According to article 23 of the Pact, it is the supreme organ of the ICGLR and is chaired by a Head of State or Government in rotation every two years. It meets every two years for ordinary sessions. Exceptionally, a special session of the Summit may be convened at the request of a Member State and with the consent of a qualified majority of eight Member States present and voting, and who ratified the Pact.
It is composed of the current Chair, the immediate former Chair and the next Chair. As per Article 23 (5) the Troika is required to assist the Chairperson in the execution of his mandate. It facilitates regular and constant consultations outside of the usual formal meetings.
This is the executive body of the ICGLR, comprised of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States. According to the part, the RIMC is expected to meet twice a year in ordinary session, but may also meet in extraordinary session at the request of the Member States. It is chaired by the Minister of a Member State in rotation.
The Conference Secretariat is the technical and coordinating organ of the Conference. It is headed by an Executive Secretary and is responsible for coordinating, facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Pact and Programmes of Action to achieve peace, security and development in the Great Lakes Region. The Secretariat also has a mandate to coordinate the implementation of the decisions of the Summit. The Secretariat has its headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi.
It has the following decentralised organs/centres:
The Pact also provides for National Coordination Mechanisms, which are established in each Member State to facilitate the implementation of the Pact in the Member States. The NCM also includes representatives of civil society, women and youth, in order to ensure a concerted follow-up of the implementation of the decisions taken by the Summit and the RIMC.