The 26th Ordinary Session of the Executive Committee of the Forum of Parliaments of Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) opened its sittings in Juba South Sudan.

The Session will run between March 28 to 29, 2023.

Mandera Senator Ali Roba presided over the meeting of the Committee.

Senator Roba leads the Kenyan delegation on behalf of Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who is the President of the Forum.

The theme of this year’s Conference is “Parliamentary Diplomacy for Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes”.

The meeting will consider a report of the technical committee formed by the Forum to review recent developments in the political, security and humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes Region.

The Committee will consider the report, discuss member states beset by insecurity and armed conflicts.

The Conference will also discuss the updated version of draft resolutions on the political, security and humanitarian situation of the Central African Republic (CAR), DR Congo, South Sudan and the Sudan.

The FP-ICGLR is an inter-parliamentary group consisting of 12 national parliaments in the greater Great Lakes region — Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Its establishment was based on the recognition that political instability and conflicts have a considerable regional dimension and thus require a concerted effort in order to promote sustainable peace and development.

The main objective of the Forum is to make significant parliamentary contribution for the implementation of the pact on security, stability, and development in the Great Lakes region.

The Executive Committee is charged with the task of coordinating activities and the functioning of the Forum.

It works under the supervision of the Bureau of the Plenary Assembly, which is the top organ of the Forum.