Global perspective Human stories

World must support Africa's Great Lakes countries ahead of conference - Annan

World must support Africa's Great Lakes countries ahead of conference - Annan

Annan addresses Security Council
The international community has a duty to support the countries of Africa's Great Lakes region as they prepare to stage a major conference on the area's problems, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the Security Council today.

The Secretary-General said the core countries of the Great Lakes can also do more to capitalize on the "new dynamic in the region," given the recent setting up of a transitional government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), general elections in Rwanda and the improving peace process in Burundi.

The Conference was "a long-standing idea that has been given new impetus by the recent positive developments in the region," Mr. Annan said in a statement at the outset of a Council meeting on the Great Lakes.

The Secretary-General told the 15-nation body that international partnerships were vital to ensure the consolidation of peace in the region.

"The Conference requires wide and sustained participation, not only from the governments of the core countries, but also from civil society, neighbours and friends in the region, sub-regional organizations, and international development partners," he said.

Mr. Annan also stressed that a sense of regional ownership of the Conference was important, and said the African Union was an equal partner of the UN in staging the event.

His remarks came a day after his report on the Great Lakes region's preparation for the international conference was released in New York. The report stated that the people of the region are so inter-linked socially, economically and linguistically that any solutions to problems can only be reached regionally.

The report said the first preparatory committee meetings for the conference would take place next month, while the first of two summits involving Heads of States is scheduled for next June.

The core countries of Africa's Great Lakes region are Burundi, the DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.