International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (IGCLR)

The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is an inter-governmental organization of the countries in the African Great Lakes Region. Its establishment was based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts in these countries have a considerable regional dimension and thus require a concerted effort in order to promote sustainable peace and development. Most notable among the conflicts that have had cross-border impacts or origins are the 1994 Rwandan genocide that led to the loss of more than 800,000 lives, and the political instability in DRC. These conflicts constituted a major threat to international peace and security.
The organization is composed of twelve member states, namely: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Its founding history began in 2000 when the United Nations Security Council, as stated in its resolutions 1291 and 1304, called for an International Conference on peace, security, democracy and development in the Great Lakes region. Later that year, the Secretariat of the International Conference was established in Nairobi, Kenya, under the umbrella of the United Nations and the African Union.

In November 2004, the eleven Heads of State and Government of the member countries unanimously adopted the Declaration on Peace, Security and Development in the Great Lakes region in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This Dar-es-Salaam Declaration presented a political statement with the intention to address the root causes of intractable conflicts and constraints to development in a regional and innovative approach.

The Heads of State and Government convened once again in Nairobi in 2006 to sign the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region. The Pact included the Dar es Salaam Declaration, Programmes of Action and Protocols. This marked the end of the preparatory phase and ushered in the implementation period.
The ICGLR Executive Secretariat celebrated its inauguration in May 2007 at its headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi. Its responsibility is to coordinate, facilitate, monitor and thereby ensure the implementation of the Pact in order to attain peace, security, political stability and development in the Great Lakes Region.

ICGLR has a pivotal role to play in addressing statelessness through regional cooperation and policy advocacy. By prioritising this issue, the ICGLR can help to ensure that the voices of stateless individuals are heard and that their rights are upheld.