The Regional Centre for Human Security – Great Lakes Region (RC4HS) is a not-for-profit organization established to support Member States in translating their international and regional human security commitments into practice. The Centre was operationalised in 2021 and works across the fourteen Member States of the Great Lakes Region: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia,South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. RC4HS is headquartered in Kampala, Uganda.
Scope
RC4HS-GLR has headquarters in Kampala-Uganda and operates in 14 countries namely; Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Vision
A region with people free from fear, want and indignity.
Mission:
To support Member States in operationalising human security commitments through capacity building, strategic partnerships, and evidence generated from micro-level interventions, while mobilising resources to scale proven solutions.
Core Values:
- Volunteerism
- Accountability
- Knowledge production
- Respect for human rights
- People centered
- Quality
Objectives
- To carryout research on issues relating to human security in the Greatlakes region.
- To issue early warning on human security issues to policy makers in the Greatlakes region.
- To carryout trainings based on human security on various focus groups in the great lakes region.
- To sensitize the public/ advocate for issues relating to human security in the Greatlakes region
Specific Objectives
- To generate and apply evidence from micro-level, context-specific interventions that respond to local human security realities and demonstrate that fear, want, and indignity can be reduced or eradicated through practical and scalable solutions.
- To contribute to bridging centre–periphery disparities by transferring skills, knowledge, and modern practices from urban hubs to rural communities, empowering villages to modernize in place, expand opportunities, and enhance human security without displacement or loss of dignity.
- To empower individuals and communities at the grassroots level to act as agents of change, by strengthening their capacity to identify human security challenges, claim and realise their rights, and drive locally led solutions through sensitisation, advocacy, and social mobilisation.
- To build the capacity of duty bearers to respect, protect, and fulfil their obligations through applied research, training, and the systematic sharing of knowledge, lessons learned, and best practices drawn from field experience.
- To provide platforms for synergy and collaboration among key stakeholders, including governments, civil society, academia, and development partners, through digital mechanisms, workshops, conferences, seminars, and strategic engagements.
- To mobilise resources for key stakeholders through own voluntary resources of the director(s) fundraising, networking, and the establishment of strategic partnerships to sustain, replicate, and scale proven human security interventions.
Fundamental Principles of the RC4HS-GLR
The Regional Centre for Human Security – Great Lakes Region (RC4HS–GLR) derives its foundational principles from the human security approach, which places people at the center of peace, development, and governance.
- Principle 1: Individuals as Agents of Human Security
Human security is not solely the responsibility of states; it is also a duty borne by individuals. Implementers, community leaders, and local elites are expected to act as primary agents of human security by initiating and delivering tangible improvements within their own communities. Sustainable change must begin with local action, practical interventions, and personal responsibility, rather than reliance on distant government responses or systemic reforms alone. - Principle 2: People-Centered Approach
This principle recognizes the complexity and interconnected nature of the challenges facing individuals and communities, as well as their legitimate aspirations to live free from want, fear, and indignity. All interventions must be grounded in the lived realities, priorities, and agency of the people themselves, ensuring that policies and programs respond directly to human needs rather than abstract institutional goals. - Principle 3: Comprehensive and Integrated Action
The human security approach requires the coordinated involvement of all relevant actors—state and non-state, public and private, local and regional. By drawing together these actors, RC4HS–GLR promotes coherence, avoids duplication of efforts, and advances integrated solutions that produce measurable, practical, and lasting improvements in the everyday lives of individuals and communities - Principle 4: Context-Specific and Differentiated Responses: RC4HS–GLR recognizes that human security challenges and solutions are inherently context-specific. This principle acknowledges variations in social, cultural, economic, political, and institutional capacities among individuals, communities, civil society, and governments. Interventions must therefore be grounded in local realities and informed by a clear understanding of root causes, structural vulnerabilities, and emerging risks shaping both present and future challenges.
- Principle 5: Prevention-Oriented and Anticipatory Action: Human security action must prioritize prevention over reaction. RC4HS–GLR promotes early warning, risk awareness, and anticipatory mechanisms that mitigate the impact of existing threats and, where feasible, prevent the emergence or escalation of future risks. This approach emphasizes foresight, resilience-building, and cost-effective interventions that safeguard lives, livelihoods, and dignity before crises occur.
- Principle 6: Values-Informed and Socially Legitimate Action : RC4HS–GLR is guided by actions that reflect the aspirations of people, the legitimate responsibilities of governments, and shared moral and ethical values that give societies coherence and meaning. Interventions must therefore be socially legitimate, culturally grounded, and ethically sound—respecting public authority, community norms, and moral conscience—so that human security efforts are trusted, accepted, and sustained over time
- Principle 7: Protection and Empowerment to Leave No One Behind
RC4HS–GLR advances protection and empowerment as mutually reinforcing pillars of human security. Empowerment enables individuals—particularly women and youth—to discover their potential, expand their capabilities, and explore economic, social, and civic opportunities, ensuring they are not left behind in development and decision-making processes. - Protection safeguards these individuals and communities from exploitation, exclusion, manipulation, and deliberate ignorance that perpetuates fear, dependency, and vulnerability. By strengthening awareness, access to information, and supportive institutions, this principle reduces fear, addresses deprivation, and affirms the right of all people to live free from want, free from fear, and free from indignity.