Developing an Integrated Livestock Early Warning and Timely Action (ILEW-TA) System in IGAD Region

The Regional Stakeholders' Validation Workshop and the Technical Forum on "Developing and Sustaining an Integrated Livestock Early Warning and Timely Action (ILEW-TA) System in IGAD Region" were co-hosted by AU-IBAR and Intergovernmental Authority on Development/ Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (IGAD/ICPALD). The European Union sponsored the event, which took place in Naivasha, Kenya, on April 27th and 28th, 2023 as part of the Sustainable Development for Livestock for Livelihoods in Africa (Live2Africa) Project.

Dr. Adan Baka, the Representative of IGAD/ICPALD, as well as delegates from IGAD Member States (Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda), representatives from the Developmental and Technical partners, colleagues from the Technical Partners (FAO), and AU-IBAR staff, were also present at the meeting.

This meeting was preceded by a regional consultation for "Developing and Sustaining an Integrated Livestock Early Warning and Timely Action Systems" in the IGAD Region. The purpose of the meeting was to:

Review and assess the status of the existing early warning systems relevant to livestock, their components, parameters, and stakeholders’ engagement analysis on the national and regional levels in the IGAD region.
•     Discuss and build consensus on integrating and coordinating (packaging) the various critical parameters into an Integrated Livestock Early Warning and Timely Action System to benefit the users.
•     To agree on the way forward on how to develop consistent monitoring and alert system and advocate for Early Warning and Timely Action.

Prof. James Wabacha, speaking at the Regional validation workshop and technical forum's inauguration, explained that the purpose of the gathering was to receive feedback on and validate a preliminary report on the state of regional early warning systems.  He also mentioned that day two of the meeting would be spent developing and building consensus on the ILEW-TA System operationalization sketch, as well as planning the next steps to be taken in order to advocate for the adoption and implementation of the proposed Integrated Livestock Early Warning System.

The stakeholders agreed that there is a great need to assess Early Warning and Timely Early Action in IGAD member states with regard to significant elements that require actions in an "Integrated Manner".  It was unanimously agreed that if the early warning for the above parameters is adequately coordinated, packaged, and shared in a timely manner, it can minimize the negative impacts on the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities migrating in the region and beyond, and therefore control the livestock movement-caused conflicts and enhance the resilience of the involved communities.

A key output of the meeting was the development of a roadmap that will aid in additional stakeholder engagement towards the development of an integrated system for the IGAD region.