in the Government of South Sudan.

 This was the third engagement between Amb Dr. Wais and Lt Gen Cirilo who regrettably did not attend today’s meeting but delegated to a team to represent his position to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), which will be scrutinized by the IGAD Special Envoy.

 The IGAD Special Envoy was directed by the IGAD Council of Ministers during the 66th Extra-Ordinary Session on Somalia and South Sudan held in Addis Ababa on 16th November 2018 to reach out to the South Sudanese stakeholders and non-signatories to join in the implementation of the R-ARCSS.

 In the same pursuit, Amb Wais on March 11 and March 12, 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya engaged with General Paul Malong Awan, Chairman and Commander – Chief, South Sudan United Front/Army and former Chief of Defence Staff in the Government of South Sudan; where a Declaration to Engage in the Peace Process in South Sudan through negotiations with the Government of South Sudan was signed.

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11-03-2019, Djibouti: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs (UN-DPPA) this morning embarked on a two-day meeting in Djibouti to have an in-depth discussion of recent developments in the Horn of Africa, their impact in the region and insight into how IGAD and UN can position themselves to accompany the region; taking into account regional and continental norms and frameworks in particular the principle of complementarity.

The other objective is to explore how the two organizations can continue to work together in support of regional solutions to regional challenges within their peace and security strategic priorities.

The IGAD Executive Secretary H.E Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim in his welcoming remarks highlighted that the challenges and opportunities in the Horn of Africa require the two organisations strategically plan, place and manage themselves using a regional approach within a global priority and context.

“Confidence building is required from IGAD Member States to result into well structured, inclusive, civil and diplomatic measures through dialogue, understanding communities and their needs for political, economic and social development” Amb Maalim added.

Speaking on behalf of the UN, Ms. Barbara Manzi, UN Resident Coordinator, Djibouti emphasized that the UN-IGAD partnership is crucial to assist and guide the region to face its current challenges collectively in order to be effective.

“Since 2015, the partnership has yielded many positive results” she added.

On behalf of the IGAD Chair and Ambassador of Ethiopia to Djibouti Amb Abdulaziz Mohammed called upon the IGAD member states to commit, maintain and promote the positive changes in the Horn of Africa by identifying challenges
and handling them in one approach vis a vis individual interest

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti; H.E Mohamed Ali Hassan reiterated on the importance of this partnership for the betterment of the future generations by all having the member states working together with a genuine common goal and initiative.

At the two-day meeting being facilitated by Conflict Prevention and Peace Forum (CPPF) /Social Science Research Council (SSRC) will also discuss strengths and weaknesses of Peace and Security Frameworks in the Horn of Africa as well as Risks and Opportunities in Multilateralism in the Horn of Africa.

The workshop is a follow up to the November 2018 IGAD-UN meeting that was held in Kampala, Uganda, where key recommendations and activities for joint engagement were identified.

The High Level Dialogue (HLD) is held periodically and  is attended by IGAD Member States and a high-level representation of IGAD and the UN Secretariats.

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04-03-2019, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, South Sudan Office (IGAD-SSO) represented by the Special Envoy Amb. Ismail Wais this morning received Amb Seiji Okada, Ambassador of Japan to South Sudan announcing financial support of USD 3.2 million (US$ 3,200,000) from the Japanese government to IGAD, towards the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

Amb Wais expressed IGAD’s sincere appreciation towards the Government of Japan and all other partners that have selflessly continued to support the efforts of IGAD towards making the youngest African state stable for the benefit of South Sudanese, the IGAD region and international community.

Amb Wais reiterated IGAD’s commitment to the ending of the conflict in South Sudan through the collaboration with the parties and stakeholder but also through involvement of all interested parties in giving the South Sudanese the peace they desperately want in order to build their nation.

On his part, Amb Okada appreciated IGAD’s efforts in successfully concluding the High – Level Revitalization (HLRF) process and in providing political support the implementation of the R-ARCSS and recommitted Japan’s support in key areas that will not only be significant in impacting the people of South Sudan but also achieve peace and stability to benefit from their support.

In 2018, the Government of Japan supported IGAD led HLRF process with USD 3.6million  (US$ 3,600,000).

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22-02-2019, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) this morning constituted a Steering Committee for the implementation of a multi thematic program under “IGAD Promoting Peace and Stability in the Horn of Africa Region – (IPPSHAR)" being implemented by the IGAD Peace and Security Division.

The IPPSHAR Steering Committee is composed of IGAD, represented by the Executive Secretary and funding partners such as; The European Union Delegation to the African Union, Austrian Development Agency (ADA), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and Government of the Netherlands, who are represented at Ambassadorial level. It is chaired by the IGAD Executive Secretary and co-chaired by the Austrian Ambassador.

 H.E Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, the IGAD Executive Secretary expressed his appreciation to the European Union and the other Development partners that have contributed to this programme and also thanked the Austrian Development Agency for taking this responsibility.

 Amb Maalim stressed the readiness and commitment of IGAD and its member states to effectively implement this programme for the benefit of the IGAD citizens. 

 As Co-chair, Amb. Roland Hauser, the Austrian Ambassador to Ethiopia and IGAD,  expressed his gratitude to IGAD and the funding partners  and emphasised his commitment to the responsibility that ADA has taken up for the management of the programme. He stressed in particular that IPPSHAR will undertake activities and create partnerships that will increase the participation of women in peace processes – an important topic for the Austrian Foreign Minister – and reach citizens on the ground.

 The Head of EU Delegation to the African Union, H.E Amb. Ranieri Sabatucci called upon the partners to praise IGAD’s predictive indicative power on the relevancy of IPPSHAR which is more timely now considering the winds of change in the region.

 Amb. Sabatucci recommitted EU’s support and belief towards peace in Africa and its artichecture. He called on IGAD member states to integrate to achieve peace and stability.

 The Committee has been established to safeguard that the IPPSHAR project is in line with the IGAD Regional Peace and Security Strategy (2016-2020) as well as to ensure that achievements are in line with the purposes of the EU Trust Fund and the respective policies of the co-funding development partners.

The Committee’s overall objective is to provide oversight and strategic guidance to ensure that project implementation adheres to the agreements reached between all funding and implementation partners.

The Committee shall meet twice a year to review the status of implementation, provide strategic guidance in a changing policy and geo-political environment, review and approve work plans and reports and discuss strategic issues, including possible amendments to the Delegation Agreement, as well as make recommendations for the programme to mention but a few.

ABOUT IPPSHAR

The IPPSHAR programme is financed by the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) and co-financed by the European Union, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Government of the Netherlands.

The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) was delegated by the EU to manage the EU’s contribution to the programme through an indirect management mode.  

 The aim of IPPSHAR is to contribute to achieving sustainable peace, security and stability for the attainment of economic integration and development of the IGAD region.

The key strategic objectives covered under IPPSHAR include: Enhancing the IGAD Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN) Systems, strengthening IGAD and national governments in the region to address transnational security threats, promoting preventive diplomacy, mediation and civilian peace building and enhancing the implementation effectiveness of IGAD's Peace and Security Division and Units.

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24-01-2019, Kampala, Uganda: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Mediation and Support Unit (MSU) and the European Union Mediation Support Unit (EUMST) kick started a two-day Peer-to-Peer Experience Sharing and Transfer of Knowledge workshop this morning at Sheraton Hotel, Kampala.

The meeting is being attended by IGAD Roster of Mediators, EU Special Envoys to various processes, members of the IGAD Member States Ambassadors, members of Pan Wise, EU representatives, ACCORD, United Nations – Department of Political Affairs and AU to mention but a few.

During the opening remarks the IGAD Peace and Security Director Mr. Siraj Fegessa welcomed the participants and stressed the need for IGAD mediators as well as regional and international mediators to learn from each other and also sharpen their skills and adapt to new ways and technology to bring peace to the region and the world.

“IGAD is thankful to the European Union for their continued support in strengthening the capacity of IGAD and more specifically in enhancing the capacity of the Peace and Security Division to promote peace and stability in the Horn of Africa through the support of the EU Trust Fund with a budget of 40 million Euros” Amb Fegessa added.

The Head of the European Union Delegation to Uganda Ambassador Attilio Pacifici also highlighted the timely and necessity of good peace mediation worldwide and conflict prevention.

 He assured the delegates of this being high on the EU agenda in their role in peace mediation and conflict prevention in Africa, with a particular focus on youth.

 Amb  Pacifici commended the AU, UN and most notably IGAD for taking the leading role to get the member states to join efforts to achieve peace and security despite the challenges. He applauded them for taking on opportunities that have translated into several concrete actions on the ground namely; Somalia, South Sudan, and horn of Africa.

 On behalf of the Government of Uganda Hon Philemon Mateke, State Minister of Foreign Affairs for Regional Cooperation reminded the well seasoned mediators that dialogue and mediation have been used over time as tools for conflict prevention, resolution and transformation hence the need to learn from them and adopt to new techniques like the inclusion of women and youth in the formal peace process for lasting peace.

The objective of the two-day meeting is to provide a space for reflection on insights of the IGAD and EU regions as well share recent mediation processes by the respective Special Envoys and Mediators to learn and share from the diverse nature of conflicts settings, experiences and changing environments represented in these experiences in order to examine roles of mediation support mechanism of IGAD in context of other institutions namely the European Union and United Nations.

The exchange will also provide a mutual learning environment to enrich existing talent, knowledge and experience on conflict prevention, dialogue and mediation between the skilled and internationally exposed mediators, highlight international best practices, identify challenges and best practices towards promoting dialogue and mediation in conflict prevention and their role in engaging actors in challenging geo-political settings as well as strengthen partnership between IGAD (MSU) and EU (MST) and other parties.

Themes that will be discussed at the Danish Kingdom supported meeting are; the nexus between early warning and mediation intervention; mediation from design to exit; employment of dialogue in conflict mediation; navigating geo-politics context in mediation; promoting national ownership of peacemaking interventions; lessons learnt in international mediations.

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