NAIROBI (Xinhua) — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and regional mediation body, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), have entered into a cooperation agreement that will strengthen relations between the two organizations and enhance coordination of their activities.

A statement from the seven-member regional bloc issued in Nairobi said the agreement, which was signed in Nairobi on Thursday by Mahboub Maalim, IGAD executive secretary, and ICRC Head of Regional Delegation Christophe Lüedi commits the two organizations to regular consultation on matters of mutual interest.

“Major topics will include the protection of civilians affected by armed conflict and other forms of violence, including refugees and internally displaced persons; preventive action; post-conflict rebuilding and weapon-related issues of relevance to Africa, such as landmines and the proliferation of small arms,” it said.

The ICRC and IGAD will also promote international humanitarian law and encourage IGAD member states to undertake full implementation of the relevant treaties.

The IGAD, which groups Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia, is working with ICRC to limit the suffering that armed conflicts inflict on people, the IGAD’s work in the field of peace and security being of particular relevance.

But while the IGAD’s actions are political, the ICRC’s operations are exclusively humanitarian.

The ICRC has a presence in all IGAD member countries.

Africa accounts for almost half of the organization’s annual expenditure, with Somalia and Sudan among the largest, of the ICRC’s operations.