The European Union and UNDP organized a joint action workshop to develop a joint action plan to boost cross-border cooperation between Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. by Anna moghilda/UNDP The 2-day workshop that was held on 16-17 January 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was organized by the Support for Effective Cooperation and Coordination of Cross-border Initiatives in Southwest Ethiopia-Northwest Kenya, Marsabit-Borana and Dawa, and Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia (SECCCI) project. The participants were drawn from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) who are the implementing partners, as well as UNDP Country Offices from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, the implementing agency UNDP Regional Service Center for Africa (RSCA) and the key donor, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Ethiopia. The EU Representative, Sabrina Bazzanella, Team Leader Migration, welcomed the participants. She said that the main objective of the meeting was to come up with a concrete coordination and cooperation action plan to guide the implementing partners’ transboundary interventions and to enhance their commitment to the project’s success to the benefit of the people who live in transboundary areas. Through a joint cross-border action plan, the workshop will accelerate cooperation between the Governments of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia in order to address the drivers of conflict and instability, irregular migration and forced displacement in the cross-border areas of the Horn of Africa. “UNDP and the UN system as a whole are enhancing their political engagement in recognition of the Horn of Africa’s Governments’ efforts towards prosperity, stability and peace. Under the cross-border initiative, we look forward to an enhanced stakeholders capacities in support of cross-border cooperation. Much can also be done by all of us to accompany an enhanced political engagement by a stronger programmatic approach across the development, humanitarian and peacebuilding nexus to build the institutional capacity for closer cooperation,” said Lamin Momodou Manneh, director of the UNDP RSCA. The SECCCI Project is funded by the EU, with co-financing contributions from UNDP and UNEP and has a budget of US$10 million. The project is implemented by the UNDP RSCA in partnership with UNEP and IGAD. The implementation is closely coordinated with the national and local Governments of Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. The overall objective of the project is to address the drivers of conflict and instability, irregular migration and displacement in the cross-border areas of the Horn of Africa through improved cross-border cooperation and coordination. Anna Moghilda is the Communications Specialist for the Support for Effective Cooperation and Coordination of Cross-border Initiatives in Southwest Ethiopia-Northwest Kenya, Marsabit-Borana and Dawa, and Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia (SECCCI) Project.
