REMARKS BY H.E JAKAYA MRISHO KIKWETE, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, AT THE CLOSING OF THE ORDINARY SUMMIT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE GREAT LAKES REGION , 16^TH DECEMBER 2011, KAMPALA

Your Excellency Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, our Host and Chairperson of the ICGLR;

Excellencies, Heads of State and Government;

Your Excellencies, the First Ladies;

Honorable Ministers;

Your Excellency Dr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Executive Secretary of the ICGLR;

Our partners and members of the Diplomatic Corps;

Invited Guests;

Excellencies;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

I consider myself highly privileged to be given the rare honour of moving a vote of thanks on behalf of the Heads of State, Heads of Delegations and all the delegates to the 4^th Ordinary Summit of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. We thank you Mr. President and the people of Uganda for the warmth of reception and hospitality. We also thank you for availing to us excellent facilities for our meeting here at the Munyonyo Commonwealth Resorts.

Mr. President;

Allow me also to congratulate you on your well deserved election to the Chairmanship of our Organization. The trust we have reposed in you is based on the confidence we have in your leadership skills. You have a longstanding record of good stewardship on tasks like this one. On the same vain, I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate President Michael Satta, his predecessor former President Rupia Banda and the Government of Zambia for the sterling leadership of the ICGLR for the past two years. To President Satta, we congratulate him on his election to the highest office in the Republic of Zambia. We welcome him to the Summit of ICGLR and wish you every success in the discharge of your mandate. We promise you our cooperation and solidarity.

Mr President,

We thank you for your excellent leadership of this meeting. In the last two days you have steered the affairs of this meeting so well and, as a result, we have been able to achieve a lot. The deliberations were frank and exhaustive.

As you may recall, we discussed in great depth security and development issues facing our region. The problem of sexual and gender based violence in our region which was the dominant agenda was discussed thoroughly. It is resolved to fight the heartwarming that we scourge with greater vigour and determination. The Declaration of our commitment to zero tolerance against the perpetrators is a strong message of hope and comfort to the victims and those at risk of being victims justice will be done. To the rapists and all other perpetrators, the writings are on the wall that their days are numbered. We have agreed to ensure that in our respective countries there are legislations that can effectively deal with the problem. Also those effective mechanisms should be put in place, to ensure that the legislations are fully implemented. Above all, we agreed to step up campaigns and advocacy to sensitise people to speak out openly and strongly to condemn and oppose these serious crime. The government should also hold accountable all people committing crimes of sexual and gender based violence.

Excellencies,

You may recall also that on the security situation in the Region we spent a good amount of time discussing the issue of negative forces. This was the case because of it’s direct relations with insecurity and resultant sexual and gender based violence. We agreed on the way forward to deal with armed groups and negative forces. We also discussed the problems of Somalia and the Al-Shabab and piracy factors. Let’s walk the talk by doing what we agreed to do.

Excellencies,

We concluded our meeting on a very happy note with the appointment of Prof. Lumu Alphone Ntumba Luaba from the DRC, as the new Executive Secretary of ICGLR. We congratulate you Professor Luaba. Please know that we appointed you because our Ministers convinced us you are a good man and can manage well the tasks and the challenges of this job. Please, prove it on the job, and rise to the occasion.

Excellencies;

Before I conclude let me say a few words of appreciation to the outgoing Executive Secretary, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, we thank you so much for the sterling job you have done for our organization. You had the unenviable task of setting up and building the Secretariat from the scratch. You did that job so successfully and, we now have a formidable organization. We will always remember you for the wonderful contribution you have made for our organization. Speaking as Tanzania’s President and, you being a Tanzania citizen, I say “you have done Tanzania proud”. Welcome back home to join the rest of your country men and women in nation-building endevours.

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegation,

Thank you for your kind attention.