IGAD set to Convene the 4th Conference of Ministers in Charge of Education
Drake Nyamugabwa
Kampala: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is organising for the 4th Conference of Ministers in Charge of Education Entebbe, Uganda, scheduled from 27th to 30th May, 2024.
The theme of the conference is: "Towards Quality and Inclusive Education for All," this conference is expected to endorse the IGAD Regional Qualifications Framework. It will also review achievements since the 3rd ministerial conference in March 2022 and address educational challenges faced by refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and host communities in the IGAD region.
Through collaborative efforts with stakeholders like GIZ, UNHCR, UNESCO, UNICEF, ECW, and the European Union, IGAD implements strategies in education, science, technology, and innovation aligned with Agenda 2063 and SDG4, promoting access to quality education for vulnerable populations.
Building on past initiatives such as the Djibouti Declaration and Plan of Action, the conference aims to review progress in implementing the Djibouti Declaration and the Addis Ababa Call for Action. It will also adopt a strategy for implementing educational programs in the context of 2024 as the African Year of Education under the theme "Educate Africa Fit for the 21st Century," addressing education needs, especially in conflict-affected areas.
With participation from member states' education ministries, refugee agencies, and partner organizations, the conference fosters diverse dialogue, advancing regional cooperation in education.
IGAD is working with relevant partners and stakeholders, including GIZ, UNHCR, UNESCO, UNICEF, ECW the European Union, and others to address the challenges in education both for the cross-border mobile population, refugees, returnees and other displaced people in the region usually in close consultation and advice from Member States. The IGAD regional interventions in education are informed by Agenda 2063 and its various sector-specific strategies, SDGs, notably SDG4, Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact on Migration (GCM).
In December 2017, IGAD organized the first high-level regional conference of ministers in charge of education in Djibouti. That Conference adopted the Djibouti Declaration and Plan of Action on education for refugees, returnees and host communities. This was followed by a series of awareness creation platforms, consultative meetings with partners; and biannual meetings of IGAD experts and two annual meetings of IGAD ministers in charge of education.
Despite the suspension of major activities owing to the COVID-19 lockdown in the course of 2020, IGAD implemented these initiatives as well as others adopted by the ministers in charge of education. IGAD also managed to organize the meeting of IGAD experts in charge of education and partners from 06 – 09 December 2021 which came up with strong recommendations that were reviewed and endorsed by IGAD Ministers in charge of Education 3rd Conference of IGAD Ministers in Charge of Education held between 28-30 March 2022 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The 4th Ministerial Conference will review the implementation status of those recommendations, including the elaboration of the IGAD Regional Qualifications Framework (IGADQF) which was done as recommended and adopted by the relevant experts, ready to be endorsed.
