Armed conflict has been the hallmark of the region for more than half a century. Whether the underlying cause was ethnic nationalism, competition for resources, the egomania of its leaders, or the involvement of outside forces, the region’s past has been characterized by confrontation rather than cooperation and coexistence. This has cost the region in blood and treasure, preventing it from realizing its full potential. This past of violent conflict and mutual distrust hangs over the people of the region. Will that past continue to be an albatross around our necks, condemning the region to continued mutual destruction, or would we learn from it to formulate new ideas and insights that help us change our ways and move the community to a higher plane characterized by peace, democracy, human rights, and mutual understanding of our common destiny. It is against this backdrop that Ethiopians, Somalis, Eritreans, and Djiboutians have come together to form the Horn of Africa Peace and Development Center to make sure that we choose the latter course and invest the time and resources necessary for its realization.

The Center will engage the community at all levels, both public and private, and implement projects to enhance mutual understanding between the various nationalities, bridging the gap through education and information. These projects include democracy and good governance workshops, seminars, commissioned studies, and targeted scholarships in all the countries of the Horn.

The countries of the region are endowed with great potential in both human and material resources. It is ironic that the people in the HOA suffer extreme levels of poverty, while they live in a sub-region which is rich in natural resources. With more efficient management, these resources could dramatically transform the economic conditions of the population and alleviate their suffering. The irony is much more pronounced when considering the fact that while Ethiopia suffers from recurring droughts, its waters (Blue Nile) cascade to Egypt providing it with 85% of its needs.

It is well known that the HOA has vast agricultural, water, mineral and energy resources, which continue to await appropriate policy (including a more practical system of land tenure), planning, investment and development. There is no doubt that a more efficient exploitation of the available natural resources through strategic measures such as the improvement of the backward agricultural system as well as the poor infrastructure throughout the sub-region and the introduction of irrigation systems could effectively bolster the economic performance of the sub-region. An effective change from the current anachronistic system of access to land in parts of the region to one based on private land ownership could bring about a substantial improvement in the performance of the agricultural sector.

It is also worth noting that the youthful population of nearly 100 million in the HOA could provide not only an abundant reservoir of human resources but also generate a substantial demand for goods and services that would benefit the international community in the long run.

Situated as it is along the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, the HOA and its ports could become major entrepots of international commerce and trade. Additionally, as part of the international collaboration in dealing with global terrorism, USA and France have established military facilities in the Horn of Africa.