Democratic Republic of the Congo (S/2013/773)

Submitted pursuant to Security Council resolutions 2098 (S/RES/2098), report covers the developments since the issuance of the SG’s last report (S/2013/569) regarding the peace and security initiatives in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region. The report is divided into five sections; Introduction, Recent Developments (Political and Security Developments, Humanitarian Situation, Update on Human Rights, Child Protection and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence), Activities of My Special Envoy, Implementation of the Commitments Under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes Region (Commitments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Commitments of the Region, Development of Benchmarks and Plan of Action, International Commitments), and Observations and Recommendations. The report focuses on the current peace building processes between the Forces armes de la Republique democratique du Congo (FARDC) and the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23), the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of the DRC, and the ongoing humanitarian situation.

The Secretary General succeeded in making substantive references regarding women’s concerns in peace-building and political processes, economic development, SGBV, and justice. In the information provided on peace-building processes currently underway, the Secretary-General referenced concrete efforts to promote and include women. Participants in the East African Community’s second Peace and Security Conference included government officials and representatives of civil society, non-governmental organizations, media representatives, religious leaders and youth and women’s organizations (Para. 13). Moreover, the Secretary General included the recent inclusion of women in economic development efforts thus proving the promotion of women in post-conflict efforts. In the recent workshop on human rights, conflict prevention, and resource exploitation, the conference discussed the issue of land rights and gender (Para.39). It is a positive step that the SG’s Special Envoy will set up a communication and funding platform for women in the Great Lakes region, to help create peace dividends and empower the women of the region (Para. 46).

In the reports discussion of the current and developing humanitarian situation, the ‘Secretary General failed to provide information as to women’s protection and promotion concerns. Instead, the SG relegated the reporting on humanitarian assistance and women to just women status as victims (Para. 15) The SG failed to provide any information on gender-specific humanitarian services given and access to these services. Nor was any gender desegregated data provided on the humanitarian service already provided to women refugees and IDPs or any efforts to promote women’s involvement in humanitarian service.

The MAP of December 2013, advocates that the subsequent SG report (S/2013/773) push for the inclusion of women in all levels of conflict resolution, the consultation with women’s human rights organizations, judicial reform, and the reporting of attacks on women and women human rights defenders. While this report does include women in the formation of a communication and funding platform for women and the discussion of women and land rights, the report fails to include more language regarding the direct inclusion of women in civil society in all aspects of post-conflict resolution and political resolutions. Furthermore, the report does not provide information on the human rights violations committed against civilian women and their human rights defenders.

In the previous report on the implementation of Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework (S/2013/569), the SG provided data on the number of women victim to SGBV, yet failed to incorporate women’s participation concerns in political processes. Unlike S/2013/569, this report does not include data on the number of women who were victims of human rights violations. On a positive note, this report does strive to include more information regarding the promotion of female participation in post-conflict resolution processes regarding development.