The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is an African trade association composed of eight nations. Governments from the Nile Valley, the African Great Lakes, and the Horn of Africa are included. Its main office is in Djibouti. In 1996, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development was founded. It supplanted the preceding Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD), a multilateral organization with an emphasis on development and environmental control that was established in 1986 by Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya. IGADD’s offices were subsequently relocated to Djibouti as a result of a deal the member governments reached in January 1986. After gaining its independence in 1993, Eritrea joined the group.
History
The Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD), founded in 1986, was replaced by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa in 1996. Between 1974 and 1984, the Eastern African region experienced extensive starvation, ecological destruction, and economic suffering as a result of repeated, severe droughts and other natural calamities. The size and scope of the issue urged for a regional approach to support national efforts, even while individual countries made significant efforts to deal with the situation and received tremendous help from the international community. Six nations in the Horn of Africa—Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda—acted through the UN in 1983 and 1984 to set up an international agency for regional development and drought management. The Agreement that founded the IGADD with a headquarters in Djibouti was signed during a meeting of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government that took place there in January 1986. After gaining its independence in 1993, the State of Eritrea joined as the seventh nation. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government issued a Declaration in Addis Ababa in April 1995 to revitalize IGADD and increase cooperation among member states. The Assembly of Heads of State and Government signed the “Letter of Instrument to Amend the IGADD Charter” on March 21, 1996, in Nairobi. This gave IGAD a new name: “The Intergovernmental Authority on Development. “The IGAD Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Djibouti, the Republic of Djibouti, established the revitalized IGAD on November 25, 1996, with expanded areas of regional cooperation and a new organizational structure.
Components of IGAD
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) includes the following components:
Agriculture and Environment Division
Since its founding in 1986, the Agriculture and Environment Division (AED) has played a crucial role in IGAD’s mandate, vision, and goal. The division oversees IGAD’s efforts in the areas of land governance, natural resource management, agriculture, and environmental protection. It oversees the Authority’s initiatives to promote sustainability and resilience. The division’s mission was to intervene in the fields of agricultural and food security, renewable energy and resource management, environmental preservation, good land governance, and the blue economy.
Economic Cooperation & Regional Integration
Promoting regional economic cooperation and integration among the IGAD Member States is the responsibility of the Economic Cooperation and Regional Integration Division (ECRID). The Division assists IGAD in fulfilling its primary strategic objective by working in the fields of trade, tourism development, transportation, ICT, macroeconomic policies, integration, industry, and the growth of regional value chains.
Health and Social Development
The Health and Social Development Division’s mission is to improve residents’ quality of life so that they can live longer. The division is addressing all issues related to human development and improving human capital throughout the IGAD area, with a special emphasis on youth, women, and other vulnerable populations. The division’s mandate is to plan, carry out, and supervise regional health projects for disadvantaged populations. To promote development for the people of the IGAD region, it also offers health and basic social services to the population that is most in need (cross-border mobile population, refugees, returnees, IDPs, pastoralist population).
Peace and Security Division
In 1996, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) was reactivated with a remit to address issues of peace and security. The creation of the “Political and Humanitarian Development” division, which was later renamed the Peace and Security Division in 2003, was made possible by IGAD’s expanded mandate to include political and economic development challenges.
Corporate Development Services
The four (4) thematic pillars’ defined interventions are to be implemented through the “Enabler” of the Strategy, which is the Corporate Development Services. The enablers will aid IGAD in effectively and efficiently carrying out its mandate of regional cooperation and integration. The primary corporate services are directly applicable and crosscutting in nature. To support the execution of IGAD’s mandate through its programs and projects at the regional and national levels, it is necessary to strengthen the organization’s systems and processes, human resource capability, and service delivery mechanism. The departments of Finance and Administration, as well as Planning Coordination and Partnerships, are responsible for the Corporate Development Services.
IGASOM/AMISOM
The AU Peace and Security Council granted IGAD’s request to send a peace support mission to Somalia (IGASOM) in September 2006. Resolution 1744, which authorized the deployment of a new African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in place of IGASOM, was adopted by the United Nations Security Council on February 21, 2007. The Federal Government of Somalia has received significant support from IGAD through the AMISOM and ATMIS programs. Initiatives to enhance the trade, banking, and investment climates of member states were added to the IGAD’s 2008 expansion of its activities. The organization emphasized the use of extremely cutting-edge programs and procedures.
