The IGAD Protocol on free movement of persons – reducing trans-boundary risk
This case study belongs to a compendium of good practices and success stories in disaster risk reduction shared during the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025). These stories reflect the real-world progress being made by governments, communities, and organizations around the world to reduce risk and build resilience.
Investing in prevention isn’t always related to financing, it can also take the form of normative work and legal milestones. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), made up of eight Member States from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley, and African Great Lakes, took a groundbreaking step toward disaster resilience with its Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, endorsed in 2020. Uganda formalized its commitment to this vision by signing the protocol on May 14, 2024, alongside Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia. These endorsements mark an important milestone in IGAD’s mission to operationalize a regional system for population mobility.
In a region where droughts, floods, landslides, and food insecurity are frequent and intensifying, the ability to move freely in search of safety can mean a significant difference in someone’s life. The Protocol enables people affected by natural hazards to cross borders and access safety, shelter, and support in neighboring countries. It's an approach rooted in compassion, shared responsibility, and the recognition that climate-related disasters do not stop at national boundaries.
This protocol reflects a collective agreement that affected individuals can receive assistance and protection outside their home countries. What makes it unique is its proactive stance. Instead of waiting for a crisis to escalate, it is building legal pathways and policy frameworks in anticipation of a better coordinated disaster response across borders. This initiative is a model for how good governance and multilateral agreements can increase resilience.
Source: Shared at a GP2025 Media Hub interview by the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology Kenya.