25 February 2013: The first General Assembly of the Regional Platform on Drought Resilience and Sustainability has adopted a communiqué setting out next steps in operationalizing the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Regional Platform for Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability, including the approval of US$140.52 million for phase 1 of the IGAD Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood Programme.

The General Assembly met on 23 February 2013, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss reports on progress made in operationalizing the Platform, and to assess mechanisms for supporting the implementation of the drought resilience initiative. Governments, development partners and other stakeholders agreed to align development programmes with the elements of the initiative. They also committed to: establishing the Platform Steering Committee; increasing participation and integration of women, youth and other vulnerable groups into national and regional drought resilience initiatives; and setting up the IGAD Secretariat to coordinate and monitor drought disaster resilience interventions.

The Summit of the Heads of State and Government of countries in the IGAD region, which was held in September 2011, called for the urgent implementation of policies, strategies and programmes to build resilience to future climatic and economic shocks. A consultative ministerial meeting, held in November 2011, established the Regional Drought Resilience Platform, which is meant to support stakeholder discussions and the prioritization of interventions to support the IGAD Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (IDDRSI). The Platform is overseen by an Interim Steering Committee under the management of the IGAD Secretariat.

The next General Assembly meeting will take place in Kampala, Uganda, in March 2014. The eight member States of IGAD are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda. [AfDB Press Release] [Communiqué of the first General Assembly of the Regional Platform on Drought Resilience and Sustainability]