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2006 election missions report |
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A total of 10 MPs and Peers took part in the APPG election monitoring missions to both the first and second rounds of the 2006 presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The bottom-line conclusion of both missions was that in the areas where the APPG was present the election process was fundamentally sound. There were concerns over a number of procedural issues in the July ballot especially, but these concerns were relatively minor with the exception of a number of organisational issues with the compilation centres in the first round, and these were such that they would have been serious above all if it became necessary to reconstruct individual results from poorly-archived ballot papers. Overall, the observers were deeply struck by the dedication of voters and election staff and the concern shown for the proper conduct of the vote. The APPG congratulates the Congolese people on a remarkable and historic achievement. During both monitoring missions the APPG had a substantial number of meetings and site visits outside of the election process. Among the most important issues raised were: · The elections are only one element of democratic accountability. It is essential that the same dedication, concern, and international engagement be applied to all aspects of democratic governance. In particular, the UK should support the DRC parliament, civil society and justice system, and put in place capacity-building measures. · The enormous humanitarian and developmental challenge facing the country remains almost untouched after the transition. International engagement should strengthen rather than diminish under the new government. Similarly, there should be no over-hasty winding down of the MONUC mission. · The importance of disarmament and security sector reform. · The need to improve governance and tackle corruption, especially in relation to natural resources (including both minerals and the Congo basin forests). Foreign investment must be encouraged, but it must benefit the Congolese people. · The especially vulnerable position of women and children, including street children The full report of the monitoring missions is available here. |
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WELCOME to the website of The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa. This is a political website, but not party political: we are all passionate about the development of a region so vital to the future of Africa. The point of politics isn’t to get elected for its own sake – it’s to drive and influence change for the better. Most people agree that the government is doing a pretty good job on development, but people across the spectrum feel equally strongly about the desperate need for progress in the Great Lakes region. There’s a lot all of us can do to keep pressing for more resources and more development assistance - something that starts with raising awareness of the region as widely as possible in the UK. We try to do that by producing our own reports on the region, by convening working groups like the one below on corporate responsibility, by flagging up latest developments and reports, by lobbying ministers to help effect change. The Great Lakes Region is the heart of Africa and potentially its driving force. But it has been wracked by years of conflict. In 1994, the Rwandan genocide shocked the international community, which did little effective to stop it. Since then, the region has seen wars ranging from the long-running conflict in Burundi to the devastating rebellion of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda. More than 4 million people have died as a result of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the most devastating war since the Second World War, and one that few people in the rest of the world know of. Now, after 12 years of remarkable reconstruction in Rwanda, after elections in Burundi and Uganda, and with elections pending in the DRC, there is hope across the region for a brighter future. On this site you will find information and debates about the big issues facing the region, contributions from great writers, and links to NGOs and others involved in Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. Once you’ve had a chance to look us over, check the list of MPs signed up – if yours hasn’t done so yet, write and ask them to here. Eric Joyce MP, Chair
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Joint Working Group statement |
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Since the launch of the UN panel structure on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the APPG has undertaken a process of consultation and round-table meetings on issues of corporate social responsibility. Most recently, we have facilitated a major initiative to bring together businesses, experts and NGOs - including Anglo-American, De Beers, Standard Chartered, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International - in a Joint Working Group with the aim of exploring the scope for common ground on frameworks for business conduct in areas of conflict and weak governance. Under the neutral Chairmanship of Lord Jonathan Mance QC, the result of this initiative has been a substantial joint statement on the OECD Guidelines mechanism. The statement has aleady had a substantial impact on the government's review of the implementation of the Guidelines in the UK. The review was itself initiated in response to the APPG's 2005 report on how the mechanism dealt with the cases arising from the UN Expert Panel investigations into the illegal exploitation of resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To download a copy of the JWG statement, click here. The full terms of reference for the Working Group are also available here. |
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