Peace Beyond Borders Regional Consultative Round Table






1. Introduction

The Regional Consultative Round Table under Peace Beyond project is designed as a space for consultations with the main purpose of producing a regional road map to peace in the Great Lakes region. Consultations will particularly involve citizens/peace actors; representatives of the Great Lakes communities of Burundi, DRC and Rwanda; members of the civil society; women and youth organizations; representatives of religious confessions; representatives of the three governments; international organizations and media, among others.

These consultations will also provide an opportunity to share concerns collected from citizens of the three countries through community dialogues on issues related to conflict and peace in the region as well as from the outcome of a research carried out on people’s perceptions on the root causes of conflicts in the region. It is a space for advocacy where citizens and other stakeholders will contribute towards building peace in the region through the adoption of a road map to peace. The road map will propose solutions towards stable and lasting peace in the Great Lakes region.

Finally, the round table will be the culmination of a process that involved different actors dealing with peace-building and conflict transformation in the region at different levels but also with different expertise (such as research, media, community dialogue and advocacy) in designing the regional road map to peace. On the other hand, the success of the round table will materialise through the adoption of a regional road map to peace by decision makers of the three countries that targets them and will constitute the beginning of the implementation of its resolutions.

2. Objectives of Regional Consultative Round Table

The regional round table aims at achieving the following objectives:

2.1 Overall objective

The overall objective is to initiate a regional process that aims at achieving sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region through a regional road map that defines priorities for actions with necessary support from decision makers and other key stakeholders.

2.2 Specific objectives:

  • To inform/update the participants about the context and processes that led to the necessity of designing a regional road map to peace;
  • To consult and discuss on the first draft of regional road map to peace with a focus on the key driving factors of conflicts in the Great Lakes region as perceived by the communities of the three countries as well as solutions proposed to address them;
  • To secure the commitment of different stakeholders on drafting a regional consultative road map to peace;
  • To put in place a strategy that will support the process of adopting and signing the regional road map by policy makers of the three countries at the next regional round table.

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3. Expected Results

​The Regional Consultative Round Table is expected to achieve the following results:

  • Participants are informed about the context and process that led to the designing of the Regional Road Map to Peace;
  • That consultations around drafting the road map are initiated and feedback from stakeholders is noted and taken into consideration;
  • First draft of regional road map is designed;
  • Strategies are put in place to support the process of adopting and signing of the road map by decisions makers;
  • Other stakeholders commit themselves to support the process towards adopting the road map.

4. Participation and Representation to the regional Round Table

The regional Round table will be organized in Kigali, Rwanda on February 23 and 24, 2015. It will bring together mainly actors who play key role in influencing conflicts transformation processes in the region especially those from the civil society and international community; representatives of the African Union; representatives of the Economic Community of Great Lakes region; representatives from the International Conference of Great Lakes region; representatives from different ministries such Ministries of Interior Affairs, Justice, Land, Foreign Affairs and Local Administration of the three countries ; representatives from the grassroots; representatives from the media; and representatives from religious, women and youth organizations, among others.

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