Heads of State of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region called to be at the frontline of the fight against SGBV

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the Chairperson of the Regional Civil Society Forum held a Regional CSOs Experts meeting in Arusha, Tanzania from 30th to 31st October 2011 under the theme, United to Prevent, End Impunity and Provide Support to the Survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the Great Lakes Region.

Four SADC Member States Angola, Tanzania, DRC and Zambia are part of the Great Lakes process. The meeting aimed to reflect on the Great Lakes Protocol on the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence against Women and Children and focused on three areas:
– Addressing challenges in prevention of sexual violence.
– Empowering survivors of sexual and gender based violence.
– Civil Society Experts issued the attached Communiqué for the Heads of State meeting in Kampala in December.

The experts issued a communiqué at the end of the meeting. Heads of State of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) will follow up with a Special Session on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Kampala, Uganda in December 2011.