The Great Lakes Region in Africa has experienced recurrent and devastating armed
conflicts as well as humanitarian crises, resulting in social and human
destruction not witnessed since the end of the Cold War. In various parts of the
region, the legacy of colonialism, ethnic conflict, weak state structures, and
the illegal exploitation of natural resources have given rise to a vicious cycle
of violence, displacement, and institutional collapse.
The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region
The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) was established by the eleven Member States of the Great Lakes Region in 2004 as a forum for resolving armed conflict, maintaining peace, security, stability, and laying the foundation for post-conflict reconstruction in the Region. The Member States are Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
In the framework of the ICGLR, these States adopted the Pact on
Stability, Security and Development in the Great Lakes Region in December 2006.
This Pact represents the most comprehensive effort yet to address the root
causes of the conflicts in the Great Lakes Region and lay the foundations for
sustainable peace and development. Under the Pact, the Member States have
assumed detailed obligations relating to the thematic areas of the Conference,
namely Peace and Security, Democracy and Good Governance, Development, and Human
Security, and committed themselves to their implementation through the adoption
of concrete Programmes of Action. The Pact thus comprises a complex set of
interlocking and mutually reinforcing legal frameworks designed to create
conditions for security, stability, and reconstruction in the region.
Our Aims
This website is maintained by the International Humanitarian Law Project at the LSE and is designed to:
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disseminate information about the Great Lakes Conference Process and other developments in the region;
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create awareness of the initiative among academics, donors, and the wider public;
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facilitate access to documents produced within the framework of the Conference Process;
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provide information about the activities of the IHL Project in relation to international law in situations of conflict and post-conflict, using the Conference Process as a model and disseminate materials and studies produced in the course of these activities;
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provide a means of collaborating with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region; and act as a contact point for all those interested in the Great Lakes Region.
