PREAMBLE

We, Heads of State and of Government of the Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region;

Reaffirming the Dar-es-Salaam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region adopted and signed in Dar-es-Salaam (United Republic of Tanzania) on 20 November 2004;

Reaffirming the need to respect the fundamental principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and the Constitutive Act of the African Union notably territorial integrity, sovereignty, non- interference, non-aggression, and prohibition of any State from allowing the use of its territory by armed groups as a base for aggression and subversion against another State;

Considering that respect for human rights represents a fundamental guarantee against threats to peace and the internal security of States;

Determined to build a Great Lakes Region that is open to other regions of the continent, by building cooperation on the following priority areas: Peace and Security, Democracy and Good Governance, Economic Development and Regional Integration, and Humanitarian and Social Issues;

Considering that permanent sovereignty over natural resources is an inalienable right of the people, which must be exercised in the interest of their national development and of the well-being of the population of the State concerned, without prejudice to the obligations arising out of international economic cooperation, based upon the principle of mutual interest and international law;

Considering that the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes Region is one of the factors causing or aggravating endemic conflicts and persistent insecurity in the Region, and represents, at the same time, a major obstacle to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals;

Deeply concerned about the negative impact of the illegal exploitation of natural resources, which aggravates environmental degradation and deprives States of the resources needed to fight poverty;

Recognizing the numerous initiatives and efforts made at national, sub-regional and regional levels to find a durable solution to the issue of illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes Region;

Recognizing the rights and duties of States under international law, in particular, the need to promote international cooperation, technical assistance, regional integration and economic development;

Considering our commitment to promote regional policies and strategies for environmental evaluation, restoration and protection, as well as the rehabilitation of human settlements;

Considering regional and international instruments on the issue of illegal exploitation of natural resources namely: the Constitutive Act of the African Union, 2000; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966; the International covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966; the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 1981; the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1968; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 1973; the Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa, 1991; the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992; the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora, 1994; the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, 1960 ; the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1803 (XVII) on Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources, 1962; the Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 41/128 of 1986 ; the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme;

Resolved to put in place a legal framework to curb the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Great Lakes Region and to take effective measures to prosecute and punish those responsible for such acts;

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