ADDIS ABABA, May 26 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, on Sunday disclosed the endorsement of a regional protocol to effectively prevent and manage security perils in the region.
"The Protocol to the agreement establishing IGAD Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation will serve as a main guide for member states to effectively, efficiently and transparently design interventions, deploy envoys or mediators and largely engage in conflict prevention, management and resolution in the region," IGAD said in a statement on Sunday.
The protocol on the establishment of IGAD's Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation is mainly expected to effectively respond to regional security challenges through early warning mechanism, according to IGAD.
The eight-member regional body indicated that the protocol was developed through a consultancy intervention, which was provided for due consideration by legal and technical experts who were drawn from IGAD member countries.
According to IGAD, series of consultations with legal and technical experts from key institutions of the member states preceded the endorsement of the protocol on May 23 to 24 so as to undertake a final review of the protocol.
Representatives from IGAD member countries, under the Committee of Ambassadors platform, also approved the IGAD Mediation Support Unit to establish mechanisms that aimed to strengthen and enhance mediation capacity of East African countries.
The eight-member group comprises of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
