Search Results

1-20 of 51 results for subject:"Democratic Republic of the Congo"

Show detailed: On Off

Results: 10 20 50 100

Sort by: Newest first Oldest first

Democratic Republic of Congo: Family Planning

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assistance they provide to the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding family planning.

Asked by

Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

13 December 2006

Reference

507; 687 c196WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo: Child Soldiers

Whether they have made an assessment of the Amnesty International report, Children at War: Creating hope for their future; and what practical help they are giving through their development programme to the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of children under arms in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

2 November 2006

We welcome the Amnesty International report on children associated with armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the attention it draws to this important issue. Some progress has taken place since the Amnesty International report was compiled. Out of an estimated 30,000 children associated with armed forces, 19,054 had been demobilised when Amnesty International compiled its data (31 June 06). The figure is now 27,346 (30 September 2006). Demobilisation is ongoing, although at a very slow rate. Amnesty is right to demand more from the Congolese Government. We continue to push for the total demobilisation of all child soldiers. The UK has given £15 million over five years to the World Bank-led multi-country demobilisation and reintegration programme (MDRP), covering DRC and neighbouring countries. We have also given £3 million to the 2006 International Committee of the Red Cross appeal for DRC, which includes programmes for protection and reintegration of children. The disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) process in DRC is far from finished, and we agree with Amnesty International that there is much more work to be done to complete the complicated and sensitive task of fully reintegrating children. This is particularly so for girls linked with armed groups. We are talking to the World Bank about how to ensure that the DRC's national DDR body—CONADER—and international and national implementing organisations that specialise in this area continue to receive appropriate support. Amnesty's report calls for the removal of school fees in DRC to ensure that opportunities for education are available to all, including vulnerable groups such as demobilised children. DfID is currently discussing a major project with the World Bank to increase access to primary education in DRC by helping to reduce these fees.

Date

2 November 2006

Reference

7794; 686 c53-4WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo: Election

In the light of funding provided by the Department for International Development for the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, what is their assessment of the current state of the pre-election preparations.

Asked by

Viscount Waverley (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

14 July 2006

Organising the elections in the DRC is a difficult task in a country the size of Western Europe and with few roads or other transport infrastructure. Despite the immense technical and logistical challenges, the plans of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), supported by the UN and international community, are on track, and we are confident that the IEC will be ready to administer presidential and parliamentary elections on 30 July. The final electoral list will be published this week. With assistance from the international community, the IEC is training staff for over 40,000 polling stations; and printing and deploying ballot papers across the country. DfID, working with the South African police service, is supporting the Congolese police to prepare for providing a safe environment for voting. Essential communications equipment will be fully deployed and police trained in its use. Knowledge of the elections remains limited in many areas. We are also supporting a national multi-faith coalition to deliver civic and voter education to help address this but lack of knowledge about the electoral process will be an issue on polling day. Presidential candidates and parliamentary candidates, started campaigning on 29 June. DRC's media authority is overseeing the organisation of radio and TV debates. The UK, in concert with other international partners is closely monitoring the campaign and has called for the authorities to respect the freedoms of all candidates. Observers are crucial to giving the people of DRC confidence in the electoral process. DfID is supporting up to 50,000 national observers, and observers from the Carter Center. The UK will participate in the 300-plus EU observer mission, and an observer mission from the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa. Further missions are expected from the African Union and SADC. The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the elections in DRC, providing £25 million for the elections process and elections security. The Government are also heavily engaged politically in supporting preparations for credible, fair elections in DRC.

Date

14 July 2006

Reference

6864; 684 c147-8WA

House

House of Lords

Uganda

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I visited northern Uganda on 15 and 16 May to look at the situation on the ground and to discuss the conflict and other issues affecting our development partnership with...

Member

Baroness Amos (Labour)

Department

Department for International Development

Type

Written statements

Date

23 May 2006

Reference

682 c48-50WS

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What information they have received on the estimated daily mortality rate in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 March 2006

Reference

4314; 679 c209WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What is their current assessment of the humanitarian crisis in the south-eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially with regard to the numbers and well-being of street children.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 March 2006

Reference

4315; 679 c209WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What programmes they are supporting to address the condition of street children throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 March 2006

Reference

4316; 679 c210WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What assistance they are providing to newly arrived refugees and displaced persons fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what representations they are making to prevent further conflict.

Asked by

Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

14 March 2006

Around half of DFID’s £54 million programme to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this financial year supports humanitarian work. We are supporting the UN High Commission for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs Rapid Reaction Fund, Oxfam, International Rescue Committee (IRC) and other NGOs to support refugees, displaced persons and their host communities, including those affected by recent violence in eastern DRC. As just one example of what this support provides, the UK’s £683,000 grant to IRC is providing vaccinations against preventable diseases, increased access to water and sanitation and improved food security for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in South Kivu.The Secretary of State for International Development this week announced that we would continue to increase our humanitarian support to DRC—up to £30 million in 2006 and the same in 2007. Most of this will go to the UN action plan. The money will be put at the disposal of the humanitarian co-ordinator in DRC who will be able to distribute the funds quickly and flexibly as priority needs dictate. One of the action plan’s main elements is the protection of vulnerable populations, including refugees. It will support emergency health, sanitation and nutritional provision, as well as supporting the safe and dignified return of Congolese refugees from neighbouring countries. It will also help to rebuild the lives of returnees, including the rehabilitation of basic services and provision of basic household goods.The UK also works at several levels to help put an end to the continuing pockets of conflict in DRC. We are a member of a group of ambassadors and senior UN and EU representatives supporting the transition to democracy in DRC (CIAT—Comité International d’Accompagnement de la Transition). CIAT has consistently pushed the Congolese transitional government for faster progress in a number of key areas, notably preparations for elections, security sector reform, disarming militias and ending corruption. We are pressing the transitional government to work together to make the democratic process a success, and avoid a return to conflict.The presence of foreign armed groups in eastern DRC—such as Rwandan ex-FAR/Interahamwe and various Ugandan groups—is a continuing source of instability. We support the UN’s more robust stance against these groups and have consistently urged the DRC’s neighbours to work constructively in support of the peace process in the DRC. We have also emphasised with the UN and Congolese authorities that all operations against militia groups must take into account the potential impact on the local population.Ill-disciplined and underpaid members of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC—Forces Armées de la République Democratique du Congo) are also creating insecurity for local communities. The Secretary of State for International Development visited DRG in October last year and stressed, in discussions with President Kabila and other members of the Government the need to provide properly for DRC’s security forces. He offered £3 million of UK support for accommodation, water and human rights training, but on the condition that the Congolese Government pay and feed their troops first. The UK is providing two members of the EU Security Sector Reform Mission in DRC to assist with the army integration process. The UK and international partners also formally presented a dossier to President Kabila on 23 January this year cataloguing the most serious abuses carried out by FARDC soldiers, urging that the soldiers concerned be brought to justice.

Date

14 March 2006

Reference

4048; 679 c207-9WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What discussions they are having with the World Bank with a view to preserving the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and to promoting the interests of the indigenous forest people there.

Asked by

Lord Eden of Winton (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

13 February 2006

Reference

678 c132WA; 3809

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What assessment they have made of (a) the number of fatalities in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo; (b) the number of people displaced by the conflict; and (c) the number of children under arms.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

8 December 2005

Reference

2503; 676 c115WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

To what extent they have decided to implement the recommendations of the International Crisis Group’s Congo Action Plan.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Answered on

8 December 2005

The International Crisis Group report includes recommendations on:Ensuring Free and Fair ElectionsThe international community, including the UK, is fully focused on ensuring successful elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as a vital first step towards a sustainable peace, effective and accountable government and long-term poverty reduction in the DRC. The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the electoral process, providing £22.2 million over 18 months. We have made clear to all parties in government the critical importance of keeping to the electoral timetable and ensuring that free and fair elections take place.Good Governance and JusticeThe International Committee Accompanying the Transition (CIAT—which includes a number of ambassadors, including from the UK, and the UN) has been putting increasing pressure on the Government of the DRC to tackle corruption. CIAT issued its most strongly worded communiqué yet to the DRC Government on this issue this week, and the Secretary of State for International Development has made an offer of further UK support to the army integration conditional upon tackling corruption in the army pay system. DfID supported an audit of the justice sector in the DRC last year, and will be supporting the implementation of the resulting action plan for long-term reform. We also plan to support a programme to rehabilitate the justice system in the east of the DRC, where some of the worst human rights abuses have been committed.An Integrated National Army and Police Force to Establish SecurityIntegration of the army is essential for providing security to the people of the DRC and the region as a whole. The UK is funding two members of the EU Security Sector Reform Mission to the DRC (EUSEC), which is providing advice to the Congolese Government on army integration in the run-up to elections.In his recent visit to the DRC, the Secretary of State for International Development offered UK help to provide water, shelter and human rights training to the newly integrated brigades, but only on condition that the Government of the DRC feed their troops properly and accept and implement the recommendations of the EUSEC report on reforming the army pay system to help stamp out corruption.Disarmament, Demobilisation and Repatriation of the Forces Democratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR)The Congolese army, in conjunction with MONUC (the UN mission to DRC), is exerting military pressure on the FDLR to disrupt its operations in the Kivu provinces. We have encouraged MONUC to support the Congolese army in taking a robust stance against the FDLR but are clear that the solution to the problem requires political as well as military pressure.Fulfilment of MONUC’s Mandate to Protect CiviliansThe protection of civilians is an integral part of MONUC’s mandate. We would consider strengthening MONUC based on a revised concept of operations from the department of peacekeeping operations. We are aware that regional leaders are, like the International Crisis Group, recommending to the Security Council that MONUC be strengthened. The Security Council is considering this.

Date

8 December 2005

Reference

2500; 676 c112-3WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

What provision they are making in their aid programme for the development of key performance indicators that reflect progress in reducing the number of street children in the cities of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

8 December 2005

Reference

2501; 676 c113-4WA

House

House of Lords

Democratic Republic of Congo

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...

Asked by

Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

8 December 2005

Reference

2502; 676 c114-5WA

House

House of Lords

Rainforests and Logging

My Lords, I am unable to give a time frame. I shall check whether we have published one. This has been the subject of much internal discussion. It is a difficult area in which to make commitments with respect to a timetable. However, if one exists, I shall happily make...

Member

Baroness Amos (Labour)

Type

Proceeding contributions

Date

13 October 2005

Reference

674 c488-9

House

House of Lords

Rainforests and Logging

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Eden of Winton, for giving the House an opportunity to debate this very important issue. The noble Lord has great experience and expertise in these matters and I thank him for the recognition he has given of the work being...

Member

Baroness Amos (Labour)

Type

Proceeding contributions

Date

13 October 2005

Reference

674 c484-8

House

House of Lords

Rainforests and Logging

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the extent and consequences of the logging operations in the world's rainforests. Motion withdrawn.

Lead member

Lord Eden of Winton

Answering member

Baroness Amos

Department

Department for International Development

Type

Debates

Date

13 October 2005

Reference

674 c469-72

House

House of Lords

Amos, Baroness

What representations they have made to the World Bank and to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo about the re-zoning of the Congo forests and the expansion of industrial logging bearing in mind the need to consider the rights of the people living in the forests. [HL 3930].

Asked by

Lord Eden of Winton (Conservative)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 September 2004

Reference

664 c107WA; HL 3930

House

House of Lords

Amos, Baroness

What action they will take to facilitate the design of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank projects to help to fight corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo as desired by the president of that country. [HL 1247].

Asked by

Lord Avebury (Liberal Democrat)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

24 February 2004

Reference

HL 1247; 658 c40WA

House

House of Lords

Lords statement on the European Council in Brussels on 16-17 October 2003

Lords statement on the European Council in Brussels on 16-17 October 2003. (Presidency conclusions in Library Dep 03/2129).

Lead member

Baroness Amos

Department

Lord President of the Council

Type

Ministerial statements

Date

20 October 2003

Reference

653 c1280-93

House

House of Lords

Amos, Baroness

What will be their specific objectives at the G8 Summit in June 2003 with respect to economic and social support for the people of Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Zimbabwe. [HL 3051].

Asked by

Lord Judd (Labour)

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

9 June 2003

Reference

HL 3051; 649 c2-3WA

House

House of Lords

Librarians' tools

Type

House

Session

Year

Department

Member

Primary member

Answering member

Legislative stage

Legislation

Subject

Publisher