NAIROBI, KENYA – 9 September 2026 – Senior government officials, representatives of regional organisations—including the ICGLR, EAC and COMESA—as well as UNDP, OSEGLR, and development partners will convene in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10–11 September 2026 for the Regional Intergovernmental Experts’ Meeting on the Resilient Trade and Socio-Economic Integration as a Pathway to Peace in the Great Lakes Region (REST-GLR) Initiative.

The meeting brings together representatives from Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, alongside regional and international partners, to review and validate the REST-GLR Programme Document.

The REST-GLR Programme seeks to strengthen the contribution of trade, livelihoods, investment, governance and regional cooperation to peace, resilience and socio-economic development in the Great Lakes Region. It brings together peacebuilding, trade facilitation, enterprise development and investment within an integrated regional approach, with particular attention to borderlands and strategic economic corridors.

Building on Community Ground-Truthing Dialogues conducted across 7 regional economic corridors, the meeting will consider development priorities, governance and institutional arrangements, financing approaches, and opportunities for public and private investment.

Key areas under consideration include the transformation of strategic economic corridors and local value chains; support for women, youth and informal cross-border traders; enterprise and investment facilitation; and stronger alignment between national, regional and continental frameworks, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The initiative reflects a shared commitment to harnessing regional integration and economic cooperation as pathways towards sustainable peace and shared prosperity in the Great Lakes Region.

About REST-GLR

The Resilient Trade and Socio-Economic Integration as a Pathway to Peace in the Great Lakes Region (REST-GLR) initiative is a joint regional programme between regional organisations, ICGLR, EAC, COMESA, OSEGLR and UNDP, designed to strengthen peace and stability through trade, investment, livelihoods, governance, resilience, and regional integration. By focusing on borderland economies and cross-border systems, the programme seeks to generate inclusive growth, create jobs, and deliver sustainable peace dividends across the Great Lakes Region.

For More Information.

UNDP Resilience Hub for Africa
Stanley Omambia – Communications Analyst
stanley.mosoti@undp.org

ICGLR
Fiona Irakoze – Communications and Conference Officer
fiona.irakoze@icglr.org