Over 150 delegates from the Partner States are attending the three-day 2nd EAC Peace and Security Conference in Bujumbura

(L-R) EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr Charles Njoroge, First Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, HE Bernard Busokoza and Burundi EAC Affairs Minister, Hon Leontine Nzeyimane during the offical opening of the 2nd EAC Peace and Security Conference in Bujumbura, Burundi.

(Seated L-R) EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr Charles Njoroge, First Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, HE Bernard Busokoza and Burundi EAC Affairs Minister, Hon Leontine Nzeyimane in a group photo with delegates at the 2ns EAC Peace and Security Conference.

The First Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi, His Excellency Bernard Busokoza has exhorted the region to collectively work to ensure that East Africa remains peaceful, secured and investor friendly.

“There is need for the region to collectively work so as to ensure that EAC is a haven of peace and security, for investments to prosper for the benefit of both our respective countries and people”, he said, when opening the second EAC Peace and Security Conference in Bujumbura 13 November, 2013. 

He decried the region to be a hide-out for ill-doers, adding that strong and effective mechanisms needed to be urgently put in place to tackle new peace and security challenges.

He mentioned some of the threats as home grown terrorism with strong external ties, piracy, sectarianism and ethnic/tribal confrontations, religious radicalism, resource-based conflicts, climate change effects, wildlife destruction, increasing illegal small arms and light weapons and illicit drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and cybercrime.

As a result of these emerging illicit activities, the Burundi Vice President  noted that the region’s enormous potential was being undermined. “Our region continues to lag behind in terms of development of its people, the majority of whom still survive on less than one dollar a day,” he told the delegates drawn from peace and security experts, civil society, religious leaders, ministers, non-governmental organisations, academia, politicians, youth, women, media, relevant EAC Ministries and EAC Secretariat, among others.

H.E Busokoza also urged the region to strengthen the involvement of non-state actors in the field of conflict prevention, management and resolution. “The involvement of communities at large need to be strengthed,” he stressed.

The Burundi EAC Affairs Minister Hon Leontine Nzeyimane said that peace and security was a prerequisite to social and economic development within the Community, underscoring that it was vital to the achievement of the objectives of the region.

She added that the Conference, whose theme is “Promoting a culture of dialogue and tolerance for conflict prevention and peaceful co-existence’’ would effetcively contribute to the noble objectives of the Community.

“What we are doing here [Bujumbura] is a great contribution to the building of the future of our humanity, the world of coming generations, our children, our grand children, and great grand children,” she told the attentive delegates.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Political Federation, Mr Charles Njoroge reiterated that the East African region reflects a diversity of cultures, languages, ethnic and religious identities.

“As the East African integration process deepens, culture, identity, religious heritage, business and natural resource governance issues in the region will become of vital importance,” the EAC official said, however, adding that how beneficial such a rich diversity could be to the people of East Africa largely depends on the decisions taken at various levels.

The participants are expected to generate and exchange knowledge to inform and improve conflict prevention and resolution capacities as well as help define potential future activities for the region.

The delegates are expected to assess peace and security challenges facing their communities, past experiences, best practices and identify operational steps that can be taken to promote dialogue, tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

Article 5 of the Treaty Establishing the East African Community stipulates promotion of peace, security and stability within, and good neighbourliness among EAC Partner States as one of its core objectives. The founders of the Community agreed that peace and security are prerequisites to social and economic development and vital to the achievement of the objectives of the Community.