The Great Lakes region of Africa - which comprises the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi - needs special attention. It has been the scene of some of the worst human suffering of this century and the last, including the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the conflict in eastern DRC, which continues today and has resulted in an estimated 5.4 million deaths since 1998. Enormously endowed with natural resources, from timber to diamonds, water to oil, the area has the potential to become an economic driving force and source of inspiration for the entire continent – or a source of instability.

The principal aims of the All Party Group are to ensure that the Great Lakes Region is on the political agenda of the Government; to encourage discussion of regional issues; and to provide a channel for contacts with experts and NGOs working in the region and with parliamentarians in the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. In the past year, our DRC-focused work has included, to cite just a few examples, meetings with key diplomats working in Congo, such as the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in the DRC, Roger Meece, and Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, Francis Deng. In June, we held a multi-stakeholder roundtable in Parliament, Chaired by The Rt Rev. Bishop of Winchester, Michael Scott-Joynt. We are currently engaged in an international transparency lobby that aims to bring greater accountability and improved due diligence to mineral extraction in the DRC. In January 2010, we hosted an inward delegation of Congolese parliamentarians in collaboration with the FCO, as part of a peer-to-peer, capacity building programme between the UK and DRC Parliaments.