Horn Policy Reference Group Launch
On April 29, 2026, with both virtual and in-person participation, HCD launched the Horn Policy Reference Group, a pool of regional experts convened to deliberate on pressing situational and structural issues affecting the Horn of Africa. The group is tasked with researching and deliberating on these issues and producing actionable policy outputs, which will be disseminated through HCD’s blog Horn Prospects and additional publishing partners.
Alongside the launch and member introductions, HCD presented the framework for the reference group, membership responsibilities, and the thematic priorities for the upcoming three months. The members deliberated on the proposed themes and raised several critical issues including the dynamics of democracy from both demand and supply perspectives in the region, emergence of new democratic spaces facilitated by digital and technological advancement amid the contraction of traditional ones, the impact of multiple overlapping crises on democracy, and the need to reassess conventional democratic frameworks, and broader political economy of democracy.
Following the deliberations, the themes were reviewed, refined, and approved with members feedback, and subsequently assigned to three members of the group based on their expertise and research interests.
The Reference Group will reconvene at the end of May 2026, to discuss on the first approved theme, with the framing, presentation and facilitation by the designated Theme Leader.
