The Réseau Jeunes pour la Paix Grands-Lacs (RJP-GL) - the Youth for Peace Network of the Great Lakes Region - is pooling its activist forces to strengthen participation in peacebuilding processes and promote dialogue between generations.

The RJP-GL ( Réseau des Jeunes pour la Paix en Afrique des Grands Lacs ) was launched in 2023 as part of the first subregional colloquium “Youth for Peace” in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The conference was made possible thanks to the funding of the project “Cluster Peace Work, Coordination Civil Society and Research”, which was financed by the state of Baden-Württemberg in cooperation with the Catholic dioceses of Freiburg and Rottenburg.

The goal of the RJP-GL is to promote social cohesion between young people in the three countries (Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo) and to encourage young people to mobilize within the framework of the "Youth, Peace and Security" agenda.

The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda is an international framework that recognizes the crucial role of young people in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and the promotion of security. It is based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015) and its supplementary resolutions (2419 in 2018 and 2535 in 2020).

Furthermore, the RJP-GL sees itself as an educational institution for young people, aiming to build a bridge of peace between the three countries, reduce social and political tensions, and foster a Grand Lac identity. The project is supported by four civil society organizations: YELI (Youth Empowerment Leadership Initiative) (Burundi), Youth 4 Peace (Y4P) (DR Congo), AJCL (Association Des Jeunes De Charles Luanga) (Rwanda), and RAPRED-Girubuntu (Association Du Réseau Africain P for La Paix, La Reconciliation Et Le Développement Durable) (Germany). These four organizations are the founding members of the network and are supported by research institutions such as the University of Burundi (Bujumbura, Burundi) and the University of Freiburg – Caritas Studies – (Freiburg, Germany).