The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Said Djinnit, met with civil society actors on 28 January 2015 during a consultative dialogue organized by Oxfam International and the Réseau pour la Réforme du Secteur de Sécurité et de Justice (RRSSJ) on the margins of the African Union (AU) Summit.

The meeting comes at a critical point for the Great Lakes, almost two years after the signing of the historic peace accord by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and 11 countries in the surrounding region – the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) agreement.

This yearly event brings civil society actors from the Great Lakes region together to engage directly with the Special Envoy on priority issues such as peace, human rights and security in the region. During today’s meeting, the Special Envoy briefed on challenges to the full implementation of the PSCF agreement, including the lack of full disarmament of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the continued existence of armed groups in eastern DRC, and the slow progress on the repatriation of the ex-M23. At the same time, he highlighted a variety of initiatives his office is working on with partners which will contribute to regional peace and prosperity, including a Private Sector Investment Conference to advance regional economic development and consolidate peace dividends, and the Women’s Platform for the PSCF agreement.

Special Envoy Djinnit called on civil society throughout the region to help resolve conflicts, advance human rights and promote better democratization processes. He noted that “The engagement of civil society, women’s organizations and youth groups is crucial to building the trust, confidence and space for public debate that is needed to bring lasting peace to the Great Lakes region, a region that has seen far too much conflict over a period of 20 years.”

Noting the need to address the root causes of conflict, he called directly for civil society to work with him. “You as civil society have an immense role to play in the implementation of the PSCF agreement, and I rely on you to fully embrace this role and to help me fulfil my mandate,” Special Envoy Djinnit said. CSO participants called for effective neutralization of negative forces in eastern DRC and stressed the need to promote youth employment, as a way to prevent young men from being lured into joining armed groups.

Oxfam South Africa’s Executive Director, Sipho Mthathi, who joined the UN Special Envoy at the event, expressed Oxfam’s commitment to uphold civil society participation in the peace process. “The peace process in the Great Lakes can only succeed if the voices of communities are heard and responded to by the leaders of the region. We thank the Special Envoy for this opportunity to hear these voices and to continue to engage with communities.’