Heads of State and Government of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) today (March 30) convened a Virtual Summit to discuss coordination & regional response to curb the spread of COVID19.
The regional organization’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu announced on his Twitter page that the Heads of State & Government decided to adopt a regional response strategy.
The leaders also made a resolution to establish an emergency fund while calling on the international community for a globally coordinated approach, he added.
The leaders briefed the summit on the measures their respective countries have taken to avert the spread of COVID-19.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed said on his Twitter page that the leaders noted the importance of collective leadership as a means of withstanding the challenges COVID19 is posing globally.
“Seeking support together, providing needed materials that each of us have an advantage over, and exchanging experiences closely, is vital to our survival,” the Premier added in expressing the points of an agreement by participants in the summit.
Concerned about the continuous supply of food and essential commodities in the region, Uganda’s President Yoweri K Museveni advised the summit that the movement of cargo across the region be allowed to proceed, taking Standard Operating Procedures into account.
In a statement delivered to the summit Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmajo said: “The Corona Virus Epidemic must be the final wake up call for us all to work even more closely together for regional social, economic and political cooperation to ensure the security, development and common prosperity of our brotherly peoples.”
Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed President of Somalia, Riek Machar, First Vice President of South Sudan, representing Salva Kiir Mayardit President of South Sudan, and Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of Sudan and the Chair of IGAD took part in the virtual summit of the IGAD secretariat, this morning.
This is a developing story, Please check back at the Horndiplomat for Updates.
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