Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund 

ObjectivesFund scope

In the Great Lakes region of Africa, current cross-border peace and security responses are not comprehensive enough to uphold and sustain peace. The Cross-Border Fund pinpoints the most critical gaps and facilitates the design of coherent and integrated national interventions that address the root causes of instability and conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and affected border areas of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. 

Efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region have, historically, been made by individual countries. However, border areas are strategic locations where transformation can take place—building community and individual confidence, growing trust, and establishing momentum for the peaceful resolution of conflict.  

Strategic and results framework  

The Fund promotes a joint United Nations approach towards collective regional action that address the root causes of conflict and instability in the Great Lakes Region. This framework embodies the United Nations’ New Way of Working, and capitalizes on ways different organization can collaborate according to niche areas, increasing the likelihood of delivering on the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to ‘Leave No One Behind’. 

The Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund is structured along six thematic pillars: 

• Sustainable natural resources and land management 
• Economic integration, cross-border trade, and food security 
• Mobility 
• Youth and adolescents 
• Gender and sexual and gender-based violence 
• Justice and conflict prevention 

Fund partners work along multiple pillars to promote cross-border solutions that meet regional and international peace and security commitments. 

GovernanceGovernance arrangements

Steering Committee 

Comprised of representatives from the United Nations and partners of the Fund, the Committee acts as a platform to mobilize networks and resources for action as outlined in the Joint Work Plan. As the Fund executive body, the Steering Committee sets strategic direction, makes resource allocation decisions, and monitors progress towards achieving results.  

Secretariat 

Supports the Steering Committee in implementation of the strategic framework for the Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund, as well as facilitates coordination of participating United Nations organizations, and undertakes technical management and external relations functions. 

Administrative Agent 

Funds are routed by way of a pass-through mechanism. Participating Organizations receive funds through the Administrative Agent, Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Office. The Administrative Agent is responsible for the receipt, administration and management of contributions from donors, disbursement of funds to Participating Organizations, and consolidation and dissemination of progress reports to donors.  

Participating Organizations 

Programme implementation is the responsibility of Participating Organizations. Each organization is programmatically and financially responsible for resources received. 

Projects

Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund

Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund is currently supporting count_projects ongoing projectscount_globalInterregional and count_countries country-specific. This table shows the most recently approved ongoing projects.

All project financial information can be found in the Financials section, including delivery analysis by organization, theme and project; project financial status by country and by theme.

Great Lakes Region Cross-Border Fund

Results

Working across six thematic pillars, the GLR Cross-Border Fund promotes a collective approach towards regional solutions that address root causes of conflict and instability, and capitalize on ways partners can deliver on the 2030 Agenda promise to ‘Leave No One Behind’. 

ContactsPoints of contact

Policy and Programme Issues

Fund Secretariat
Sara Bottin, Programme Analyst, Email: sara.bottin@undp.org

Fund Administrative Agent issues

Eva Saenz, Fund Portfolio Manager, Email: eva.saenz@undp.org
Sean Chen, Portfolio Associate, Email: sean.chen@undp.org
Myasanda Hlaing, Finance Associate, Email: myasanda.hlaing@undp.org