The Heads of State and Government of Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region during the signing of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region, committed to finding lasting solutions to guarantee protection and assistance to populations affected by political conflicts in the Great Lakes Region as well as by humanitarian, social and environmental catastrophes by implementing a Programme of Action on Humanitarian, Social and Environmental Issues aimed at:
Compliance with international, regional Human Rights Instruments
Compliance with international, regional Human Rights Instruments.
Key Partners: OHCHR, UNHCR, UNICEF
Download: Establishment of a Regional Micro-Finance Support Facility.pdf
Protection, assistance and search for durable solutions for displaced populations (Refugees and IDPS) and Communities that host them
The Dar es Salaam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region provides guidelines for the legal and physical protection and assistance of refugees and displaced populations, and to mitigate displacement. In this regard, the 12 core states have committed themselves to address the root causes of conflict and find lasting solutions to, the protracted problems of displaced and refugee populations, notably with regard to their peaceful co-existence with resident populations, their voluntary repatriation and return or local integration, with the full involvement of the local authorities and host populations, and within the framework of tripartite agreements where applicable; encourage countries of origin to create the conditions conducive to the return of refugees.
Key Partners: UNHCR, OCHA
Legal framework on issues related to the recovery of land and properties by returning refugees and IDPS
These three fundamental and interrelated threats to human welfare are not unique to Africa, but nowhere else in the world are they so pronounced. And nowhere else in the world is there a greater opportunity to combine modern science, indigenous knowledge and development ingenuity to overcome them. In Africa, especially south of the Sahara, poverty is found mainly in the vast rural areas of the continent. About 255 million people living in rural areas struggle to survive on less than a dollar a day. Agriculture is by far the dominant economic activity upon which the rural African poor depend, so increasing agricultural productivity in sustainable ways is an essential first step towards reducing poverty.
Key Partners: UN-HABITAT