GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE

	FY 1998 Actual	FY 1999 Estimate	FY 2000 Request
Economic Support Funds	---	$25,000,000	$10,000,000

Introduction.

During his April 1998 trip to Africa, President Clinton called attention to the need for a process of reconciliation from the terrible tragedies in central Africa, and acknowledged that the international community has been part of the problem and needs to play a more active role in the region. The President reaffirmed the December 1997 commitment of the Secretary of State that the United States would provide funding in support of a Great Lakes Initiative (GLI). The goal of this initiative is to strengthen national and local judicial systems and promote processes for reconciliation.

The Development Challenge.

The region of the Great Lakes -- which includes Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) -- has been caught in a deepening cycle of violence and anarchy which spills over national and ethnic boundaries. Ethnic tensions and political and economic failures have resulted in bloodshed, instability and economic ruin. A majority of the population lives outside the rule of law, where corruption and violence are perpetrated with impunity. In order for the peoples of the Great Lakes region to escape from this vicious cycle, there needs to be a concerted effort to construct effective systems of justice and to move towards reconciliation. To accomplish this, a commitment is needed by African states and donors to make the rule of law a development priority.

Other Donors.

USAID recognizes that this effort must be a multi-donor effort. As the implementation phase of the GLI gets underway, the United States is actively promoting involvement by other bilateral donors and multilateral organizations, especially our European partners. The United States Government will seek to collaborate with public-private partnerships, other professional associations, foundations, and non-government organizations to contribute in-kind resources and enhance cooperation between civil society and government. In the region, the Initiative would engage central and local government authorities as well as civil society institutions.

FY 2000 Program.

GLI resources are being concentrated initially in Rwanda, given the insecurity in DRC and Burundi at present. However, if the current progress continues in the Burundi peace negotiations, GLI funding could be made available for justice activities. In Rwanda, efforts will be focussed on the following: (1) promoting the rule of law through support for the court system, training equipment, public awareness of the genocide laws as they evolve, traditional legal processes, efforts to encourage ethnic diversity among lawyers and judges, and aid to the new National Human Rights commission; (2) reconciliation through social and economic activities at the local level which promote cooperation and address the deprivation which lies at the heart of the cycle of impunity in the Great Lakes region; and (3) encouraging citizen participation through supporting local elections.

GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE

FY 2000 PROGRAM SUMMARY (In thousands of dollars)

USAID Mission Director/Democratic Republic of Congo: John Grayzel
USAID Mission Director/Rwanda: George Lewis, Rwanda

USAID Strategic & Special Objectives	Economic Growth & Agriculture	Population & Health	Environment	Democracy	Human Capacity Developmnt	Humanitarian Assistance	TOTALS
S.O. 1 Great Lakes Initiative TOTAL: - ESF	---	---	---	10,000	---	---	10,000

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ACTIVITY DATA SHEET

PROGRAM: REGIONAL
TITLE: Great Lakes Initiative (GLI), SO01
STATUS: On-going
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 2000: $10,000,000 ESF
INITIAL OBLIGATION: 1999; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2002

Summary: The purpose of the GLI is to strengthen indigenous mechanisms for justice and reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region. The beneficiaries will be the civilian populations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi who have been caught in a seemingly never-ending cycle of ethnic violence, which reached genocidal dimensions in Rwanda in 1994 and still remains a real threat throughout the region.

Key Results: USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID has provided support to the justice sector in Rwanda since 1995. USAID has made significant progress in training legal professionals, strengthening the Rwanda Ministry of Justice (MOJ), training the police, and facilitating efforts to inform the public on the on-going trials in Arusha, Tanzania of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. With technical support from the U.S. Department of Justice, USAID is working with the Rwandan MOJ to speed up the administration of justice for the 125,000 detainees accused of genocide. Specific measures include group trials, plea-bargaining, use of traditional community-based justice, and public information activities.

Performance and Prospects: The Great Lakes Initiative (GLI) will focus on civilian judicial systems, military justice and international mechanisms of support as part of a broad, multi-agency effort. USAID will focus on the civilian and international elements of the Initiative, in coordination with other U.S. Government agencies. For civilian justice, the GLI will provide bilateral support for the indigenous administration of justice and rule of law, including such institutions as police, courts, prisons, and truth commissions. The emphasis will be on strengthening local and national capacity. Regionally, the GLI will provide support for independent human rights commissions, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, indigenous human rights organizations, reconciliation initiatives and formal and informal education efforts. For international judicial systems, the GLI will include support for speedier trials and a witness protection program for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, enhanced cooperation and consultation between the UN and African institutions on human rights issues, appropriate modalities for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees protection mandate, and other appropriate mechanisms of accountability for violations of humanitarian law.

Possible Adjustments to Plans: USAID does not envision any major adjustments to the program at this time.

Other Donor Programs: The United States is spearheading this effort and promoting involvement of other bilateral and multilateral donors. The United States is also seeking support of public-private partnerships, professional associations, foundations, and non-government organizations among others to improve collaboration between civil society and government. IBM and a specialized software company have indicated a willingness to make available at no cost to the Government of Rwanda computer equipment and related software to improve the tracking of the genocide detainees through the court system.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: U.S. Department of Justice, and others to be determined.

Selected Performance Measures: Indicators will be determined on a project by project basis.

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