OCHA Regional Office statement on the signing of the Nairobi Pact

15th December 2006, Nairobi - "With the political will demonstrated by the signing of the Nairobi Pact, I remain optimistic that the leadership in the Great Lakes Region has truly committed itself to maintain the momentum and sustain the engagement with the international community to bring peace and positive change to the region", Ms Besida Tonwe, the Head of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Regional Office for Central and East Africa, said today in a reaction to the signing of the landmark Pact of Security, Stability, and Development in the Great Lakes Region in Nairobi.

"The Pact will go a long way in bringing the region out of the vicious cycle of conflict, humanitarian disaster, increased vulnerability, poverty, and repeated conflict", she added.

"The Great Lakes has been the theater of violence and humanitarian disasters resulting in widespread displacement of people and collapse of physical, economic, and social infrastructure".

"Now, the leaders of the countries in the IC/GLR framework have collectively spelt out a strategy on how such devastating developments can be turned around to realize their vision of peace, security, rule of law, prosperity, and respect for Human Rights for the affected and suffering people in the region".

"The conference has been a long process of consultations because helping the populations of the Great Lakes Region to reconcile, rehabilitate, and reconstruct their societies is a political delicate process. It is also a process which in the future will continue to require financial support from the donor community and coherent assistance from the humanitarian community" said Besida Tonwe.

"It is now of utmost importance that there is a follow-up on the national implementation of the legal protocols adopted with the pact" she said, emphasizing the three protocols on humanitarian and social issues addressing sexual violence against women and children, property rights of returning persons, and the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

On Wednesday 13th December, the humanitarian community led by OCHA launched a Regional Consolidated Appeal with 31 cross-border or multi-country regional projects for a total amount of US$ 84. 1 million to finance humanitarian interventions in the Great Lakes Region in 2007.

For further information, please contact :

Jens Laerke, Public Information Officer Phone : +254 20 762 2119, +254 (0)7 22 513 503, Email : laerke@un.org

Luluwa Ali, Humanitarian Reporting and Media Relations Officer Phone : +254 20 762 1004 Email : ali19@un.org