Ban applauds entry into force of security pact in African Great Lakes region
24 June 2008 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the entry into force of the Pact on Security, Stability and Development
in the Great Lakes Region after its ratification by eight African countries.
The pact entered into force last Saturday after achieving the necessary number of ratifications from among the 11 core
countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
Under the treaty, the countries commit themselves to tackling the underlying causes of the many conflicts that have
raged in the Great Lakes region in recent decades and to deal with key security, governance, development, humanitarian
and social issues from a regional perspective.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban said the ICGLR will - by prioritizing results on the ground - "send a
strong signal to the international community of its determination to turn the ideas of the Pact into concrete
achievements."
He added that the UN, which has supported the Bujumbura-based ICGLR for many years, remained committed to helping
implement the Pact.
The eight countries which have ratified the accord are Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The other core members of the
ICGLR are Angola, Sudan and Zambia.
The first ICGLR summit to be held after the Pact's entry into force will be staged in Kinshasa, the DRC capital, in
mid-December.
ENDS