Towards Eliminating Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the Great Lakes Region: Regional Experts and Ministers in charge of Gender meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, 1-4th November 2011.

The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) is organizing a Ministerial regional meeting on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the Great Lakes Region that will take place in Arusha, Tanzania on 1-4 November, 2011. This meeting will gather experts from regional and international NGOs, UN agencies, Civil Society Organizations and researchers with expertise in the field of SGBV.

The objective of the meeting is to deliberate and validate the research findings  from  the 11 Member States of the ICGLR and make recommendations in the search for  lasting solution to this scourge in the region.

 The final report with the experts’ contributions will be considered by the Ministers of Gender from ICGLR Member States, before submission to the forthcoming Summit of the Great Lakes Region scheduled for Kampala, Uganda from 11-16^th December 2011. The theme for the summit on SGBV is “United to prevent, end impunity and provide support to the Victims of SGBV”.

During the Special Session that will take place on 15^th December 2011, the Heads of State would  approve and commit to several measures to prevent sexual violence, end impunity  and  support  survivors  in line with the  ICGLR Regional binding Protocol on the Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence against Women and Children and other regional and UN instruments on SGBV.