Goma, 24 May 2013 – The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim arrived in Goma Thursday, 23 May from Kinshasa, on a three-day visit to the Great Lakes region.

In Goma, the United Nations Secretary-General reiterated the message that the Intervention Brigade will be arriving soon; the president of the World Bank Group, for his part announced that his institution will contribute one billion US dollars to support projects in the Great Lakes region of Africa. "The Intervention Brigade will be fully deployed within one or two months," Ban Ki-moon said at a press conference in Goma.

Furthermore, the President of the World Bank Group explained that the one billion dollars will be assigned to projects dealing with cross-border trade, health, electricity, education and employment.

Both personalities also visited Heal Africa hospital where they had talks with women victims of sexual violence. The United Nations Secretary-General and the World Bank Group President were accompanied by Ms. Mary Robinson, UN Special Envoy in the Great Lakes region, and Roger Meece, Chief of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Alexandre Essome/ MONUSCO