Kinshasa, 9 July 2010 - After 3 successful months MONUSCO and representatives of the Congolese civil society symposium's monitoring cell are now approaching the end of a joint sensitization campaign conducted in Kinshasa's 24 communes. The main aim of the project is to inform the population about MONUSCO's mandate and the partnership between MONUSCO and the civil society

A team composed of MONUSCO outreach professionals and civil society representatives, has so far been to 23 of Kinshasa's 24 communes. The most recent event at Kinshasa's Kasa- Vubu district on Friday July 9th, the first after the transition from MONUC to MONUSCO, was dedicated to explaining the new mandate with its emphasis on stabilizing the country. The event was supported by leaders of protestant churches of Kinshasa who encouraged their followers to take action and to support the civil society in strengthening its ties with the government.

Apart from popularizing MONUSCO's mandate and stressing the importance of a sovereign state the speakers tirelessly pointed out that it is up to every single individual to achieve lasting peace and prosperity in the country.

With an interactive approach, encouraging the audience to be critical and to ask questions, the events have so far enjoyed great popularity. As encouraged by civil society representative Mwila Kayembe who insists that "We have to remember that the country belongs to all of us! Never put your arms down!" people increasingly show political responsibility and consult their civil society focal points and elected representatives regarding problems in their respective neighborhoods.

For Mr. Yamba Yamba, President of the civil society symposium's Kinshasa committee, "the civil society must be well organized in order to play its role as a partner for development." He is convinced that "instead of asking what MONUSCO did for us, the civil society organization and the population must ask what we did so far together with our authorities to contribute to the peace process?"

That's why he calls on the civil society organizations to take their responsibilities' at the commune level in order to elaborate local development plans jointly with their communal authorities and to elaborate and monitor the budget for the benefit of the population.

The campaign will conclude at the end of the month in Kinshasa's N'Sele commune.