IGAD (Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) Member States have produced a draft “Policy framework on the nexus between informal cross-border trade & cross-border security governance” (2018, 40pp) for enhancing cross-border cooperation and economic exchanges in the IGAD region. Exchanges and interactions between pastoralist, agropastoralist and crop-farming communities in dryland parts of the IGAD region play a critical role in the stability and sustainability of their livelhoods. The policy framework and its recommendations are the outcome of a consultative process based on over 25 research outputs. The main policy objectives are: i) to achieve a common understanding and attitudinal shift concerning informal cross-border trade; ii) to attain policy convergence related to these activities, e.g. by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and opening more border-crossing points; iii) to improve peace and security across borderlands; and iv) to promote inclusion of borderland communities in decisions affecting their lives.
Posted on 24 November 2018 in General Policy Documents, Pastoralism & Marketing, Pastoralism & Peacebuilding