3 EQ4 - Democratic Republic of Congo

Global Governance

What is the life expectancy of the DRC?

Male: 59

Female: 63

What is the GDP per capita of the DRC?

$785

What are the human rights issues in the DRC?

* Civilian loss of life
* Torture
* Rape
* People displaced from their homes, refugees
* Limited access to healthcare and education
* High MMR and IMR
* Food insecurity, high malnutrition
* Child recruitment into the military
* People trafficking
* Forced labour

What is the UN body specifically working in the DRC?

The UN Stabilisation Mission (MONUSCO)

What does the UN body protecting the DRC do?

It aims to:

* protect civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threats of physical violence
* It supports the DRC government in attempting to maintain peace
* 14,000 military personnel are deployed in the DRC

What has the government of the DRC achieved?

In 2019, the new president came into power. Since then, the coalition government has been created which aims to:

* include improvements in government
* improve economic development, safety and access to education
* it recognises the importance of coordination with the UN and NGOs

Which UN agencies cooperate with the government to achieve stabilisation?

* OHCHR - human rights issues
* UNICEF - providing primary education
* WHO - responding to Ebola and measles

Which NGOs, apart from the UN, are involved in the DRC?

* CARE - helping to reduce mortality, strengthen local governance, improve gender equality and food security
* Action Aid - working to improve community resilience by providing agricultural tools, seeds and training which encourages self-sufficiency
* USAID - funds a number of NGOs, and has development programmes such as encouraging democracy and improving education

What are the opportunities for political stability in the DRC?

* The UN and African Union have established human rights and peace and security treaties available for the government to ratify
* The election of the the new president in 2019 was the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s history
* UN missions help to improve political stability by preventing the recurrence of major conflict. Because of the stability, NGOs can work more effectively on human rights violations

What are the opportunities for economic growth in the DRC?

The DRC has rich natural resources e.g. gold, diamonds, oil, copper, cobalt

* Increased demand for copper and cobalt has driven recent economic growth e.g. grew 4% in 2020
* NGOs are promoting economic growth at local scales through training and employment in agriculture, and the development of grassroots women’s organisations

How much did the economy grow, and in what year?

In 2020 it grew nearly 4%

What are the opportunities for development in the DRC?

The UN is implementing the 17 SDGs within its goals for the DRC.

The World Bank aims to fight poverty and improve standards of living:

* Equal access to education for all school age children
* Forest management, working with indigenous people
* Preventing food insecurity and malnutrition
* Promoting behavioural change towards gender inequality

What are the challenges of gender inequality in the DRC?

* Many women and girls are subject to domestic violence
* The role of women is to raise children
* Many women and girls are subject to sex-trafficking
* Access to education is lower for girls, half of 15-24 year old women are illiterate
* Women have little control over family size, the total fertility rate is ==5.7==
* Levels of female participation in government is poor

What are the challenges of general inequality in the DRC?

* Many children are recruited as child soldiers
* Limited access to healthcare and education, with rural areas worst affected by this
* Low levels of sanitation, limited access to clean water
* High IMR and MMR

What are the challenges of injustice in the DRC?

* The government needs to strengthen the rule of law, ensure elections are democratic, support an independent judiciary, reduce levels of poverty, protect the rights of returning refugees and ensure justice for victims of forced labour
* Vulnerable orphaned children need protection
* Government needs to protect its civilian population from serious human rights violations
* ==74%== of the country live in extreme poverty and many are driven into mining with dangerous working conditions and low wages

What percent of the country live in extreme poverty?

74%