Decision on the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region

DECISION ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON THE GREAT LAKES REGION
DOC. EX.CL/ 106 (Vi

The Executive Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the proposed dates of 19 - 20 November 2004 preceded by the Ministerial meeting from 16-17 November 2004 for the convening of the 1^st International Summit Conference;

2. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the significant progress made in the preparatory process of the International Conference on the Great Lakes region and REITERATES the commitment of the African Union to support the process until it is completed. In this regard, Council WELCOMES the imminent opening of an AU Liaison Office in Nairobi, Kenya in order to better support the preparatory process of the Conference and strengthen partnership with the United Nations;

3. ALSO WELCOMES the active involvement of the Economic Communities in the region as well as NEPAD and the African Development Bank (ADB), in the preparatory process of the Conference and URGES them to support the process including the implementation of the programmes which will be adopted by subsequent Summits;

4. ALSO EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at the establishment of the Group of Friends of the Region, under the joint chair of Canada and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and URGES its members to step up their political, diplomatic, technical and financial support to the countries in the region as well as to the joint Conference Secretariat in order to enable them to finalize their preparations for the holding of the 1^st Summit in November 2004 in Dar-es-Salaam, the United Republic of Tanzania;

5. REQUESTS the UN Secretary General, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, by referring to the different resolutions and Presidential Statements of the UN Security Council, to establish the list of countries likely to participate in this conference and, this, in consultation with the countries concerned.