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Situation in Great Lakes Region - 8767th Meeting of Security Council
Amid concern about unceasing hurdles to the exercise of political freedoms and human rights in the Great Lakes region, the United Nations is launching a new strategy focused on preventive diplomacy, security cooperation and development, the Secretary‑General’s senior political official for the strife‑torn area told the Security Council today, noting that the plan would guide the Organization’s action for the next 10 years.
“The situation in the region in recent months has indeed remained broadly stable, with encouraging progress despite persistent challenges,” said Huang Xia, Special Envoy of the Secretary‑General for the Great Lakes Region, updating the 15‑member organ on implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region. The Special Envoy said he submitted the new strategy – devised after input from the region’s countries and partners – to the Secretary‑General on Monday.
Noting positive developments in the region, he welcomed the peaceful transfer of power in Burundi following general elections in May and the prospects for greater regional stability, as illustrated by the return of Burundian refugees from Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania. Following the formation of a new Government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President Félix Tshisekedi organized a mini summit on 7 October, bringing together his Angolan, Ugandan and Rwandan counterparts to discuss key security and economic cooperation issues. In addition, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia resolved their border dispute using diplomatic channels and regional mechanisms.
On the security and humanitarian fronts, however, he said the situation remains worrying, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern provinces, with sporadic cross‑border incidents and activity by armed groups continuing to cause intolerable human suffering. “The impunity enjoyed by those responsible for these traumatic crimes affects populations and negatively affects relations between countries,” he said, calling for effective implementation of the Nairobi Declaration on justice and good governance.
Emphasizing that high-level political buy-in as well as adequate resources are essential to improve the security environment, he said the holding of the next Summit of the Regional Follow‑up Mechanism will be crucial to obtain political support.
In the ensuing discussion, several Council members said they look forward to receiving and reviewing the new 10‑year strategy, while emphasizing the need to rein in the activities of armed groups threatening the region, improve security and regulate the trade in natural resources.
France’s representative said the positive developments of the past several months must be extended to all security challenges in the region, particularly in ending the violence perpetrated by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The root causes of instability must also be addressed cooperatively, with an effective, transparent framework for regulating natural resources. His country is doing its part in collective efforts to ensure that new regulations on conflict‑related minerals come into force in the coming year, he said.
Tunisia’s delegate, speaking also for Niger, South Africa and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, encouraged the region’s leaders to further expand the cooperation they developed in countering the COVID‑19 pandemic for the sake of peace and stability. The cooperation framework provides a platform for peace and economic progress, he said, urging all signatories to abide by their commitments.
The representative of the United States drew attention to three prominent reports the Council is expected to receive this month: a regional strategy for the Great Lakes; an assessment of the Organization’s role in Burundi; and a report on the exit strategy and drawdown benchmarks for United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
China and the Russian Federation pushed for the removal of Burundi from the Council’s agenda, with their delegates highlighting the peaceful transfer of power in that country and the subsequent return of refugees from the neighbouring countries as signs that the situation there no longer poses a threat to international peace and security.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s delegate, noting that his country’s President had just recently visited North Kivu to express his determination to restore peace in the country’s north, stressed that security is still inadequate, and the armed groups have retaliated against local populations. In this regard, he requested that the operations of MONUSCO, particularly those of the Force Intervention Brigade, be bolstered. International support is also needed to stem the illicit exploitation of resources in the region, which is a major source of funding for the armed groups, he added.
Also speaking were representatives of the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Germany, United Kingdom, Indonesia (also on behalf of Viet Nam) and Belgium.
Beginning at 10:00 a.m., the meeting ended at 11:38 a.m.
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