IGAD Center for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) organized a regional meeting to establish and launch the Regional Export Quarantines Network (NEQ). The meeting took place at Grand Holiday Villa Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan from 30 September-Oct 01, 2015. The region is rich in livestock resources, which is the major source of livelihood for millions of agro-pastoralists and pastoralists. The demand for livestock and livestock products in the region, in Africa and in the Middle East is high and raising. In 2014, the region exported 9.6 million of live animals to Middle East and North African countries through the export quarantines.

Considering that the importance and the number of quarantines has increased; it is imperative that the export quarantines network be established at regional level to enable them exchange lessons and good practices; assist in addressing challenges including lack of trust and transparency from the importing countries and improve capacity for enhanced compliance and market competitiveness.

The participants were Directors of Veterinary Services and Managers of quarantine stations from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan. Also in attendance were representatives from AU-IBAR, ICPALD, USAID Sudan and the OIE. The workshop was officially opened by Dr. kamal; under Secretary ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rangelands; Sudan

The network approved the ToR; organizational structure and appointed coordinator and vice coordinators. Finally the workshop recommended the following main actions to be implemented by the Network, IGAD/ICPALD & AUIBAR; develop, harmonize and document SOPs for markets, holding grounds, pre-quarantine, quarantine and post-quarantine practices and procedures, mobilize resources to support operations of the regional network for quarantine, undertake continuous dialogue with importing countries (MENA) to address the issues and complaints by the exporting countries and to give priority attention to rolling out the SMP for export quarantine in collaboration with member states , AU-IBAR, IGAD/ICPALD and other partners

We are grateful to USAID (SMP-AH project) for financing this event.