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Note: This document may not always reflect the actual appropriations determined by Congress. Final budget allocations for USAID's programs are not determined until after passage of an appropriations bill and preparation of the Operating Year Budget (OYB).

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GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE

	FY 1997	FY 1998	FY 1999
	Actuals	Estimate	Request
Economic Support Funds	---	---	$25,000,000

Introduction

During her December 1997 trip to Africa, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright 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. She announced 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 -- 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 live outside of 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 must be a multi-donor effort. As a result, the United States is actively promoting involvement by other bi-lateral donors and multi-lateral organizations, especially our European partners. Within the United States, the 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 1999 Program The primary goal of the GLI is to strengthen the mechanisms for justice and reconciliation in these strife-torn countries. Secondary goals are: 1) to assess the role that the international community has played in abetting the situation and help forge an international partnership to find solutions; 2) to assist or reinforce domestic constituencies for judicial reform; and, 3) beyond law and order, to galvanize support for social justice and social security systems which promote accountability and the rule of law.

To achieve these goals, renewed dedication is required in three major areas: civilian justice, military justice, and international judicial mechanisms. At each level, the GLI will focus on three goals: training of personnel, building institutional capacity, and creating mechanisms for long-term financing of justice institutions.

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GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE
FY 1999 PROGRAM SUMMARY
(in thousands of dollars)

USAID Strategic and Special Objectives	Economic Growth & Agriculture	Population & Health	Environment	Democracy	Human Capacity Development	Humanitarian Assistance	TOTALS
S.O. 1. Great Lakes Initiative - ESF	---	---	---	25,000	---	---	25,000
Total - ESF	---	---	---	25,000	---	---	25,000

USAID Mission Directors: George Lewis/John Grayze l

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ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: GREAT LAKES INITIATIVE
TITLE: Great Lakes Initiative, SO01
STATUS: New
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1999: $25,000,000 ESF
INITIAL OBLIGATION: 1999; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2002

Purpose: To strengthen indigenous mechanisms for justice and reconciliation in the Great Lakes Region.

USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID has provided support to the justice sector in Rwanda since 1995. While USAID has made significant progress in training legal professionals, demobilizing soldiers, training police, and strengthening the Rwanda Ministry of Justice, it is now clear that many of these problems cross borders and therefore need to be looked at from a regional perspective. Moreover, the fall of the Mobutu regime in former Zaire has changed the political climate in the region and has opened to door for a more effective regional approach. USAID will assess the issues that are regional in nature and then develop effective bilateral and regional activities in response.

Description: 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 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 would 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 states 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.

Host Country and Other Donors: The United States is spearheading this effort and promoting involvement of other bi-lateral and multilateral donors. Within the United States, it 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.

Beneficiaries: 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.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: To be selected.

Major Results Indicators: To be determined upon completion of field assessment planned for FY 1998.

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