GENEVA MEETING CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE SUPPORT TO SUSTAIN PEACE PROCESS IN REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

Press Release
IHA/710

GENEVA MEETING CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE SUPPORT TO SUSTAIN PEACE PROCESS IN REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

GENEVA, 4 July (OCHA) -- Against the background of a promising peace process in the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), an international meeting will be convened in Geneva on 6 July to call for immediate support to the transition process and to the restoration of security and stability in the country.

Jointly organized by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the participation of the World Bank, the meeting will review developments since a cessation of hostilities took hold in January 2000.

The main objective of the meeting is to promote early dialogue among members of the international community -- together with the Government and a representative of the National Resistance Movement of Congo -- on an integrated set of issues: peace-building; macroeconomic plans; and assistance to the population.

Participants from the donor community, United Nations agencies, the World Bank, other international and bilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Government representatives of the Republic of the Congo, as well as a representative of the National Resistance Movement are scheduled to attend the meeting.

The meeting will present the United Nations Transition Appeal for $28 million for the year 2000, which takes into account the new dynamics of needed international assistance, shifting from purely relief to a mixture of relief and transition assistance, such as social reintegration and basic community-level rehabilitation, and restoring the rule of law.

Since January 2000, the situation in the Republic of the Congo has improved drastically following three civil wars within six years. The ceasefire signed on 29 December 1999 is holding and civilian authorities have begun to return to the affected towns. Resistance militia members are proceeding with disarmament and disbandment.

Humanitarian access has also improved dramatically throughout the country, including areas still under the control of non-state actors. With 630,000 of the 810,000 displaced persons and refugees having returned to their place of origin. Malnutrition and death rates have been significantly reduced.

- 2 - Press Release IHA/710 5 July 2000

Given the rapid evolution in the country, the international humanitarian community active in the country has substantially revised its strategies.

The United Nations is now assisting on reintegration, especially of returnees, youths and ex-militia, re-establishing essential services such as basic education and health care, re-starting productive activities, such as agriculture or income-generation at the community level and promoting restoration of the rule of law and a culture of peace.

To fund these new activities, the amount requested in the initial Appeal for the year 2000 -- $17 million -- has been revised upwards to $28 million. To date, the donor response amounted to $1.9 million, which represents the lowest level of emergency relief assistance on a per capita basis.

With the return to peace, the Republic of the Congo, a country with important natural and human resources -- (before the wars, more than 90 per cent of the 2.9 million population was literate) -- is undertaking a vast programme of transition to a market economy. The Government is also firmly engaged in the fight against poverty.

The international community now has a unique opportunity to respond to the aspirations of the population in supporting the opportunity for a transition towards durable stability, renewed democracy and development in this country.

More information on www.Reliefweb.int

* *** *