Written question asked by Ian Lucas (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 September 2013, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 13 September 2013. It was answered by Mark Simmonds (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 October 2013 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes and (b) the World Bank on using the recent World Bank funding package to the region as an incentive for political negotiations between Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Answer: The UK is fully supportive of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (PSCF) including the role economic development can play in securing lasting stability. As part of this, I have spoken to Mary Robinson about the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, most recently in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York from 23-27 September. In addition, we welcome the leadership role the World Bank is playing on economic development in the region and on the PSCF, including the first ever joint visit by the UN Secretary-General and the World Bank executive director in May.

Secondary information