Article 3 · Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/2098

Contents

Article 3Mandate#

In order to achieve the policy objectives set out in Article 2, the mandate of the EUSR shall be to:

(a)support the High Representative in the implementation of the Council conclusions of 20 February 2023 on a renewed Great Lakes strategy;

(b)establish and maintain close contact and cooperation with the countries of the Great Lakes region, in particular: the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda; countries in the wider region with specific political, diplomatic, security or economic interests in the Great Lakes region, including the signatories to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) for the DRC and the region; the key regional organisations and fora, namely the African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); the United Nations, in particular the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO); the international financial institutions; international likeminded partners and other leading regional and international actors; and relevant non-state actors, such as local authorities and communities, civil society, research institutes, the media and the private sector;

(c)support regional mediation and facilitation efforts, such as the Luanda and Nairobi Processes and, if needed and requested by relevant parties and stakeholders, engage directly in mediation, mediation support activities and dialogue in order to preserve and restore peace at any stage and at all levels, including by supporting the negotiation of ceasefire and peace agreements, and promote the inclusion of civil society, women and youth during all stages of peace-making;

(d)provide advice and report on the possibilities for the Union to support conflict prevention, peace processes, stabilisation and peace-consolidation initiatives; in this context, the EUSR, in coordination with relevant stakeholders, may play a role in supporting the implementation of ceasefire and peace agreements and other related agreements, including by providing support for the monitoring of compliance and engaging diplomatically with parties in cases of non-compliance;

(e)provide conflict-sensitive and gender-sensitive advice concerning regional stabilisation, the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of armed groups, and security-sector reform in the DRC, including in the context of the withdrawal of MONUSCO;

(f)contribute to the regional efforts aimed at conflict prevention and the transformation of the root causes of insecurity and instability into shared opportunities, by promoting regional cooperation and integration, including in terms of good governance and the rule of law; in particular, focus on the issue of the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources and support initiatives for the development of an African-led model of resource management that is sustainable, fair, environmentally sound and based on human rights, including through engagement with the private sector and civil society;

(g)promote humanitarian principles and access, respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, access to justice, judicial cooperation and transitional justice mechanisms, while paying particular attention to addressing sexual and gender-based violence and violations of women’s and children’s rights, including through forced recruitment;

(h)contribute to a better understanding of the role of the Union among opinion leaders in the Great Lakes region and support strategic and proactive communication of the Union’s goals in the region.