The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Ministerial Conference on Women, Peace and Security concluded in Nairobi with far-reaching commitments aimed at institutionalising gender-transformative peacebuilding across the Horn of Africa.
The three-day conference, held from February 25–27 in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together ministers, senior government officials, United Nations representatives, development partners and regional experts to strengthen women’s leadership and participation in mediation and preventive diplomacy efforts across IGAD member states.
Landmark Regional Instruments Adopted
Delegates endorsed the establishment of the IGAD Women Mediation Advisory Board, designed as an independent mechanism to provide strategic counsel and technical expertise in inclusive mediation processes.
The Board is expected to reinforce preventive diplomacy efforts and ensure women and youth are systematically integrated into peace negotiations rather than treated as symbolic participants.
The conference also formally adopted the IGAD Gender Statistics Strategy (2026–2030), a framework aimed at harmonising gender-disaggregated data across the region.
The strategy will strengthen evidence-based policymaking, accountability systems and monitoring mechanisms related to peacebuilding and development.
In addition, IGAD launched the Gendered Intersectionality Toolkit, a policy instrument that integrates analysis of overlapping identities including gender, age and socio-economic status into early warning systems, conflict prevention strategies and mediation initiatives.
Speaking on behalf of IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, Deputy Executive Secretary Mohamed Abdi Ware underscored the urgency of strengthening inclusive peace processes in a region facing protracted conflicts, displacement and climate-related insecurity.
“None of us need reminding of the pressures facing the Horn of Africa and the wider IGAD region. Conflicts have persisted for years with no resolution in sight,” Ware said.
He emphasized that women and youth, though disproportionately affected by conflict, remain underrepresented in formal peace negotiations despite playing critical roles at community level.
“They broker local ceasefires at community checkpoints when the formal process has fallen silent. They hold the social fabric together when institutions cannot reach far enough,” he said.
Ware clarified that the Advisory Board is not intended as a symbolic gesture.
“This is not a symbolic body. It is not a gesture toward inclusion. The Advisory Board is designed as an independent mechanism that brings strategic counsel, technical expertise and hard-won knowledge directly into IGAD-led mediation.”
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture and Children’s Services, Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, described the initiative as a historic step toward institutionalising women’s leadership in regional peace efforts.
“Sustainable peace in the IGAD region cannot be achieved without the full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all levels of decision-making from the village level to national leadership,” she said.
Cheptumo urged member states to strengthen National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security and translate regional commitments into measurable national reforms.
The United Nations and development partners reiterated support for IGAD’s agenda. Adama Moussa, Deputy Regional Director for UN Women Eastern and Southern Africa, warned that ongoing humanitarian crises across the region continue to disproportionately affect women and girls.
“These figures are not abstract; they represent lives disrupted, rights violated and futures constrained,” Moussa said, noting that millions across the region remain displaced by conflict and insecurity.
Also present were Guang Cong, the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa, and Hiroshi Matsuura, Ambassador of Japan to Kenya, both of whom reaffirmed continued partnership with IGAD to mainstream gender perspectives in mediation and peace processes.
Structured Regional Mediation Architecture
Day One of the conference focused on the Draft IGAD Mediation Board Roadmap, with delegates engaging in technical sessions to refine the Board’s mandate, governance structure and implementation phases. Participants validated the consolidated draft roadmap through a consensus-based review process.
Day Two centred on governance structures, resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and country-specific priorities within the IGAD strategy framework. Delegates consolidated feedback in plenary before formally adopting the Gender Statistics Strategy.
As the conference closed, ministers and delegates issued a strong collective resolve to strengthen women’s leadership in mediation, enhance harmonised gender data systems, and advance inclusive security frameworks across the IGAD region.
The meeting called on member states to nominate qualified candidates to the Advisory Board, invest in national gender data systems, and support women-led peace initiatives to ensure that commitments made in Nairobi translate into tangible progress on the ground.
The engagement marked a significant step in regional efforts to institutionalise women’s participation in peacebuilding, with leaders warning that lasting stability in the Horn of Africa cannot be achieved without their full and meaningful inclusion.
