Addis Ababa: The European Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have been seeking active engagement to foster a deeper partnership.
The European Union and IGAD launched their first comprehensive partnership dialogue on Sunday in Djibouti, marking a significant milestone in their collaborative efforts to address peace and security challenges in the Horn of Africa and beyond.
In his opening remarks, Workneh Gebeyehu, the IGAD Executive Secretary, underscored the crucial role of IGAD-EU collaboration in addressing the complex peace and security challenges affecting the Horn of Africa and its neighboring regions.
‘Today’s dialogue stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of both the EU and IGAD towards addressing the intricate peace and security challenges in the Horn of Africa and its peripheries.
Through our joint efforts, we embark on a journey of deeper collaboration, one that prioritizes mutual understanding, proactive engagement, and a shared vision for or sustainable
peace and development in the region,’ Workneh noted.
Sylvie Tabesse, the EU Ambassador to Djibouti and IGAD on her part, emphasized the importance of the dialogue in fostering a deeper political partnership between the EU and IGAD.
The dialogue comes on the heels of the IGAD Capacity Building Financial Agreement, signed three weeks prior, aiming at enhancing technical and programmatic cooperation.
In its press release sent to ENA, IGAD said the recent discussions focused on political matters, particularly the peace processes in the Horn of Africa, where IGAD plays an important role.
Participants underscored the EU’s continued support for IGAD-led peace initiatives, most notably through active engagement of its Special Representative to the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber.
The discussions revolved around the current security situation in the region and beyond, according the press release.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency
The African Union (AU) member states should strive to uphold their respective national constitutions, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has advised.
The leaders, he said, were also expected to adhere to the presidential term limits in line with the rule of law to engender political stability and democratic governance.
The manipulation of democratic processes, including tampering with electoral laws, constitutional provisions and term limits with the goal of benefitting at the expense of democratic norms and principles ought not to be entertained, he cautioned.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, addressing the Second AU Reflection Forum on Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs), in Accra, said it was worrying that some member states were bent on undermining the Accra Declaration.
The Declaration acknowledges that the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government, expanding threat of terrorism and violent extremism across the continent, as well as transnational organised crime, are negatively impa
cting the peace, security, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity of some member states.
Africa continues to face structural challenges in adequately addressing the root causes of terrorism, violent extremism, and unconstitutional changes of government – a development that has exacerbated the continent’s growing political turmoil.
The Second AU Reflection Forum is on the theme, ‘Robust Response, Deepening Democracy, Sustainable Security’.
The two-day Forum is expected to build on the first edition held in March 2022, and on the Declaration on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Africa, also known as the Malabo Declaration.
The stakeholders will exchange views on consolidating democratic governance, advancing national ownership of governance processes, and strengthening constitutionalism and the rule of law in Africa.
They will align on coordination and coherence to effectively implement the Malabo and Accra Declarations.
President Akufo-Addo expressed unequivocal condemnati
on of any ascent to power that was outside constitutional provisions and inimical to democratic norms.
The Accra Declaration, he noted, affirmed the continent’s collective commitment on the principles of zero tolerance for coup d’etats.
‘When we gathered here two years ago, four members of our Union had been suspended due to their unconstitutional changes of governments in their territories.
‘Today, two years later, the situation has worsened. As we gather here, six member states of the Union have been suspended for the same reasons .
‘This is an extraordinary occurrence in our efforts to safeguard democracy in Africa,’ he noted.
On the relevance of the Forum, the President urged the participants to take the discussions seriously since democratic governance and the rule of law were cardinal factors to enhance prosperity and development.
Source: Ghana News Agency