August 30, 2008 – Following a five day drafting process in Nairobi, a group of international experts have come up with a draft IGAD wide agreement on mutual legal assistance and extradition. The group comprised experts from ICPAT, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Commonwealth Secretariat, and two private legal consultants from the UK and Kenya, gathered in Nairobi for the ICPAT sponsored drafting session. It is to be recalled that the Ministers of Justice of IGAD member states meeting in Kampala, Uganda in September 2007 called on ICPAT – with the support of UNODC – to work on preparing a draft agreement for the approval and signature of IGAD member countries. The draft is shortly to be presented to a working group of legal experts from IGAD countries, and following their consideration of the text, it will be presented to the Ministers of Justice for further consideration and approval. Experts stress the importance of two remaining tasks – the first is the approval of the text by member states and its ratification; while the second is its implementation across the region. They believe that political will is essential to ensure that the agreement becomes a reality in the day to day life of the states that comprise the IGAD community.

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