Efforts undertaken by governments and development partners to bring about peace, stability and development in the Horn of Africa have negatively been hampered by many natural and man made calamities that continue to be experienced in the region.
This was contained in a statement by Dr. Mutrif Siddik, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sudan read by Ambassador Mahjoub El Basha at the beginning of the 5th Meeting of the Technical Committee on Early Warning (TCEW) yesterday at the Ministry's Conference Hall in Khartoum, Sudan.
"Indeed, the recent floods and human and animal epidemics in the region continue to illustrate the challenges that are being faced by our governments," he pointed out adding that intra and interstate violent conflicts, environmental degradation and emerging threats such as drug trafficking, international terrorism and proliferation of small arms are also impeding effort to attain peace and stability.
Dr. Siddik told the participants drawn from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan that his country has operationalized a National Conflict Early Warning and Response Unit following the ratification of the Protocol establishing the regional mechanism headed by Ambassador Abdelrahim Khalil based in Addis Ababa.
Speaking at the same function, Ambassador Khalil underscored the importance of such meetings, especially now that CEWARN starts to implement its five-year strategy.
"Among other things, the strategy will ensure the full operationalization and effective functioning of the national units in all IGAD member states, strengthen the rapid response component of the mechanism and develop a communications and public relations plan," he elaborated.
The CEWARN Director commended efforts being made his unit, the IGAD Secretariat and development partners that include Governments of Denmark, Germany and Sweden to actualize the Rapid Response Fund. The Fund aims at strengthening the early response function of the regional mechanism by providing immediate and short term interventions to address some of the concerns raised by the early warning reports in the member states.
Dr. Attalla Hamad Bashir, the IGAD Executive Secretary also attended the meeting whose recommendations will be presented to Permanent Secretaries from the region at their one-day session tomorrow 31st October 2007.
The Committee of Permanent Secretaries that is the policy making organ of CEWARN is expected to issue a communiqué setting out the way forward on regional cooperation to eradicate violent conflicts in pastoralist communities.
You are most welcome to attend the opening and closing session of the 7th Meeting of the CPS at 0900 (9.00 am) and 1400 (2.00 pm) on Wednesday 31st October 2007 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Hall on the 8th Floor. More information will be contained in a press kit to be distributed.
For more information, please contact:
Brazille Musumba, Media Consultant, IGAD Secretariat, +249 92 4840472,
