DRC Eastern Recovery Project
Start & End Date: 2014-2024
Country/Countries: Democratic Republic of Congo
Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: World Bank
Over the past three decades, the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been host to an explosive mix of weak governance, widespread poverty, natural resource mismanagement, land disputes and the exploitation of ethnic divisions for political and economic gain by foreign and Congolese armed groups, creating an instability that has frequently spilled over into outright violent conflict. The cumulative impact has been catastrophic. Conflict related deaths since 1998 are estimated to exceed 5.4 million, while millions of others have been plunged into a state of acute vulnerability due to displacement, dispossession, the breakdown of communal and social bonds, and the loss of livelihoods. The continued presence of armed groups, some of which operate across borders, remains an immediate threat to the consolidation of peace. Although the main rebel group, the M23 has recently officially ended, a number of foreign and Congolese armed groups continue to pose a significant threat to stability.
In March 2016, in an effort to de-escalate tensions, the government decided to intervene via the DRC Eastern Region Stabilization and Peace-Building Project (STEP), financed by the World Bank through the International Development Association (IDA), the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. The project was implemented by the DRC’s Social Fund, which organizes community outreach activities in order to manage the existing conflicts and prevent new ones, thus promoting peaceful dialog and nonviolent coexistence. There are three components to the project, the first component being community support. This component will focus on strengthening community resilience. This will be achieved through: (a) improving access to community social and economic infrastructure; (b) facilitating and improving inclusive community participation processes; and (c) strengthening local conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms.
The activities have resulted in the creation of 47 peace and mediation committees in the six territories in Tanganyika and in a portion of Haut Katanga. As of April 24 2022, the number of vulnerable communities has increased, community infrastructures have been improved, the number of beneficiaries of social safety net progrmas (CRI) has increased, total social distributed by safety net programs has increased, and the number of indirect project beneficiaries has increased.