Kinshasa, 22 may 2013 – The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, Mary Robinson, met with Congolese civil society representatives in Kinshasa on Tuesday for an exchange of views on the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Region, which was concluded and signed in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013. On her previous visit to the DRC in April, the Special…
Kananga, 17 May 2013 – In Kananga, Western Kasai province, the Electoral, Public Information and Civil Affairs sections of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), in partnership with the High Council for Youth, organized, on 16 May 2013, a training session on the theme of "The youth's contribution to the development of democracy". Nearly one hundred young people from various youths'…
Kinshasa, 21 May 2013 - Mary Robinson, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, has expressed her concern about the recent outbreak of fighting in locations near Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, while underscoring her strong support for all efforts underway at this time to bring peace and stability to the region. "The suffering and displacement of the people, especially women and…
By Ban Ki-moon and Jim Yong Kim Africa's Great Lakes region today has the chance to achieve something that has eluded its war-weary people for several decades. It can silence the guns, boost trust and trade between neighbours, educate millions of out-of-school children, empower women, and create economic opportunities that will help the countries forge a path to prosperity, good governance, and lasting stability.
After concluding his visit to Mozambique on 22 May, the Secretary-General will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which will be the first leg of a three day joint visit with World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim to the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The aim of the joint visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda, is to support the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the…
A Tshukudu race for peace in North Kivu – Unique in the world, Tshukudu is a wooden-made bicycle traditionally used for the transportation of heavy goods in the region. Saturday, March 16, 2013, no less than one hundred and ten Tshukudistes, both amateurs and professionals, took part in a 6, 25 km long race through the main streets of the city. They show to the world that Goma is a vibrant city where life is stronger than fear and violence. This…
For most of us, being a UN Volunteer provides a first experience within the United Nations system and a unique opportunity to understand what means "working in the field". This is not the case for Philip Harris! When Philip was deployed in Lubumbashi in January 2012, he was no stranger to mission life. Rather, peacekeeping missions and the United Nations were already part of his life. Indeed, from 1992 to 2009, Philip used to travel and work…
Mid-November, the UN-staff based in Goma spent a long, anxious and frustrating weekend at the MONUSCO compound. Anxiety, an understandable feeling when you hear the shots not far from the city. But, above all, frustration. Yes frustration was the most commonly shared feeling among the UN-staff. Frustration of not being able to do their job... and worse, thinking that what has been done these past years might be wasted. More than anything else…
Luca Guanziroli, UNV Child Protection Officer at UNICEF, is in charge of the programs that fight against child labor in artisanal mines and quarries in Katanga and Kasai as well as of the related development of corporate social responsibility strategies. Alexandra de Bournonville accompanied him on a mission to assess the protection needs in the open air quarries of Kolwezi. "I dropped out of school when my father died in 2009, and I started to…
Adele Libam is a Cameroonian Volunteer who arrived in Bukavu a year ago, on October 2011, to coordinate the provincial component of the UNDP Poverty Programme. Guided by the values of volunteering, she is committed to the socio-economic reintegration of women who are victims of sexual violence. "As UN Volunteers, we are the spokespeople of the United Nations, and we implement the ethics of the United Nations through our actions and our work,"…