GREAT LAKES ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (CEPGL) AND EAC SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera and Mr. Herman Tuyaga,the Executive Secretary of Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL signs the MoU.

Amb Sezibera and Mr. Herman Tuyaga pose for  a picture after exchange of MoU the document

East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 20 March 2014: The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) and the East African Community have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will provide a framework for cooperation between the two Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in all activities deemed likely to benefit from this cooperation and especially those that seek to implement the provisions of the constitutive legal instruments of both parties for the benefit of the people from the Member/Partner States of CEPGL and EAC.

The MoU aims at establishing a permanent cooperation framework between CEPGL and EAC thus enabling both RECs to coordinate their efforts and provide each other mutual assistance to achieve each other’s statutory objectives; as well as contributing to enhancing cooperation and friendly relations among the Member/Partner States of these organisations.

According to the MoU, CEPGL and EAC agree, within the limits of the competences bestowed onto them by their respective constitutive instruments, to harmonise their efforts so as to improve their efficiency and enhance their cooperation in the following areas:

(a) Regional integration, especially measures aimed at comprehensive borders management, eradicating non-tariff barriers and facilitating free movement of people, goods, services and capital;

(b) Economic development, especially through joint infrastructure projects in areas including transport, energy and communications; support for economic activities in the areas of agriculture and food security, industry and trade and human resources development;

(c) Democracy and Good Governance at national and local levels, particularly through the promotion of the rule of law, fighting against corruption, respect for civil and human rights and the consolidation of democratic processes;

(d) Humanitarian and social issues, especially the improvement of education, fighting sexual violence and other forms of violence, improvement of trans-border social relations among communities;

(e) Cross-cutting issues including gender, youth, women and human rights, environmental protection, the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases, with special emphasis on the consideration of trans border dimensions;

(f) any other areas likely to help, directly or indirectly, achieve the statutory objectives of each of the parties.

The Secretary General of the East African Community Amb. Dr. Richard Sezibera initialled on behalf of the East African Community while Mr. Herman Tuyaga, the Executive Secretary did on behalf of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL),

The EAC Principal Legal Officer Mr. Stephen Agaba and his counterpart from CEPGL Prof. Cifende Moise witnessed the signing of the MoU which took place at the EAC Headquarters.

CEPGL is a Regional Economic Community that brings together the Republics of Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo with its Headquarters/Secretariat based in Gisenyi, Rwanda.