Kenya remains committed towards the realization of sustainable peace, security and development within the Great Lakes Region, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Mudavadi has said all Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) should continue supporting the peace restoration processes in conflict-prone areas including but not limited to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic and Sudan.
He said the region’s rich abundance of natural resources and human capital should be a driving factor towards the resolve to promote peace and stability for economic development and the common benefit for all.
“The establishment of the ICGLR was based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in the Great Lakes Region can be resolved through the establishment of interstate relations based on trust, sovereignty and non-aggression,” he said.
Mudavadi lauded the outcomes of the Quadripartite Summit, the Regional Oversight Mechanism Summit meeting, and all high-level forums held in the last year under ICGLR saying, the collective peace initiatives, including the Luanda-led process and the East African Community initiative, have played their crucial part to push the agenda for peace and security in the eastern DRC.
“These forums have underlined the need for harmonizing the various peace initiatives for coherence and unity of purpose. It is my sincere hope that these efforts, alongside other ongoing initiatives, will work together towards our common goal,” said Mudavadi.
Mudavadi also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, was speaking at the 18th Ordinary Session of the Inter-Ministerial Committee of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Luanda, Angola on Sunday.
He noted that Kenya fully associates itself with the collective decisions and actions considered by the Member States on various matters of regional development but regretted that in the recent past the region has seen intensified regional conflicts and violent extremism that have exacerbated humanitarian crises and shattered the hopes of a better life for millions of our people.
“We need to work together to assure and give new hope to the suffering children, mothers, and fathers that we are committed to their prospects for a better tomorrow,” he said.
Mudavadi told the inter-ministerial committee that Kenya welcomes ongoing initiatives within ICGLR, including the establishment of the Early Warning and Early Response Systems and the Gender-Responsive Mediation Coordination Mechanism (GMCM) strategy.
He added that the ongoing initiatives need collective input and support from all member states both on the policy and financial front.
The Prime Cabinet Secretary also presented key proposals by the Kenyan government on how to strengthen the ICGLR to make it even more responsive to the emerging challenging environment.
On the frequency of meetings, Kenya proposed that members consider the need for the Summit to meet annually rather than biannually. Mudavadi reiterated that an annual summit would allow the ICGLR to adapt policies to the region’s rapidly emerging issues, facilitating timely updates to security frameworks, development strategies, and conflict resolution approaches.
He further stated that such regular engagements would ensure that the ICGLR remains aligned with the current realities of its member states, promoting effective and relevant policy development.
“Kenya also invited member states to consider the establishment of a Permanent Representatives Committee of Ambassadors (PRC) to be based in Bujumbura, Burundi, to supplement the work of the National Coordination Mechanism and act as an interface between the ICGLR Secretariat and member states. The Committee will be composed of the diplomatic representatives of member states of the ICGLR accredited to or resident in Bujumbura.” he proposed.
“Heads of Mission will be equally accredited to the ICGLR in Bujumbura and may be designated as Permanent Representatives to ICGLR. This will allow the ICGLR and the Representatives to readily convene, even at short notice, to advance the region’s peace and security agenda,” added Mudavadi.
The Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary informed the meeting that Kenya is fully committed to hosting the Regional Youth Forum and the official launch of the ICGLR youth forum secretariat is imminent thus underlining Kenya’s commitment to amplifying the voices of the young people on regional issues.
The RIMC session is chaired by Tete Antonio, Minister of External Relations of the Republic of Angola, and attended by more than 10 foreign ministers of the Great Lakes Member States. Mudavadi is accompanied by among others; Kenyan Ambassador to Angola, Amb. Joyce Mmmaitsi, Kenyan Amb to Burundi, Amb Daniel Wambura and Kenya’s National Coordinator and Director at the EAC & ICGLR Mr James Kiiru.
