Africa’s Great Lakes youths meet in Goma, eastern DRC, to promote peace in the region

Youths gathering in Goma, eastern DRC, on the occasion of the 10th ICGLR Regional Multifunction Youth Forum (Ph. MONUSCO)

11 Apr 2017

Africa’s Great Lakes youths meet in Goma, eastern DRC, to promote peace in the region

Goma (eastern DRC), 10 April 2017 – The 10th Multifunctional Youth Forum of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) took place on the shores of Lake Kivu in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on 6-10 April 2017. This youth gathering is organized yearly since 2007 under the leadership of the Congolese Catholic Church.

This year’s event brought together over 20,000 youths from Burundi, DRC, and Rwanda. Other participants included clergy members, government officials from the North Kivu province, and representatives of the United Nations.

The main objectives of the gathering were to: (i) provide for a platform for exchange of experiences and good practices among the youths; (ii) promote the role of the youth in peace, security and development processes; (iii) advocate for the participation of the youth in public decision-making; (iv) promote dialogue between the youth and decision makers; and (v) reinforce the capacities of youth organizations in coordinating, networking and educating the population on their role in public life.

The Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, which supports youths’ initiatives in the region, took part in the event to promote the role of the youths in the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework agreement signed in February 2013 by the leaders of the region in an effort to bring peace and stability in eastern DRC.