IGAD Eminent Personalities Forum in Nairobi Calls for Deeper Inclusion of Women and Youth in Peacebuilding
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By James Nyaigoti,
At a critical juncture for regional peace and stability, Nairobi today hosted the IGAD Regional Forum for Eminent Personalities and Leaders for Peace at the Radisson Blu Hotel, bringing together influential voices across government, diplomacy, and civil society to renew the Horn of Africa’s commitment to preventive diplomacy and inclusive conflict resolution.
The forum, convened under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), spotlighted the evolving role of senior leaders in Track II diplomacy—non-governmental, informal conflict mediation—and emphasized the urgent need to institutionalize the inclusion of women and youth in these processes.
In her keynote address, Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts, and Heritage, Hanna W. Cheptumo, framed the event as both a “privilege and profound responsibility” to harness the region’s collective wisdom to address conflict, displacement, and despair that plague many IGAD member states.
“Throughout our history, women and young people have consistently emerged as agents of preventive diplomacy often through unofficial channels we now seek to elevate,” said Cheptumo, citing Kenya’s own gender-transformative policies. These include the 2019 National Policy on Gender and Development, the Sexual Offences Act (2019), and a robust GBV Monitoring & Evaluation Framework, all of which she said have yielded “measurable peace dividends.”
Cheptumo proposed the creation of a regional framework for Track II mediation anchored in mentorship, cross-border training, and cultural heritage, emphasizing that “senior women and men, youth and elders must work together” to establish peace across generations.
Stark Reminder of Femicide Crisis
In a powerful moment, the CS recalled the 5,578 women and girls lost to femicide in 2024 alone. “Each number represents a life lost, a family shattered, and a failure of preventive diplomacy at the domestic level,” she said, calling for urgent and collective regional action to address structural gender violence alongside high-level diplomacy.
Kenya Reaffirms Commitment to Regional Leadership
Dr. Abraham Korir Sing’Oei, Principal Secretary at the State Department of Foreign Affairs, reaffirmed Kenya’s enduring role in regional peacebuilding and praised IGAD’s foresight in establishing the Council of Eminent Personalities during its 14th Ordinary Summit in 2023.
“We must harness the wisdom, moral authority, and trusted voice of these distinguished leaders to complement formal peace processes,” Dr. Sing’Oei stated. He highlighted the complex threats facing the Horn protracted conflicts, cross-border insecurity, and climate-induced humanitarian crises and called for innovative solutions rooted in Africa’s traditions.
“Our elders have always been our first mediatorsresolving family disputes, guiding communities, and restoring trust,” he said. “Their role is as essential today as it was centuries ago.”
IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu echoed the call for deeper introspection and renewed commitment to impartial peacebuilding. “Our legitimacy does not come from power, but from trust,” he said, urging regional actors to revisit the core principles that have traditionally upheld peace in the region: impartiality, wisdom, and community trust.
He posed a critical challenge to the assembly: “Have we remained as neutral as those giants who came before us, or have the winds of change eroded the foundations of our moral authority?”
Ambassador Hiroshi Matsuura of Japan was also in attendance, representing one of IGAD’s key development partners. Speakers lauded Japan’s sustained commitment to peace, gender inclusion, and cross-border collaboration across East Africa.
Looking Ahead: Youth Forums and Regional Dialogues
Looking forward, IGAD officials and Kenyan leaders outlined a roadmap that includes robust participation in the upcoming IGAD Youth Forum on Peace in Entebbe, the UN-AU Women’s Forum in Addis Ababa, and a continent-wide Youth Peace Conference to be hosted in Nairobi later this year.
Kenya also pledged full participation in the reinvigorated IGAD Women, Peace and Security Forum, emphasizing the integration of peace, climate resilience, land rights, and gender equity.
Conclusion
As the region grapples with persistent instability and new-generation conflicts, the IGAD Forum in Nairobi sent a resounding message: peace cannot be sustained without inclusive diplomacy, and lasting solutions must come from within the communities drawing from the time-honored wisdom of elders, and the courage and creativity of youth and women.
“Let history bear witness to this gathering,” Dr. Sing’Oei declared, “as a reaffirmation that Africa’s future peace will be built not only at the table of power but within the hearts of its people.”
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