Civil Society

Since the signing of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (PSC) Framework, the Special Envoy has made it a priority to ensure civil society in the Great Lakes region is engaged in the Framework. In that respect, he has met on a regular basis with civil society in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and, to a lesser extent, in Burundi, Rwanda and some of the other signatory countries.

Increased engagement of Civil Society Organizations

The Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region is working with civil society focal points as well as UN partners on the ground, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to arrange national consultations in Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda. The purpose of these consultations is to encourage greater civil society engagement with, and ownership of, the PSC Framework. During past consultations in Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, individuals were selected by their peers to participate in setting up a regional coalition and a strategy to bring together civil society from the four countries to work towards the implementation of the PSC Framework and build trust.