(1)

On 15 February 2007, the Council adopted Joint Action 2007/112/CFSP (1) appointing Mr Roeland VAN DE GEER European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the African Great Lakes Region.

(2)

On 12 February 2008, the Council adopted Joint Action 2008/108/CFSP (2) amending and extending the mandate of the EUSR until 28 February 2009.

(3)

On the basis of a review of Joint Action 2008/108/CFSP, the mandate of the EUSR should be extended for a further 12-month period.

(4)

The EUSR will implement his mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could harm the Common Foreign and Security Policy objectives set out in Article 11 of the Treaty,

(a)

contributing actively and effectively to a consistent, sustainable and responsible policy of the EU in the African Great Lakes Region, and promoting a coherent overall EU approach in the region. The EUSR shall support the work of the Secretary-General/High Representative (SG/HR) in the region;

(b)

ensuring the continued commitment of the EU to the stabilisation and reconstruction processes in the region, through an active presence on the ground and in relevant international fora, staying in touch with key players and contributing to crisis management;

(c)

contributing to the post-transition phase in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in particular as regards the political process of consolidating the new institutions and defining a broader international framework for political consultation and coordination with the new government;

(d)

contributing, in close cooperation with the United Nations/MONUC, to the international support efforts to pursue a comprehensive Security Sector Reform in the DRC, in particular in view of the coordinating role the EU is ready to assume in this context;

(e)

contributing to appropriate follow-up measures to the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, in particular by establishing close contacts with the Great Lakes Secretariat and its Executive Secretary as well as with the Troika of the follow-up mechanism and by promoting good neighbourly relations in the region;

(f)

addressing the still considerable problem of armed groups operating across the borders, which risks destabilising the countries in the region and aggravating their internal problems;

(g)

contributing to the post-conflict stabilisation in Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, in particular through accompanying peace negotiations with armed groups such as the FNL and LRA.

(a)

establish and maintain close contact with the countries of the Great Lakes Region, the United Nations, the African Union, key African countries and main partners of the DRC and the EU, as well as regional and sub-regional African organisations, other relevant third countries and other key regional leaders;

(b)

advise and report on the possibilities for the EU to support the stabilisation and consolidation process and on how best to pursue EU initiatives;

(c)

provide advice and assistance for security sector reform (SSR) in the DRC;

(d)

contribute to the follow-up to the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, in particular by supporting policies, defined in the region, which pursue the objectives of non-violence and mutual defence in the resolution of conflicts as well as, regarding regional cooperation, by promoting human rights and democratisation, good governance, judicial cooperation, and the fight against impunity and the illegal exploitation of natural resources;

(e)

contribute to a better understanding of the role of the EU among opinion leaders in the region;

(f)

contribute, where requested, to the negotiation and implementation of peace and cease-fire agreements between the parties and engage with them diplomatically in the event of non-compliance with the terms of these agreements; in the context of the ongoing LRA negotiations, such activities should be pursued in close coordination with the EUSR for Sudan;

(g)

contribute to the implementation of the EU human rights policy and EU Guidelines on human rights, in particular the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict, and the EU policy regarding UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, including by monitoring and reporting on developments in this regard.

(a)

establishing a mission-specific security plan based on guidance from the General Secretariat of the Council, including mission-specific physical, organisational and procedural security measures, governing management of the secure movement of personnel to, and within, the mission area, as well as management of security incidents and including a mission contingency and evacuation plan;

(b)

ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the EU are covered by high risk insurance as required by the conditions in the mission area;

(c)

ensuring that all members of his team to be deployed outside the EU, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the mission area, based on the risk ratings assigned to the mission area by the General Secretariat of the Council;

(d)

ensuring that all agreed recommendations made following regular security assessments are implemented and providing the SG/HR, the Council and the Commission with written reports on their implementation and on other security issues within the framework of the mid-term and mandate implementation reports.