MAB Report Launch in Nairobi, Kenya

September 29, 2011

More than half of the people in sub-Saharan Africa live in poverty, and in certain parts of Eastern Africa, the poverty rate exceeds 80 percent. At least 40 percent of Africans do not have enough food, 50 percent suffer from water-related diseases, and 40 percent of women do not have access to basic education. The list goes on. Disease, food insecurity, and the lack of available and affordable healthcare and education are just a few obstacles countries in the region face.  Because of these development needs, the Managing Across Boundaries (MAB) program chose countries primarily in the Eastern Africa region as ones that would benefit from their unique model of "dual benefit" assistance.

MAB targeted nearly a dozen African countries - primarily focusing on Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania - and identified links between sustainable development issues, and human security and capacity-building needs in Eastern Africa, and then connected these needs with international security assistance supported under UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 1540.

On September 19, at a reception in Nairobi, Kenya, the MAB program launched their report - a culmination of this work and their findings in the region: Beyond Boundaries in Eastern Africa: Bridging the Security/Development Divide With International Security Assistance.

Kenyan government officials, representatives of regional organizations, and members of civil society in attendance at the reception were enthusiastic about the progress made, and prospects for forthcoming collaborations with MAB in order to improve both development and security in Eastern Africa.

Ambassador Ocheing Adala, former Kenyan Permanent Representative to the UN and current director of the Africa Peace Forum, giving opening remarks.

Next steps for MAB are to operationalize the core themes of the report.  In order to accomplish this, the team will work closely with the Kenyan government and civil society to assist them in attracting novel streams of assistance to fill capacity shortfalls, particularly in border security.  In other words, the team will help implement "dual-benefit" assistance solutions to bridge the divide between hard security concerns, such as border security that can contribute to nuclear weapons proliferation and terrorism, and softer security and development goals, particularly combating the spread of infectious diseases.

In the days following the reception, MAB director Mr. Brian Finlay and research analyst Mr. Johan Bergenas joined more than 40 Kenyan government officials during a workshop on strategic trade controls.  Mr. Finlay and Mr. Bergenas gave presentations covering various assistance opportunities and the "dual-benefit" model for implementing Resolution 1540.  The meeting was organized jointly by the United States Government and the University of Georgia's Center for International Security and Trade.

The Stimson Center, in partnership with governments, regional organizations, the United Nations and civil society, has already established successful pilot initiatives in the Caribbean and Central America. Analysis and programming is being implemented in the Andean region, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.