President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, in his capacity as the current Chairperson of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Region (PSC-Framework) convened a Regional Forum of Women in Bujumbura, Burundi on 22 and 23 August 2024 as a follow-up to the decision taken during the 11^th Summit of the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) of the PSC Framework. The Forum was held in partnership with guarantor institutions (UN, AU, ICGLR, SADC) and GIZ under the theme, "To promote the regional agenda for peace, security and economic cooperation through prevention, protection and recovery." It was attended by the President and First lady of Burundi, and brought together the gender focal points of the ICGLR Member States, the steering committee of the Regional Women's Forum (RWF), representatives of the Advisory Board on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in the Great Lakes region, representatives of the Regional Women's Platform, national and regional civil society organizations (CSOs), experts, regional and international partners, including the guarantor institutions of the framework agreement (UN, AU, ICGLR,  SADC) and GIZ. The objective of the Forum was to reflect on the gendered impact of the ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region, to exchange ideas and good practices with a view to promoting the WPS agenda, unify and amplify women's voices, pursuant to the recommendations of the 11^th Summit for the Regional Oversight Mechanism for the PSC Framework.

In his opening statement, President Evariste Ndayishimiye emphasized the crucial role of women in conflict prevention and resolution, and called for strengthened collaboration among member states, regional organizations, and the international community to support peace initiatives, while encouraging participants to develop effective strategies with gender-sensitive perspectives and women inclusion in peace processes. The First Lady of the Republic of Burundi, Angeline Ndayishimiye Ndayubaha expressed solidarity with Congolese women, and announced her intention to convene a national event in October on the situation of rural women. The message of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, delivered by O/SESG-GL Director for Political Affairs, underscored the significant role of women and CSOs in advocacy initiatives and called for their increased participation in regional stabilization and peacebuilding as well as their engagement at high-level discussions and decision making, in line with the New Agenda for Peace (Our Common Agenda). Bineta Diop, the AU Special Envoy for WPS, in referring to her visit to IDP camps in eastern DRC in 2023, praised the resilience of women living in dire situations in the camps, and called on regional leaders to give urgent attention to their plight. João Samuel Caholo the Executive Secretary of ICGLR, called on regional leaders to explore avenues to support the work of grassroots women organizations, noting their pivotal role in advocating for the interests of communities.

Among the key recommendations, the Forum called for a zero tolerance to gender based violence (GBV) in line with the 2011 Kampala Declaration on GBV, proposed support to the operationalization of the Secretariat for the Regional Women Forum and allocation of a budget for the implementation of its 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, proposed the appointment of a goodwill ambassador for WPS in the Great Lakes, encouraged women of influence including first ladies to champion the WPS agenda, and further encouraged strengthening of community peacebuilding networks. The forum further welcomed the development of the Gender Barometer for the Great Lakes region and its planned validation by ICGLR Member States,

The Forum was preceded by a technical expert meeting from 19 to 21 August 2025, hosted by UNWOMEN, in collaboration with O/SESG-GL, MONUSCO, AU, ICGLR, and GIZ to develop a comprehensive and gender-sensitive analysis of the current conflict dynamics in eastern DRC, identify the security threats, map the relevant actors and stakeholders, and explore innovative and gender-responsive strategies to enhance women's participation in peace processes. The Regional Forum of Women welcomed the recommendations of the expert meeting including the proposal to formulate a flagship programme for the DRC and the region under the coordination of UNWOMEN in partnership with other entities.