The IPC Global Steering Committee (SC), which is responsible for the strategic management of the IPC globally, is fully aware of the critical role that regional inter-governmental bodies have in the implementation of the IPC in the field, and therefore is inviting institutions from regions where IPC is active to join the IPC SC as official members. In this framework, the Permanent Interstates Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SG-SICA) have already accepted this invitation. This membership will allow regional institutions to directly contribute to the global strategic decisions and directions of the IPC initiative, ensuring a regional governmental ownership.

CILSS has been leading the development and testing of the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) in West Africa since the early 2000s. In the last two years, the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU) and other IPC global partners in the region have been working closely with the CILSS Technical Committee of the Harmonized Framework  to increase harmonization of the CH and the IPC. CILSS membership to IPC will strengthen the linkages and collaboration between these two initiatives thus increasing their country impact.

In Central America, given the important role that SICA plays in food security and nutrition and the growing recognition of the benefits of the IPC for the region, the IPC SC and SICA have decided to strengthen and formalize their partnership. SICA’s entrance in the IPC SC will ensure that the IPC developments remain relevant to the Central America region. The IPC Global Initiative has already benefited from SICA’s collaboration, both in terms of the introduction and training on IPC in several SICA countries (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador), as well as their contributions to the development of the IPC Chronic Food Insecurity Classification scale.  

In addition to CILSS and SICA,  other regional inter-governmental bodies as ASEAN, IGAD, and SADC have expressed the intention  to join the IPC SC. The IPC Global Partnership will continue the dialogue and consultations with them in order to expand the IPC Partnership arrangements in the next three years.