Kinshasa, 10 June 2021 – On 9-10 June, the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region organized a workshop in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to draw an action plan for the implementation of the UN Strategy for Peace Consolidation, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes region. The Strategy was developed by the Office of the Special Envoy at the request of the UN Secretary-General and published on 14 January 2021. The Strategy outlines several priorities aimed at aligning United Nations activities in support of the people and the countries of the region, in their efforts to achieve peace, security and development, in line with the 2030 Agenda.

The two-day workshop discussed the elaboration of an Action Plan for the implementation of the Regional Strategy and reviewed the priority actions outlined in the Strategy to guide the UN engagements in the Great Lakes region in the next three to 10 years. The Strategy identifies 10 priorities built around three pillars, namely Peace, Security and Justice; Sustainable Development and Shared Prosperity; and Resilience to Longstanding and Emerging Challenges.

The highlight of the workshop was about the implementation of the priority points. To that end, participants agreed that partnership is key for the successful implementation of the Strategy. Therefore, it was suggested that all parties, including at government level, civil society, the private sector, and the international community, be involved in the implementation of the Strategy. Also important is the need to put in place a Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism to provide guidance on the way forward in the implementation process. Lastly, participants unanimously recognized that resource mobilization will be the single most crucial factor in the implementation of the Strategy.

Huang Xia, UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region chaired the meeting along with Bintou Keita, UN Special Representative and Head of MONUSCO. Other participants included representatives of the African Union; the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region; signatory countries of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework; diplomatic missions in the region; bilateral and multilateral partners; and civil society organizations.

The UN Strategy for Peace Consolidation, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes region advocates for a shift in narrative beyond the traditional focus on conflict-related challenges towards one that emphasizes opportunities for peace, security and people-centered development. The full text of the Strategy can be consulted under this link: https://bit.ly/2T7CLsV)