All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity

A New Way Forward in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

By Paul Dewar, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity (Canada)

This past April, I had the unique opportunity to visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As one of twelve PNoWB members on the delegation, I met with local officials and civil society while visiting and assessing the implementation of various World Bank-sponsored projects. The program led the delegation around Kinshasa and the surrounding area. We visited projects, such as health clinics, market places and the Inga dam.

As I toured around the region, three things were clear: first, that the DRC is exquisitely beautiful and overwhelmingly resource-rich; second, that this tragic, tumultuous and impoverished country is suffering from a colonial hangover and contemporary geopolitical agendas; and third, that middle-power countries, such as Canada, are perfectly positioned to help.

Abundant in minerals and fertile land, the DRC is endowed with vast potential wealth. This country is one of the most resource-rich countries in Africa but remains one of the poorest and most insecure places in the world. Environmental degradation and unsustainable practices are rampant throughout the country side. In the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, various armed groups and militias use the profits from the illegal resource industries to finance their ongoing rebellions.

For instance, among other resources, the illegal extraction and trade of coltan allegedly a fundamental source of income for these belligerents. Most estimates state that 64% of the world’s coltan comes from these eastern provinces. Coltan – a metallic ore comprising columbium (also known as niobium) and tantalum – is found in all our mobile phones, Blackberrys, PlayStations and other electronic devices. Furthermore, the militias profiting from the illicit trade are also accused of using widespread and systematic sexual violence against Congolese women and children.

Time after time, the United Nations (UN) has pleaded for middle-power countries to provide financial and military support to the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC. Yet their calls are not heard as we turn our backs to the Congo. I know that my country stood idly by as Rwanda invaded the DRC to arrest Gen. Laurent Nkunda in January 2009. This is also a prime example of how a colonial hangover and geopolitical agendas are contributing to regional instability and economic catastrophe.

As a participant on the field visit to the Congo, I learned that western countries must avoid colonial ways and begin to treat the DRC as an equal business partner. While the government of the DRC has a responsibility to monitor the mining companies in its jurisdiction, western countries with companies doing business in the DRC have an equal responsibility to insist on strict adherence to the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Canadian  mining companies, for instance, have $865 million dollars in mining assets in the Congo. If western countries could enforce CSR practices, we could ensure that there is no blood on our hands and that we are not contributing to any sort of neocolonial swindling.

Despite the abundance of natural resources, foreign aid and a ‘democratic’ government, the economy of the DRC has virtually collapsed. The per capita GDP has plummeted from $224 in 1990 to $136 in 2006. In 2008, the DRC was ranked 177 out of 179 on UNDP’s Human Development Index. The delegation’s visit to the port city of Matadi just began to illustrate this extreme poverty.

Nevertheless, the field visit ultimately demonstrated that, while the Congolese government has a major role to play.  Middle-power countries are perfectly positioned to help strengthen government institutions and support small-scale development projects. These initiatives must be approached from both a post-conflict reconciliation and conflict prevention stance.

Most importantly, micro-level projects that the delegation visited, such as a health clinic, a market and a school for women, are small steps in the right direction. These projects are improving the quality of life for those they reach, but need more resources.

Overall, this field visit to the DRC has shown that middle-power countries can and must:

• Contribute to the UN peacekeeping mission with financial and military resources
• Take action against sexual violence and help with the implementation of UN resolutions 1325 and 1820
• Monitor the operations of their mining companies in the Congo and adopt CSR methods that ensure protection of human rights and the environment
• Change patent acts and food and drugs acts to make it easier to manufacture and export drugs to help fight HIV/AIDs and TB
• Help protect the Congolese rain forest through the Convention on Biological Diversity

If middle-power countries can help in these ways, we can contribute to helping end the long suffering of the Congolese. My country in particular, Canada, should be a leader in these initiatives. We were once a leader on the international stage for peacekeeping and international development, and the time is now right for us to be at the forefront of responsible economic development and conflict resolution – and who could argue against that?