Continuing, the group said on its website, that the first item to note is that the two core pillars of MONUSCO’s mandate remain unchanged. As underlined in the EPON report, the attitude of the host state is key to the way the UN mission will be able to implement its mandate. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Leila Zerrougui, spoke on October 9, 2019, of “new and positive trends” on the ground “which may help to transform the Democratic Republic of the Congo into a stable country.” The issue remains whether the President Tshisekedi and his government will have the means to embark on long-term needed reforms (disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration, security sector reform, justice, rule of law). Eventually, a compromise was reached in which the draft resolution notes that the independent strategic review made an assessment that “an absolute minimum transition period of three years is required.”. Ultimately, the draft sets the authorised troop ceiling at 14,000 military personnel and 591 police personnel, while maintaining the numbers of military observers, staff officers, and personnel of formed police units. An overarching conclusion of the team’s research is that what MONUSCO has been able to achieve, with comparatively little resources allocated for an area of operations that is of the size of a continent, is very impressive. Security Council Report In an 8 November letter to the President of the Security Council, the DRC Permanent Representative informed the Council that the government had established a committee to consider the independent strategic review of MONUSCO and had begun conducting internal consultations on MONUSCO’s future mandate. 711 Third Avenue, Suite 1501 A flashpoint during the negotiation process was the future of the FIB. Democratic Republic of Congo – Death of eight MONUSCO peacekeepers (15.11.18) Democratic Republic of the Congo – Renewal of MONUSCO mandate (27.03.18) DRC - Q&A - Excerpts from the daily press briefing (28.02.18) Click the Renew Vehicle Plate/Tab link. Make clear to MONUSCO that the Force is expected to act unilaterally when necessary to protect civilians from harm. The new mandate of MONUSCO must address the crackdown against civil society ahead of key elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Position paper – 11 March 2016 - On 30 March 2016, the UN Security Council will renew the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC and its intervention brigade. RW COVID-19 page: Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses. The degree of political support given by stakeholders, in particular the new Congolese government, in transitioning the mission out—with a subsequent issue of how to transition a peacekeeping operation with deep divisions in the Council? TCCs have previously expressed the view that such language is too strong in the context of MINUSCA, arguing that there are tools other than repatriation for addressing problems. This decision came through a resolution adopted on Friday, December 19 by 14 votes in favour and one abstention (Russia). When doing so, we may have to change the lens through which we look at UN peacekeeping. If you received a PIN on your renewal notice, you may renew with the Online Renewal PLUS system or the Express SOS system. Related to this was a lack of capacity at headquarters and a lack of integration and coordination with the rest of MONUSCO’s contingents, who were operationally spread out and unsupported. Near the end of the draft resolution there is a new paragraph explicitly encouraging the DRC government to undertake tasks, such as appointing a senior coordinator to lead the DRC’s disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programs and initiating disciplinary and judicial procedures against DRC officials engaged in corruption, in accordance with the country’s legislation. Access your account or create a new one for additional features or to post job or training opportunities. His report is reportedly due in February or March. Visit the state's Online Services page. Email contact@securitycouncilreport.org, Design: Point Five, NY The Council should also continue to provide MONUSCO with a strong mandate to protect civilians, especially for vulnerable groups such as human rights defenders, journalists, and political opponents. And, as underlined by the latest report of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “intercommunal violence and armed group activity continued to claim the lives of numerous civilians, with an upsurge in incidents in some areas in the east of the country.”. In his latest report on MONUSCO, the Secretary-General recommended a troop reduction by 1,650 and a temporary increase of 360 formed police unit personnel from the last mandated troop ceiling of 16,215 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 391 police personnel, and 1,050 personnel of formed police units. The first area in which MONUC—the precursor to MONUSCO—had a strategic impact is in its contribution towards the reunification of the country. New language was added to the operative part of the resolution about mission effectiveness, similar to language recently incorporated in the mandate of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Since then, there have been several rounds of negotiations with all members, as well as bilaterally. Council members met with Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix to discuss the independent strategic review on 13 November in closed consultations. The draft also begins to take steps towards the eventual closure of MONUSCO, beginning with the request to the Secretary-General to work with the DRC government to create an exit strategy, with benchmarks, to be proposed to the Council no later than 20 October. In its first exchanges with representatives of the UN, the newly-elected president, Félix Tshisekedi, acknowledged the work of MONUSCO and showed that he sees the mission as a partner supporting the stabilization of the country. 22 DRC: SG reports on MONUSCO Every three months (18 March 2021, 18 June 2021, When the Security Council approaches the final stage of negotiating a draft resolution, the text is printed in blue. In essence, members disagreed on how much the MONUSCO mandate should be altered. Open training opportunities in the humanitarian field. Today, the United Nations Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) with resolution 2502. Second, the UN recently decided to send Lt. Gen. Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz to eastern DRC in order to assess MONUSCO’s ability to deliver its mandate to protect civilians and make recommendations. until 20 December 2021, the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and also approved its gradual exit strategy. New York, NY 10017, Telephone 212-759-9429 Click the Individual circle. Some members wanted to make his involvement and duties more explicit, emphasising his role in the DRC. Today (19 December), the Security Council is expected to adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) before it expires on 20 December. The mission has also faced a number of operational constraints: the eternal operational and tactical challenges of not having adequate means and capacities to fulfill the mission, of having contingents unwilling to execute the given mandate, and of lacking effective leadership and poor pre- or in-mission training; the problem of multiple interpretations of what peacekeeping is and of the mandate of the mission; and the lack of a strategic communications strategy to counter misunderstandings and to explain the mandate and the mission to the Congolese people or even internally. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and its three member organisations in the DRC, on 27 March called on the UN to renew the Monusco's mandate and for … Some members, mainly the US, wanted significant changes to the MONUSCO mandate in this resolution—including with regard to the duration of the mission’s drawdown and the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB)—arguing that after the nine-month technical rollover in March the moment for transformation was now. How to transition the mission in a way that disruptions are as limited as possible for the populations on the ground. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. In the end, a peacekeeping mission is trying to do its best to implement often unrealistic or overambitious mandates, and measuring their effectiveness must also involve a reality check of the implementation of the mandate delivered by the Security Council against the means and the capabilities that have been given to the mission. The Security Council has an opening to rethink its approach to DR Congo with this month’s mandate renewal of the UN peacekeeping mission. In his periodic report on MONUSCO in late November, the Secretary-General underscored his belief that MONUSCO remained important in the DRC and called for the Council to renew its mandate for one year. Discussing MONUSCO’s Future. Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks after the Security Council unanimously voted to renew the mandate of the … Meanwhile, South Africa remains a vocal supporter of the FIB, and argued for an increase in its capacities. While many members agreed that it was important to include something in the resolution referring to an exit strategy, reference to a specific end-date was not acceptable to all other members. Others, including one permanent member, wanted the language to remain as is. Germany proposed new preambular language about the adverse effects of climate change and ecological changes, among other factors, on the stability of the DRC. Nevertheless, as pointed out by the latest policy brief of Civilians in Conflict, “it is not the time to say good luck and pack up.” This transition will require as much attention paid by all stakeholders over the past 20 years of the UN’s continuous presence in the DRC. It was accepted with some modifications, after it faced resistance on the grounds that this is not a topic for the Security Council and that there is little proof that these are among the DRC’s main challenges. Continuing, the group said the first item to note is that the two core pillars of MONUSCO’s mandate remain unchanged. Many of the people interviewed for this study (June-December 2018) were already of the opinion that the UN Security Council has to elaborate a clear exit strategy for MONUSCO in the form of “a controlled and sound plan,” stick to this strategy along a number of benchmarks, and leave the DRC in an orderly manner with the government’s buy-in. During his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week, the United Nations’ Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that, “he was looking to the Security Council for the renewal of MONUSCO [UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo] mandate and the strategic review, to enable this UN Mission to serve the Congolese people further”. However, while that point was without contention, several other elements proved difficult during negotiations. RENEWAL OF MONUSCO MANDATE The anticipated renewal of MONUSCO’s mandate is a critical moment for the Security Council to review the mission’s progress over the last year. However, despite constant inquiries from the Council, the DRC did not convey its views on the strategic review in time to be considered during negotiations. The mandate renewal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is an opportunity for the UN to reaffirm its commitments and step up its efforts to prevent further deterioration of the human rights situation and protect civilians in the DRC and the entire Great Lakes region, Amnesty International said today. Web development: Michael Murphy, Publications on country-specific and regional issues in the Council, Council thematic and structural issues and peace making, keeping and building, Background information on the Council, its subsidiary bodies and activities. Carefully consult Mission leadership during MONUSCO’s mandate renewal to ensure that mandated tasks, language, and tools promote civilian harm mitigation and are well suited to the situation in eastern Congo. In this context, the EPON report has identified a number of strategic impacts and of strategic constraints faced by MONUSCO over the years. As steps to wind down the mission begin, it is important to assess the impact of MONUSCO’s various activities. List of alerts, ongoing and past disasters covered by ReliefWeb. France welcomes the adoption of resolution 2463 (2019), which renews the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Others said that it was hasty to make changes while some information was still missing, citing two elements. One was the unpreparedness of mission personnel for jungle warfare and for fighting a strategic asymmetric enemy. The Security Council today decided to extend until 20 December 2020 the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the … The Security Council decided to renew the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) until 15 November 2021. Find help on how to use the site, read terms and conditions, view the FAQs and API documentation. The draft resolution to be voted on today renews MONUSCO’s mandate until 20 December 2020. A new president was elected through peaceful elections, a transfer of power occurred, and the attitude of the host state towards the UN mission has shifted. A final draft was ultimately agreed on 18 December and put in blue. The role of MONUC/MONUSCO has also been critical in monitoring, reporting, collecting, and sharing information related to human rights violations to support international criminal justice and the fight against impunity, including the International Criminal Court’s prosecution of Thomas Lubanga, Germain Katanga, Bosco Ntaganda, and others. The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in December 2020. Today, the United Nations Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) with resolution 2502. South Africa believes that the security situation has not improved sufficiently to warrant the FIB’s removal. The second task, support to stabilisation and the strengthening of state institutions was also maintained. On December 18, 2020, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2556 and renewed the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). Indeed, peacekeeping missions have always been deployed with pocket money in places that are not high priorities and where the permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council have limited strategic interests. Under such circumstances, most missions have accomplished a lot, and are helping the “international community” keep an eye on those situations and to prevent conflicts from escalating to massive levels of violence. Since the release of the EPON report on the effectiveness of MONUSCO, the national context has changed. Eventually, the US acquiesced to this compromise language. Looking at MONUSCO in this light was the aim of a research team part of the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON). Council members had the first read-through of the zero-draft resolution, submitted by penholder France, on 2 December. Open job opportunities in the humanitarian field. The degree to which the situation in the Congo still represents a threat to international peace and security, whether the level of insecurity still justifies the deployment of 16,740 peacekeepers in the country (mainly in the East), and whether the dynamics of the conflict have changed to justify an exit strategy. Details remain scarce, but Council members are interested in his opinion, particularly on the role of the FIB. This comes as the UN begins to consider the eventual withdrawal of the mission. This is the dilemma facing Council members as they prepare to discuss the renewal of MONUSCO’s mandate on May 18th. MONUSCO’s primary mandated task continues to be the protection of civilians. The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) will continue with its work in DRC for the next one year until December 20, 2021- the United Nations Security Council resolved on Friday. These achievements were done despite a number of strategic constraints, including: the diminishing degree of cooperation of the host state; the role of neighboring states fueling instability; and the absence of a champion for MONUC and MONUSCO in the Security Council in order to leverage a commonly-agreed blueprint for dealing with the conflict in a comprehensive fashion. Additionally, some significant troop-contributing countries (TCCs) also argued during negotiations that it would be unfair to expect their peacekeepers in MONUSCO to be prepared for a more robust mandate. DRC: MONUSCO mandate Until 20 December 2021 Resolution 2556 (2020) of 18 December 2020, para. Mandate On 12 March 2020, the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) until 15 March 2021. This refers both to the mandate of MONUSCO as a whole and the FIB specifically, and supports the idea of repatriating underperforming units. Additionally, the US wanted to include in the resolution a line saying that in the best-case scenario MONUSCO will leave the DRC in three years. Some other interlocutors have argued that, after about 20 years, the presence of the UN peacekeeping mission weakens the state. OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. Learn more about ReliefWeb, leading online source for reliable and timely humanitarian information on global crises and disasters since 1996. The second task, support to stabilisation and the strengthening of state institutions was also maintained. Follow the instructions for the system that works best for you. This review should address immediate protection concerns as well as striving to achieve the conditions that will ensure MONUSCO’s withdrawal in the future. The final draft removes earlier proposed language about the Special Envoy developing a regional strategy and simply reiterates the Council’s full support to the Special Envoy in fulfilling his mandate. Fax 212-759-4038 The team conducting the independent strategic review of MONUSCO, which was requested by resolution 2463 of 29 March, undertook two visits to the DRC but was unable to consult with the DRC government. The 20,000-strong mission—known as MONUSCO—is the first U.N. peacekeeping operation to have its mandate come up for renewal under the new Trump administration. Finally, there were disagreements on the troop ceiling number, with different Council members suggesting that any increase in police, as called for by the Secretary-General, must be met with a decrease in troops. Curated pages dedicated to humanitarian themes and specific humanitarian crises. It is in this scenario that MONUSCO continues to operate in the DRC. In its Resolution 2556 (2020), the Security Council decided to extend for one year, i.e. Ultimately, the support of the FIB’s own troop-contributing countries (TCCs) has wavered over time, showing that robustness is as closely linked to political will and interest as it is to military capacity. In short, as one African diplomat put it, “If the UN mission had not existed, most probably DRC would not have existed in its current form.” MONUC/MONUSCO also had a strategic impact in preventing a recurrence of a major violent conflict, by using its presence to enable other international and national actors, including the private sector, to provide services and to stimulate the local economy and support democratic politics. First, they believe that vital input is lacking from the DRC government as the host state. Latest humanitarian reports, maps and infographics and full document archive. The overall idea is to make the FIB more efficient and effective, something supported by several Council members. During negotiations, there was some disagreement on the regional dimension and the role of Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region. MONUSCO’s primary mandated task continues to be the protection of civilians. By unanimously adopting it, the Security Council has again demonstrated its unity on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As steps to wind down the mission begin, it is important to assess the impact of MONUSCO’s various activities. It maintains the dual strategic priorities of the mission: protection of civilians and supporting the stabilisation and strengthening of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) state institutions. The renewal of the primarily protection of civilian (PoC) mandate of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) MONUSCO this month could have been a straight-forward process at a time when the Security Council’s attention has been focused on Syria. The draft in blue renews MONUSCO’s mandate until 20 December 2021, maintaining the mission’s dual strategic priorities of protecting civilians and supporting the stabilisation and strengthening of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) state institutions. MONUSCO took over from an earlier UN peacekeeping operation – the United Nations Organization Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo – on 1 July 2010.It was done in accordance with Security Council resolution 1925 of 28 May to reflect the new phase reached in the country. After the mission’s initial success against the M23 militant group, a number of operational and political challenges faced by the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) also had an impact on the overall effectiveness of the UN mission. The closest they have come to this, to date, was a statement from President Félix Tshisekedi on 12 December indicating that the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) should remain. JIF 2021: The Chief of MONUSCO has called for a better representation of women in the Congolese government The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in the DRC, Ms. 09 Mar 2021 The mandate renewal of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is an opportunity for the UN to reaffirm its commitments and step up its efforts to prevent further deterioration of the human rights situation and protect civilians in the DRC and the entire Great Lakes region, Amnesty International said today. The US is a strong critic of the FIB and would ultimately like to see it dissolved, suggesting instead that MONUSCO’s mandate incorporate a robust offensive capability. Today, the United Nations Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) with resolution 2502. ReliefWeb Labs projects explore new and emerging opportunities to improve information delivery to humanitarians. Some members believed this detailed operative paragraph was too demanding in telling a host state what it should do, while others supported this as in line with the idea of benchmarks. This required a bilateral compromise that was eventually reached. The council should prioritise local conflict resolution and bolstering President Tshisekedi’s efforts to improve regional relations to combat over 100 armed groups ravaging the east. Click the Next box at the bottom of the page. Customers can make an appointment up to six months in advance or for the next day online at Michigan.gov/SOS. List of organizations that are actively providing ReliefWeb with content. The longer the mission stays, the more it helps absolve the national authorities from the responsibilities of maintaining law and order, improving the living conditions of the population, and addressing the root causes of the conflict. Find latest updates on global humanitarian responses, Transcription de la conférence de presse de la Représentante spéciale du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies en RDC, Bintou Keita, le 17 Mars 2021 à Kinshasa, RDC : Bintou Keita réitère la détermination de la MONUSCO à appuyer la stabilisation de l’Ituri, La MONUSCO annonce son retrait de la région du Kasaï, Compte-rendu de l’actualité des Nations Unies en RDC à la date du 17 février 2021. Appointments from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. can be booked up to six months early. Under her leadership, that means expanding access to affordable healthcare, improving education and skills training, respecting working families, cleaning up Michigan’s drinking water, and of course, fixing the roads. There are other additions to the MONUSCO text. France put a draft resolution under silence on 16 December, but silence was broken by several member states.