KIGALI - A two-day regional meeting aimed at discussing issues related to security within the Great Lakes region opens today in Kigali.

The meeting will be held under the auspices of the Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace, Amani Forum, which is a network of parliamentarians committed to promoting peaceful resolution of conflicts, both within their own countries and in the region as a whole.

Addressing the press yesterday, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Denis Polisi, who also doubles as the chairperson of Amani Forum-Rwanda Chapter, said that, the meeting will mainly address the root cause of conflicts in the region.

"Some of the conflicts in the region are generated from within and we need to take the prime role in solving them. During this meeting, regional Members of Parliament will be discussing the roles of their parliaments in solving conflicts,” said Polisi.

The Sectary General of Amani Forum-Rwanda Chapter, Yvonne Uwayisenga, said that the meeting will be attended by seven member states, and each country will be represented by two MPs while 20 Rwandan MPs and Senators are expected to attend.

"During the meeting, experts will speak about issues related to regional security, international justice, and the role of the media in times of conflict,” she revealed.
Amani Forum is an initiative of Parliamentarians in the Great Lakes region.

The forum was formed in 1998 by a group of parliamentarians who decided to create a regional structure to enable lawmakers to work in a coordinated manner towards sustainable peace.

Since then, Amani has grown to be a resolute voice of peace in the region with a membership of over 650 parliamentarians.

The Forum has established national Chapters in the seven national parliaments of Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.  A Chapter was established in the East African Legislative Assembly in December 2007.

The aim of Amani is to eliminate armed conflict and promote peace and democratic governance.

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