The Summit held in Nairobi in 2007 established the Regional Follow-up Mechanism to facilitate the implementation of the Pact. These include the Summit of Heads of State and Government, the Regional Inter-ministerial Committee, the Secretariat of the Conference, the National Coordination Mechanisms, the Collaborative Mechanism and other specific structures or Fora, as appropriate, to ensure the implementation of the Pact.
According to article 23 of the Pact, it is the supreme organ of the ICGLR and is chaired by a Head of State or Government in rotation every two years. It meets every two years for ordinary sessions. Exceptionally, a special session of the Summit may be convened at the request of a Member State and with the consent of a qualified majority of eight Member States present and voting, and who ratified the Pact.
It is composed of the current Chair, the immediate former Chair and the next Chair. As per Article 23 (5) the Troika is required to assist the Chairperson in the execution of his mandate. It facilitates regular and constant consultations outside of the usual formal meetings.
This is the executive body of the ICGLR, comprised of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States. According to the part, the RIMC is expected to meet twice a year in ordinary session, but may also meet in extraordinary session at the request of the Member States. It is chaired by the Minister of a Member State in rotation.
The Conference Secretariat is the technical and coordinating organ of the Conference. It is headed by an Executive Secretary and is responsible for coordinating, facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the Pact and Programmes of Action to achieve peace, security and development in the Great Lakes Region. The Secretariat also has a mandate to coordinate the implementation of the decisions of the Summit. The Secretariat has its headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi.
It has the following decentralised organs/centres:
- Levy Mwanawasa Regional Centre on Democracy and Good Governance (LMRC); it was established in 2011 and is mandated to conduct operational research and analysis to contribute to policy-making processes coordinated by the Secretariat.
- Regional Training Facility (RTF) on SGBV, Kampala; was established in 2014 pursuant to ICGLR Protocol on Prevention and Suppression of Sexual Violence against women and children. The mandate is to “…train and sensitize police units, judicial officers, medical officers, social workers and other categories of persons who handle cases of sexual violence.
- Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM), Goma; It was launched in September 2012 in Goma and comprises of military experts from the ICGLR Member States, South Africa, MONUSCO and the AU. It monitors and carries out investigations on security incidents.
- Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre (JIFC), Goma; It is made up of two representatives each from the 11 Member States, and is managed by a rotating Regional Coordination Committee (RCC). The JIFC reports to the RCC and the Chair of the ICGLR Chiefs of Defense Staff who in turn reports to the Committee of Ministers of Defence.
- Joint Follow-up Mechanism (JFM) on the ADF, Kasese; It was established on 18th February 2017. It comprises experts on Counterterrorism from the DRC, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
- National Coordination Mechanisms (NCMs)
The Pact also provides for National Coordination Mechanisms, which are established in each Member State to facilitate the implementation of the Pact in the Member States. The NCM also includes representatives of civil society, women and youth, in order to ensure a concerted follow-up of the implementation of the decisions taken by the Summit and the RIMC.