The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has urged its member states to strengthen their commitment to the regional bloc as conflict, hunger, displacement and financial problems continue to test its ability to respond to crises in the Horn of Africa.
IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said the organisation needed stronger backing from member states as it moves to implement its new treaty and deal with growing regional challenges.
Gebeyehu spoke on Tuesday in Djibouti while opening the 74th Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Council of Ministers, attended by foreign ministers and representatives from member states.
The meeting is addressing peace and security, humanitarian concerns and the implementation of the new IGAD Treaty. Ministers are also considering institutional matters and ways to improve collective action among countries in the region.
Gebeyehu said conflicts and crises were now affecting essential supplies and services, including food, fuel, ports and humanitarian operations.
He said nearly 49 million people were acutely food insecure, while more than 19 million people were displaced within their own countries.
“Wars far beyond our region now reach into our ports, our fuel pumps, our grain markets and our humanitarian budgets. Close to forty-nine million of our people are acutely food insecure, and more than nineteen million are displaced within their own countries. Sudan remains the epicentre of one of the gravest emergencies in the world today,” he said.
The region is facing several pressures at the same time, including climate change, conflict and economic shocks. IGAD's food and nutrition security strategy also lists pests and diseases among the threats to livelihoods and food supplies.
Displacement remains another major challenge. In June, IGAD said more than 5.5 million refugees and asylum seekers were being hosted across the region, besides millions of people displaced inside their countries.
Despite the challenges, Gebeyehu cited progress made by IGAD in the first half of the year. He said 77 per cent of the organisation's priority areas were on track, while its early warning system had surpassed its half-year target for decision-support products and supported three election observation missions.
Its groundwater information system had recorded 99.9 per cent availability across more than 42,000 monitored wells, springs and dams, he said.
The regional body's universal health coverage index had also increased from 60 to 65, against a target of 70 by 2027. Anticipatory action frameworks were operating in four of IGAD's seven member states.
Gebeyehu congratulated Djibouti, Ethiopia and Uganda on elections held under IGAD observation and said the organisation was now turning its attention to South Sudan ahead of elections planned for December.
He also welcomed Sudan's return to full participation in IGAD in February after almost two years away. In July, Gebeyehu travelled to Khartoum, where IGAD reopened its mission as part of efforts to strengthen engagement with the Sudanese government and support peace and recovery.
On the new treaty, Gebeyehu said five of IGAD's seven member states had ratified the agreement, which is meant to provide a new framework for cooperation in peace and security, climate resilience, infrastructure, health and regional integration.
He warned, however, that the treaty would require greater ownership and financial support from member states.
“The strain is real, it is measurable, and it is also very solvable.”
Gebeyehu asked the Council to prioritise three measures: stabilising essential operations, clearing historical financial arrears and creating a financing framework to avoid similar problems in future.
He also called for preparations for the approaching El Niño season and urged IGAD to ensure the region takes an active role in artificial intelligence development.
“As we transition into the new Treaty dispensation, we must ensure this Organisation is well positioned for the chapter ahead. The Treaty is our constitutional foundation, and its success depends ultimately on the ownership and commitment of Member States,” he said.
The meeting comes as IGAD marks 40 years since its establishment, with the bloc seeking stronger regional cooperation as security, humanitarian and climate challenges continue to cross national borders.