Goma, 20 June 2011 - A 12-member delegation of British Parliamentarians visited Goma on 18 June to assess the impact of the United Kingdom's development aid programs in the region. The British MPs used their visit to get first-hand information about the work of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO).

The British MPs were met on arrival in Goma by MONUSCO's Head of Office, Ms. Hiroute Guebre Sellassie and the Commander of MONUSCO Nord-Kivu Brigade, General C.P. Mohanty.

The delegation later held meetings with various sections of MONUSCO for briefings on their respective areas of activities. The MPs also had discussions with officials of the Mission's Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Resettlement and Reintegration (DDRRR) program, as well as with local authorities and representatives of national and international non-governmental organizations.

The UK is among the main development partners of the DRC, and has provided millions of US dollars in contribution to the electoral process and to the UN DDRRR program.

The visiting MPs are members of the British Parliament's International Development Committee (IDC), which is responsible for making recommendations on the British government's foreign aid budget, of which MONUSCO is one of the beneficiaries.

Clara Padovan/ MONUSCO