On the agenda, a unique update of the situation in the region and a first assessment of the courageous practices of civil society organizations with keynote speakers such as Yakin Ertürk, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Soyata Maïga, Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa of the African Commission on Human Rights, Marie-Bernard Alima, National Peace and Justice Commission in the DRC, and Ferdinand Muhigirwa of the Civil Society Forum on the review of mining contracts.

Held in French (with simultaneous translation to English), this event is organized by the Great Lakes Reference Group, of which Development and Peace is a member. Other members include: Amitiés Canada-Rwanda, CECI, Entraide missionnaire, Future Space (Espace Avenir), GRAMA-UQAM (Groupe de recherche sur les activités minières en Afrique), Terre sans Frontières, Justice et Libération (Kisangani), Kairos (Toronto), the Missionnaires du Christ Roi, the Primate’s Fund of Canada (Anglican Church), the Religieux de St-Vincent, Rights & Democracy, and World Youth (Jeunesse du Monde).

On Tuesday, January 22, the first conference will begin with an assessment of civil society’s response to sexual violence in the Great Lakes region and efforts to see its perpetrators brought to justice. A special evening session on the topic of sexual violence will hear from the two special rapporteurs.

The exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes region is the focus for discussions on Wednesday, January 23. Representatives of Canadian and US civil society organizations concerned with foreign investment in the Great Lakes Region will join their counterparts from African civil society in a day-long assessment of the resource extraction industry.

The discussion on Thursday January 24, will focus on civil society’s role in democratic development efforts in the Great Lakes region and the effectiveness of international assistance in this domain.

After more than a decade of bloody wars and difficult political transitions to peace and national reconstitution, this conference will draw attention to the crucial contributions that civil society organizations in the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda have made to build more democratic institutions and societies.

Over the course of these three days, the Canadian public will have a unique opportunity to learn about strategies adopted by these civil societies in response to:

• persistent impunity for perpetrators of sexual violence;
• fierce competition to access and exploit mining resources;
• democratic participation in the development of their country.

Members of the public will also have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of Canadian involvement in these issues, including:

• A $15 million Canadian program under way to support women victims of rape in eastern DRC;
• Twelve Canadian mining companies that have holdings worth an estimated $1.4 billion in the DRC, holdings that are forecasted to double in the next three years;
• The Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) cooperation program in the region, which prioritizes support for the promotion of democratic governance.

Are these initiatives an effective response to the needs of these populations?

Conference and registration information can be found on the conference webpage: concertationgrandslacs/introduction_en.html

Conference Program – Tuesday, January 22, 2008: concertationgrandslacs/conference22_en.html

Conference Program – Wednesday, January 23, 2008: concertationgrandslacs/conference23_en.html

Conference Program – Thursday, January 24, 2008: concertationgrandslacs/conference24_en.html

Download 3-day schedule

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