Fund Dates

Start date: 31 January 2017

End date: 31 December 2021

Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund - Reports

• GLR-CBF 2020 Annual Report
• GLR-CBF 2020 Certified Financial Statement 

Key Documents

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Overview

The Great Lakes Region Cross Border Fund is a pooled financing mechanism that

-Tackles the cross-border aspects of peace and security to achieve a sustained peace

-Facilitates coherence and coordination among the UN agencies in the Great Lakes Region

The Regional UNDG and UNCT’s Great Lakes Regional Strategic Framework 2016-2017 was developed and validated in 2015 under guidance of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the Great Lakes, the Chair of the Regional UNDG for Africa, five Resident Coordinators, the Regional UNDG and representatives of regional organizations. It was launched by the Secretary General and endorsed by the Security Council in 2016. To support and in a strategic way finance the implementation of the UN Great Lakes Strategic Framework the Great Lakes Region Cross Border Fund was established.

Objective

There is a critical gap in the development responses in the region, and that is to tackle the cross-border aspect of peace and security to achieve a sustained peace. The cross border issues may, unaddressed, not only prolong and destabilize the situation but also undermine other initiatives and investments in the region. The GLR Cross Border Fund is designed not to duplicate national instruments but to facilitate the coherence of national interventions and fill gaps in cross border work.

To tackle the causes of conflict and address destabilizing factors in eastern DRC the UN has adopted a regional, cross border, multi-agency approach along the most conflict affected DRC border: the eastern border with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. Efforts to achieve peaceful development in the region are often made in individual countries and UNCTs traditionally act at national level, even though the underlying causes of conflicts are not contained within country borders. On the contrary, the border areas feed the drivers of conflict. But border areas are at the same time strategic locations which can be tapped to build confidence, create trust, and establish momentum for peaceful resolution of conflicts. 

Governance

The Fund operates under a common governance structure headed by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from the UN System and contributors. The main role of the Steering committee is to provide a partnership platform and mobilize  international actors and resources against the Joint Work Plan. The Steering Committee is the fund’s executive body, sets the Fund’s strategic direction, makes resource allocation decisions, and monitor progress towards achieving results. The Steering committee will adopt a multi-year Investment Plan based on the Fund’s theory of change, which will detail the Fund priorities, expected results and financial needs. This process ensures that the Steering Committee manages the Fund in a dynamic manner, builds synergies with other funds and joint programmes, and reviews its underlying theory of change and expected results based on experience, lessons learned and changing contexts. 

The Secretariat provides support to the overarching implementation of the GLR Strategic Framework and sits under the responsibility of the two co - champions. In order to support the objectives of the Framework – particularly around the facilitation of a coherent and effective approach to cross border cooperation  – the responsibility for the technical aspects of fund management, and support to the Fund governance structure, are embedded in the Secretariat.

The Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office is acting as the Administrative Agent providing contributors and participating organizations with fund administration and other support services.