<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Archaedious Kubai | Nairobi<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nairobi, Kenya<\/strong> \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n The IGAD Regional Forum for Eminent Personalities and Leaders for Peace convened today at the Radisson Blu Hotel, bringing together top-tier government officials, diplomats, and civil society actors to reaffirm the Horn of Africa’s shared commitment to inclusive conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the high-level meeting spotlighted the evolving role of senior leaders in Track II diplomacy<\/em>\u2014informal, non-governmental mediation efforts\u2014and emphasized the urgent need to institutionalize the participation of women and youth in peace processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Hon. Aisha Jumwa Cheptumo, delivered the keynote address, hailing the gathering as a \u201cprivilege and profound responsibility\u201d in tackling persistent regional challenges including displacement, gender-based violence, and recurring conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThroughout our history, women and young people have consistently emerged as agents of preventive diplomacy\u2014often through unofficial channels we now seek to elevate,\u201d said Cheptumo.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n She referenced Kenya\u2019s progressive policies\u2014such as the 2019 National Policy on Gender and Development, the Sexual Offences Act (2019), and a robust GBV Monitoring & Evaluation Framework\u2014as examples that have yielded \u201cmeasurable peace dividends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cheptumo proposed the creation of a regional Track II mediation framework rooted in cross-border mentorship, intergenerational dialogue, and cultural heritage. She emotionally invoked the memory of 5,578 women and girls killed by femicide in 2024<\/strong>, calling the deaths \u201ca tragic indictment of our failure in preventive diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEach number represents a life lost, a family shattered, and a failure of diplomacy at the domestic level,\u201d she stated, urging coordinated regional action against structural violence targeting women.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Kenya\u2019s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abraham Korir Sing\u2019Oei, praised IGAD\u2019s vision for forming the Council of Eminent Personalities, reiterating Kenya\u2019s long-standing role in promoting peace across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe must harness the wisdom, moral authority, and trusted voices of these leaders to supplement formal peace efforts,\u201d said Dr. Sing\u2019Oei, advocating for indigenous solutions to protracted conflicts, climate-induced crises, and cross-border insecurity.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n He added: \u201cOur elders have always mediated family disputes, guided communities, and rebuilt trust\u2014their role today is just as vital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n IGAD Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, issued a pointed challenge to participants, urging deeper reflection on the region\u2019s moral compass in peacebuilding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur legitimacy does not come from power but from trust,\u201d he said. \u201cHave we remained as neutral as those giants before us, or have the winds of change eroded our moral authority?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The event was attended by key development partners including Japan\u2019s Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Hiroshi Matsuura<\/strong>, who received praise for Japan\u2019s long-standing support of gender equality, peace, and cross-border cooperation across East Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking ahead, leaders presented a roadmap to deepen regional cooperation through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kenya also pledged full participation in the revitalized IGAD Women, Peace and Security Forum<\/strong>, with an emphasis on land rights, gender equity, climate resilience, and peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet history bear witness to this gathering,\u201d said Dr. Sing\u2019Oei. \u201cAfrica\u2019s future peace will not be forged only at the table of power, but in the hearts and homes of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Archaedious Kubai | Nairobi Nairobi, Kenya \u2014 The IGAD Regional Forum for Eminent Personalities and Leaders for Peace convened today at the Radisson Blu Hotel, bringing together top-tier government officials, diplomats, and civil society actors to reaffirm the Horn of Africa’s shared commitment to inclusive conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy. Organized by the Intergovernmental …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":17860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17858"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17859,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17858\/revisions\/17859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n\n