Introduction

IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) with financial support from FAO funded by the EU organized a bilateral two days meeting between South Sudan and Sudan to launch the governance structure and sign the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on cross-border cooperation and coordination on animal health and sanitary measures in Juba, South Sudan . The technical meeting held on 17^th February 2020 launched the MoU governance structure and developed a harmonized calendar between the two countries for conducting surveillance and vaccination of cross-border animals against the identified priority trans-boundary animal diseases (TADs). A one-day meeting of Ministers responsible for animal resources in the two countries on 18th February 2020 who signed the MoU followed this. This achievement will strengthen the two countries’ cooperation and collaboration along their common borders to address animal health issues including disease surveillance, disease prevention & control, sharing of natural resources, diagnostic infrastructures and timely sharing of animal health and trade information. The technical and Ministerial meetings held back to back were attended by 25 and 29 participants respectively from the two countries. Participants included Ministers, Sudan Embassy officer, Veterinary technical staff from national and state governments, FAO, EU delegation and ICPALD.

Hon. James Janka Duku, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development of the Republic of South Sudan officially opened the meeting. He reiterated that signing the MoU on cross-border coordination and cooperation on animal health and sanitary measures will benefit the efforts towards harmonized management of trans-boundary animal diseases to enhance cross-border livestock trade. S. Sudan and Sudan should therefore put up mechanisms to regularize livestock trade between them to curb informal trade that denies the two countries revenue in form of uncollected tax. The Minister also emphasized the importance of commercialization of  livestock production and export from S. Sudan to international markets like in the Middle East and North Africa countries.  Welcome remarks were made by  Dr. Solomon Munyua ICPALD Director, Dr. Alameldin  Abdullah, Hon. Minister of Animal Resources, Republic of Sudan; Mr. Malo Meshack, FAO representative South Sudan and  Dr. Sinead Walsh; Ambassador – Head of EU Delegation

The two meetings achieved the following:

• The technical meeting launched the MoU governance structure and developed harmonized disease surveillance and vaccination calendar against priority cross border TADs,
• The two Ministers signed the MoU.

The ministerial meeting committed to:

• Advocate and maintain political will at the highest level of their two countries in support of the Memorandum of Understanding and the Implementation Framework aimed at ope-rationalizing the MOU
• Mobilize required resources from within their respective countries, in collaboration with IGAD and FAO from the Donor community to fund various activities in the MoU areas of cooperation and the implementation framework (IF)

 Recommendations and way forward from technical meeting:

1. Map out ongoing cross border initiatives and facilitate coordination among government and development partners’ funded projects
2. Facilitate awareness on cross border MoU during the community migration dialogue, at policy and development partner levels
3. Launch synchronized/ harmonized cross-border vaccination against priority TADs- at Abyei and Renk/ Maban border areas
4. IGAD to convene donor meeting to present the MoU and progress made and solicit resource mobilization
5. Develop a protocol for sharing of cross-border sanitary information and trade
6. Map out available cross-border natural resource and infrastructure facilities (labs, markets, quarantines) that support cross-border animal health and sanitary measures

ICPALD  acknowledges and appreciates the EU and FAO for funding this activity