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The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) – review of Norwegian support to the ICGLR Secretariat
A new report presents the review of the Norwegian Ministry of Affairs' support to the Secretariat for the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) was set up against the back drop of the war in DR-Congo (2002-2006), with the assistance of the African Union, UN and bilateral donors. Its aim is to implement the Pact on Security, Stability and Development (PACT), signed in December 2006 by eleven heads of states from Angola, Burundi, Central Africa Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. The PACT sets an ambitious agenda "to transform the region into a space of sustainable peace and security for peoples of the region, political and social stability, shared growth and development, a space of cooperation based on convergent strategies and policies driven by a common destiny." The objective of the Norwegian contribution was to support the establishment of a functioning documentation centre and conference facilities for the ICGLR, and to strengthen the capacity for translation in the organisation. The Norwegian support is relatively modest, amounting to three million NOK. Another three million NOK was spent on the conferences leading up to the PACT. However, as the ICGLR is a new organisation that attempts to build a regional institution covering a volatile region, the Review Team chose to also focus on the larger question of the relevance of the ICGLR in the region and not only on the Norwegian financial contribution.