CEWARN is looking for an  editor with a demonstrable track record to co-direct content development and undertake rigorous editing of all contents of the CEWARN compendium 2003-2013.  The CEWARN compendium book project is initiated to commemorate CEWARN’s decade-long operations as an early warning and response mechanism serving the IGAD region – in building national and regional capabilities to anticipate and prevent violent conflicts. The compendium will cover the mechanism’s experiences, methodological development, accomplishments and challenges in conflict prevention and mitigation in the 2003-2011period.

The timing of the project is also aligned with a period of transition at CEWARN towards a new phase of operations. It is, therefore, aimed at catalyzing strategic thinking and a forward-looking reflection on emerging nature and dynamics of peace and security in the region as well as how best CEWARN can position itself.

See TOR for more details.

Deadline for Application: 17 May 2013

CEWARN releases a summary of its performance review report for January-December 2012. Notable achievements include the launch of the CEWARN regional strategy framework for 2012-2019, on 4 September 2012 in Kampala and an overall more active engagement with high-level policy and decision makers in member states including H.E. Dr. Riek Machar, Vice President of The Republic of South Sudan and H.E. Hon Janet Museveni, First Lady of The Republic Uganda and Minister for Karamoja Affairs.

CEWARN has also launched a national Conflict Early Warning and Response Unit (CEWERU) in South Sudan which will be the mechanism’s in-country unit on 5th May 2012. This was followed by a series of measures to strengthen the country’s national Conflict Early Warning and Response System (CEWERS) including through a training programme on conflict prevention, management and resolution in November 2012. During the same period, CEWARN has taken substantial steps in rolling out the new strategy by spearheading IGAD’s programme for peaceful General Elections in Kenya on 4 March 2013. Some of the major steps that were taken in this regard in 2012 include the provision of scenarios for security services at the permanent secretary level, from 7-9 December 2012 in Kampala.

CEWARN is hosting the 12th technical meeting between the African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on the operationalisation of the Continental Early warning System (CEWS) in Kampala, Uganda from 17-18 April 2013. The meeting offers a platform for exchange of ideas among the various early warning systems with the aim of fast tracking harmonization efforts and the realization of a full-fledged Continental Early Warning System (CEWS).

Those in attendance include technical teams of the early warning systems of the AU, CEN-SAD, COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD and SADC who will be presenting a progress report on their work. The AU and RECs concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2008 to strengthen functional collaboration amongst them including the development of standard tools and methodologies.

CEWARN is looking for competent individuals from the region to undertake studies that map effective and available means/methodologies of information collection and networks targeting seven cross-border areas (refer to list of target areas in TOR).

The studies are also aimed at identifying and recommending top three effective and inexpensive ongoing data gathering efforts in the relevant pilot areas by NGOs, developmental agencies or government. Application Deadline: 31 March 2013. See TOR for more details and application guidelines.

The IGAD Executive Secretary, H.E. Ambassador Mahboub Maalim  congratulated the people of Kenya for maintaining peace throughout the election process and praised them for high turnout and exemplary discipline on the 4th March polling day demonstrating to the region and the whole world their democratic maturity.

Refer to news release for full statement

The Joint election observer mission of COMESA, EAC and IGAD to Kenya, today issued a preliminary statement. According to the statement: “The preliminary conclusion for the period up to the polling and early stage of the counting process is that the will of Kenyan citizens has been freely expressed.

The Joint Mission will continue to follow the electoral process and each Regional Economic Community (REC) represented in the Mission will produce a comprehensive final report upon the conclusion of the process.”

Refer to full version of the statement for reference.

CEWARN is looking for competent individuals from the region to undertake studies that map effective and available means/methodologies of information collection and networks targeting seven cross-border areas (refer to list of target areas in TOR).

The studies are also aimed at identifying and recommending top three effective and inexpensive ongoing data gathering efforts in the relevant pilot areas by NGOs, developmental agencies or government.

Application Deadline: 10 March 2013.

See TOR for more details and application guidelines.

A joint high-level delegation of the AU Panel of the Wise, and COMESA Committee of Elders, working closely with IGAD just concluded a week-long pre-election assessment mission to Kenya ahead of its March 4th, General Elections. The mission ran from January 16th – 22nd, 2013.

IGAD’s participation and support to the mission is part of its ongoing support to ensure peaceful elections in Kenya. The mission engaged with several stakeholders in Nairobi and Nakuru, in the Rift Valley Province, that was the epicenter of the 2007-2008 post election violence.

The team also received a briefing from IGAD’s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN) on outcomes of earlier Scenario development exercises for early warning that targeted high-level Kenyan government officials.

Refer to Communique.

CEWARN is looking for a competent lead consultant to develop and deliver CEWARN Facilitator trainers course.

Deadline for Applications: 4 February 2013.

The Consultant will lead in the development and delivery of a class of CEWARN Facilitator Trainers for Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan in 2013. He or she will develop a training of trainers course made up of different modules that may be delivered by CEWARN’s institutional partners, and will play a leading role in harmonizing pedagogical approaches and training dynamics.

For more information on the assignment and application requirements, send an email request to CEWARN via cewarn@cewarn.org and receive the Terms of Reference.

This week, the Executive Secretary of IGAD Eng. Mahboub Maalim and CEWARN Director Dr. Martin Kimani as well as high-ranking diplomats from the region, including Amb. Monica Juma,  the Kenyan Ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Permanent Representative to the African Union and IGAD , appeared on K24 TV’s Capital Talk to send messages of solidarity to Kenya on the upcoming elections.

See links below for each of the interviews:

a)  Eng. Mahboub Maalim – IGAD Executive Secretary on Captial Talk, K24 TV – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eShmexF1Pc –

b) Dr. Martin Kimani, CEWARN Director on Capital talk, K24 TV  – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dko_YFs43TQ

c) Amb. Monica Juma, Kenyan Ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti & Permanent Representative to the AU, IGAD & UNECA  on Capital Talk, K24 TV – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjrq6xj7bKA

IGAD is spearheading regional initiatives to ensure peaceful elections in Kenya in 2013 and a number of these initiatives in terms of providing early warning and instilling high-level multi-agency preparedness for early response will be led through its Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN).