21 Jun 2006: Statement: Launch of the IGAD Capacity Building Programme Against Terrorism and the Opening of the ISS Office in Addis Ababa

Statement on the Launch of the IGAD Capacity Building Programme Against Terrorism and the Opening of the ISS Office in Addis Ababa

 

 

The Institute for Security Studies is proud to announce the launch of the IGAD Capacity Building Programme Against Terrorism (ICPAT) and the opening of its office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 

(Picture: ISS staff members Guy Lamb, Grace Mulinge and Charles Goredema at the launch)

The office and programme were officially launched at a ceremony in Addis Ababa on 13 June 2006 that was attended by the ISS Executive Director, Dr Jakkie Cilliers, the Acting Head of the ISS Office in Addis Ababa, Amb Hiruy Amanuel (former Ethiopian Ambassador to Germany), members of the ISS Management Board as well as invited guests. The events coincided with a meeting of the Management Board of the Institute (on 13 June) and the first meeting of the ICPAT project steering committee (on 14 June).  The latter consists of IGAD member states, donors to the project, the IGAD secretariat and the ISS.

 

IGAD Capacity Building Programme Against Terrorism (ICPAT)

 

The main purpose for the opening of an ISS office in Addis Ababa is to implement the work of ICPAT in accordance with an agreement between IGAD (the Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the ISS.  This programme is geared towards the member states of IGAD, namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda. It is mandated through the IGAD Heads of State Counter-Terrorism Implementation Plan that was approved at the IGAD Summit in Uganda on 24th October 2003 which called for concerted action in the following areas:

• measures to establish a regional approach to counter terrorism with a broader international strategy,
• measures to counter the financing of terrorism,
• enhancing of operational capacity to counter illegal cross border movement,
• enhancing operational capacity to record and share information,
• ensuring the protection of human rights in counterterrorism operations,
• educational programs to enhance public support.

 

ICPAT is divided into five components, namely:

• enhancement of judicial measures;
• optimisation of interdepartmental cooperation;
• enhancement of border control;
• information sharing and best practices;
• enhancement of strategic cooperation (project management, collaboration and coordination)

 

The four year programme aims at achieving its objectives by carrying out desk and field research, holding workshops at national and regional levels, issuing publications and implementing training activities in accordance with the agreement with IGAD. 

 

The programme is currently funded by contributions from Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, Sweden and Spain. More countries and institutions are expected to join in the financing of the programme.

 

Other ISS Activities in Addis Ababa

 

Co-located with ICPAT, the ISS office will also facilitate a variety of ISS initiatives with the African Union and other research institutions.

 

An initiative that is due to be launched during October aims to inform direct conflict prevention through a partnership arrangement with a network of African peace and security institutes.  That project will focus on policy research, providing a platform for policy debate and discussion, facilitating exchange of information with the UN and EU, and proving reports and analysis for direct conflict prevention and management purposes. 

 

There are a number of short-term projects to be carried out in collaboration with the Center for Policy Research and Dialogue in Addis Ababa. One concerns a study on local conflicts in the Horn and their sub regional implications, and the other is on promoting Security Sector Reform in the Horn of Africa.

 

The opening of an office in Addis Ababa follows on the launch of the ISS Office in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2006 and further enhances the positioning of the Institute as a leading policy research institution on the African continent.

 

For more information, please contact Dr Jakkie Cilliers, Tel +27 12 346 9500 or email [email protected]

 

Issued by the Institute for Security Studies
Pretoria
21 June 2006