The Great Lakes Pact and the rights of displaced people: a guide for civil society

The Great Lakes region has one of the largest displaced populations in the whole world with about two million refugees and ten million IDPs. Most of these displacements are due to violent conflict. To address these issues, the eleven member states have ratified the 2006 Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region (the Great Lakes Pact), a comprehensive package of new laws, programmes of action and mechanisms. The Pact lays down a framework for the economic and social transformation of the Great Lakes.

This guide simplifies and translates the Pact from policy into practice by focusing on the three protocols in the social and humanitarian pillar which are the most relevant for protecting the rights of displaced people.

Topics covered include:

• Background to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region
  
• The Great Lakes Pact and the Rights of IDPs and Refugees
  
• Implementing the New Norms : The Programmes of Action and Related
  
• Institution Building : The Regional Follow-Up Mechanism
  
• Resources and the Special Fund for Reconstruction and Development
  
• The Way Forward – Challenges, Opportunities and Ideas for Action