Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Amos (Labour) on Thursday, 8 December 2005.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Question: What provision they are making for financial and technical investment in human rights organisations in the Democratic Republic of Congo; what is being done to monitor the effectiveness of the organisation; and what representation they are making to the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo with regard to the plight of street children.

Answer: One of the key elements of DfID’s programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is supporting the restoration of security and the rule of law. Through this, we are supporting the Belgian NGO RCN—Justice et Democratie to train justice sector workers in the DRC and undertake rights awareness campaigns. Next year, we plan to fund a large justice sector rehabilitation programme in the east of the DRC, to tackle the prevailing culture of impunity in a region that has suffered widespread human rights abuses. We are also supporting the peace-building work of CAFOD, Christian Aid, International Alert and the Life and Peace Institute in eastern DRC. These international organisations support local community dialogue and human rights groups in some of the most war-torn areas in the DRC. All DfID-funded projects are monitored regularly, including through field visits. The Foreign Office in the DRC also funds several local human rights organisations operating in the DRC under its small grants scheme.Under the UK’s presidency, the European Union has been looking in the DRC at how to tackle the problem of street children, and particularly of those accused of sorcery (thought to make up around 60 per cent of Kinshasa’s street children). In the DRC, the EU has been liaising with the Government on this issue and are developing recommendations for helping to tackle this problem in the DRC and internationally.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 2502; 676 c114-5WA
Session: 2005-06
Subjects: Development aid Human rights Monitoring Democratic Republic of the Congo
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk