The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is an inter-governmental organization of the countries in the African Great Lakes Region. Its establishment was based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in these countries have a considerable regional dimension and thus require a concerted effort in order to promote sustainable peace and development. Most notable among the conflicts that have had cross-border impacts or origins are the 1994 Rwandan genocide that led to the loss of more than 800,000 lives, and the political instability in DRC. These conflicts constituted a major threat to international peace and security.

The organization is composed of twelve member states, namely: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.

The Heads of State and Government convened once again in Nairobi in 2006 to sign the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region. The Pact included the Dar es Salaam Declaration, Programmes of Action and Protocols. This marked the end of the preparatory phase and ushered in the implementation period. The ICGLR Executive Secretariat celebrated its inauguration in May 2007 at its headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi. Its responsibility is to coordinate, facilitate, monitor and thereby ensure the implementation of the Pact in order to attain peace, security, political stability and development in the Great Lakes Region.

>>> Declaration on Peace, Security and Development in the Great Lakes Region.

ICGLR International Partners

The partners provide technical and financial support to the Conference Secretariat in the implementation of its activities.

During the foundational years of the ICGLR, there existed a Group of Friends (GOF) of the ICGLR, which brought together 27 countries and the EU and the African Union, which were active in the Great Lakes Region. These were Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland the United Kingdom, the United States of America. It worth mentioning that recently the Republic of Turkiye joined the ICGLR Group of friends.

This brought together a combination of donor countries and international organisations. The group provided political, diplomatic, financial and technical support to the ICGLR from December 2003, which led first to the signing of the Dar es Salaam Declaration in November 2004, and thereafter to the signing of the Pact in Nairobi in 2006.

The organization has collaboration with various organizations including the UN and its specialized agencies such as UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UN Women, UNECA and the World Bank.

Some of other partners that the ICGLR is currently collaborating with include:

SADC	EAC	UN	GIZ	EISA	P.R. CHINA

The Great Lakes Region is a frequently cited example of the paradox of plenty. On the one hand, it disposes of substantial amount of natural resources which are in great demand on the global market. On the other hand, the region’s recent history has been marked by the disastrous effects of armed conflicts. So far, the abundance of natural resources has not yet been transformed into inclusive socio-economic wellbeing.

The key problem of this predicament is the missing linkage between the supply chain of natural resources and the formal economy of the ICGLR Member States. The exploitation and trade within the region are all too frequently conducted illegally. Consequently, the wealth deriving from natural resources is very unequally distributed and often finances rebel activities which further destabilise the region.

In response to the persistent problem of socio-economic inequality and the trade of conflict minerals, the ICGLR has developed a comprehensive approach to put an end to the exploitative use of natural resources. The Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (RINR), - referred to as the Initiative, - particularly aims at breaking the link between mineral revenues and rebel financing.

The Initiative operates six specific tools in its effort to curb the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes Region. This approach was designed by the ICGLR Conference Secretariat and thereafter officially approved by the twelve Heads of State and Government of the ICGLR Member States. The considerable successes that the Initiative has achieved since then are evidence of the utter utility of these tools which are hereafter described in detail.