Intergovernmental Authority on Development

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Autorité intergouvernementale pour le développement
Seal
Headquarters		Djibouti City
Official languages		English
Membership		8 states Horn of Africa:  Djibouti  Eritrea  Ethiopia  Somalia Nile Valley:  Sudan  South Sudan African Great Lakes:  Kenya  Uganda
Leaders
•	Executive Secretary	Mahboub Maalim
Establishment		January 1986
Area
•	Total	5,204,977 km^2 1,997,303 sq mi
GDP (PPP)		estimate
•	Total	$337.82 billion
GDP (nominal)		estimate
•	Total	$197.202 billion
•	Per capita	$888.5
Time zone		East Africa Time (UTC+3)
Website www.igad.org

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. It includes governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes. Its headquarters are in Djibouti City.

Member states

Horn of Africa

•  Djibouti (founding member 1986)
•  Ethiopia (founding member 1986)
•  Somalia (founding member 1986)
•  Eritrea (admitted 1993)^[1]

Nile Valley

•  Sudan (founding member 1986)
•  South Sudan (admitted 2011)^[2]

African Great Lakes

•  Kenya (founding member 1986)
•  Uganda (founding member 1986)

Formation

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development was established in 1986. It succeeded the earlier Intergovernmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD), a multinational body founded in 1986 by Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, with a focus on development and environmental control. IGADD's headquarters were later moved to Djibouti, following an agreement signed in January 1986 by the member states. Eritrea joined the organization in 1993, upon achieving independence.^[3]

In April 1995, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government met in Addis Ababa, where they agreed to strengthen cooperation through the organization. This was followed with the signing of a Letter of Instrument to Amend the IGADD Charter / Agreement on 21 March 1996. The Revitalised I GAD, a new organizational structure, was eventually launched on 25 November 1996 in Djibouti.^[3]

IGASOM/AMISOM

In September 2006, the AU Peace and Security Council approved an IGAD proposal to deploy an IGAD Peace Support Mission in Somalia (IGASOM).^[4]

On 21 February 2007, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1744, which authorized the deployment of a new African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) in place of IGASOM.^[5]

Current situation

• IGAD is a principal supporter of the Federal Government of Somalia through the AMISOM initiative.
• IGAD expanded its activities in 2008 with initiatives to improve the investment, trade and banking environments of member states. The organization stressed the deployment of highly innovative programmes and mechanisms.

Structure

• The Assembly of Heads of State and Government is the supreme policy making organ of the Authority. It determines the objectives, guidelines and programs for IGAD and meets once a year. A Chairman is elected from among the member states in rotation.
• The Secretariat is headed by an Executive Secretary appointed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government for a term of four years renewable once. The Secretariat assists member states in formulating regional projects in the priority areas, facilitates the coordination and harmonization of development policies, mobilizes resources to implement regional projects and programs approved by the Council and reinforces national infrastructures necessary for implementing regional projects and policies. The current Executive Secretary is Eng. Mahboub Maalim of Kenya (since 14 June 2008).
• The Council of Ministers is composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and one other Minister designated by each member state. The Council formulates policy, approves the work program and annual budget of the Secretariat during its biannual sessions.
• The Committee of Ambassadors comprises IGAD member states' Ambassadors or Plenipotentiaries accredited to the country of IGAD Headquarters. It convenes as often as the need arises to advise and guide the Executive Secretary.

Comparison with other regional trade blocs

African Economic Community
Pillars regional blocs (REC)^1	Area (km²)	Population	GDP (PPP) ($US)		Member states
			in millions	per capita
AEC	29,910,442	853,520,010	2,053,706	2,406	54
ECOWAS	5,112,903	300,000,000	1,322,452	3,888	15
ECCAS	6,667,421	121,245,958	175,928	1,451	11
SADC	9,882,959	233,944,179	737,335	3,152	15
EAC	2,440,409	169,519,847	411,813	2,429	6
COMESA	12,873,957	406,102,471	735,599	1,811	20
IGAD	5,233,604	187,969,775	225,049	1,197	7
Other African blocs	Area (km²)	Population	GDP (PPP) ($US)		Member states
			in millions	per capita
CEMAC ^2	3,020,142	34,970,529	85,136	2,435	6
SACU	2,693,418	51,055,878	541,433	10,605	5
UEMOA ^1	3,505,375	80,865,222	101,640	1,257	8
UMA ^2	5,782,140	84,185,073	491,276	5,836	5
GAFTA ^3	5,876,960	166,259,603	635,450	3,822	5
^1 Economic bloc inside a pillar REC ^2 Proposed for pillar REC, but objecting participation ^3 Non-African members of GAFTA are excluded from figures   smallest value among the blocs compared   largest value among the blocs compared During 2004. Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database

See also

• East African Community (EAC)
• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)

Notes

1. "Intergovernmental Authority on Development: About us: History". IGAD. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
2. "East African bloc admits South Sudan as member". Reuters Africa. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
3. "IGAD - About us". Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
4. "SOMALIA: African Union endorses regional peace plan". IRIN. 14 September 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
5. "Resolution 1744 (2007)" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. Retrieved 25 August 2013.

External links

• IGAD official site
• Agreement Establishing the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
• IGAD Profile (Institute for Security Studies)
• Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN)