Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has urged regional leaders to ensure that decisions taken at the joint SADC-International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) impact positively on regional development programmes.
In his opening address at the summit on Monday, Zuma called on delegates to assist and support peace efforts in the Great Lakes Region.
“As you are aware, peace, security and stability are integral components of this agenda," he said.
This comes as leaders focus on the search for peace and stability in the eastern part of the DRC and the Great Lakes Region.
“Let us recognise the responsibility we carry as regional leaders, and ensure that the decisions we take in this summit will impact positively on our regional development programmes towards creating a better Africa and a better World,” said the President.
Zuma said continued political instability in the Great Lakes not only results in human suffering but also denies the people of the region the ability to exploit their economic potential.
He said the summit should ensure that everything is done to respond to the “urgent” challenges of restoring peace and stability and accelerating economic development.
“Important initiatives are being undertaken under the auspices of the ICGLR and buttressed by the UN Framework for Peace and Security in the DRC and the Great Lakes, to reach a political resolution to the fundamental causes of instability in the region,” said the President.
He said the UN Intervention Brigade has now been fully deployed, with a mandate to restore stability to the East of the DRC.
South Africa, he said, was always ready to work with the UN, AU, SADC and the ICGLR to address issues such as national reconciliation, post conflict reconstruction and development, security sector reform and disarmament, among others.
These, however, can only be achieved if the necessary remedies are in place to deal with the threats posed by all insurgent groups operating within the DRC territory.
“As a region and also in partnership with the ICGLR, we continue to strive for stability and security, with the sole aim of achieving balanced and equitable regional integration as a fundamental condition for sustainable development.
“We must aim to free the people of these sister regions from the scourges of unemployment, poverty and underdevelopment. We therefore meet today to receive and consider progress with the implementation of the UN Peace Framework for the DRC and the region,” said Zuma.
South Africa is a signatory to the UN/AU Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region, which was signed on 24 February 2013.
The joint summit urged SADC and ICGLR Member States to honour the implementation of the benchmarks and indicators of the framework.
It also urged SADC and ICGLR member states to hand over negative forces to their countries of origin, within the spirit of the framework. - SAnews.gov.za
