CORAC: Championing Ethical and Sustainable Governance of the DRC's Natural Resources

KINSHASA, DRC, December 12, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today marks an important step towards sustainable and equitable governance of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the official launch of the Coalition des ONG pour la récupération des actifs miniers, pétroliers et forestiers du peuple congolais (Coalition of NGOs for the Recovery of the Mining, Oil, and Forestry Assets of the Congolese People, CORAC).

The DRC's vast and diversified reserves of natural resources make it one of the richest countries in the world. Paradoxically, the Congolese population is one of the poorest in the world in socioeconomic terms and is almost entirely excluded from the benefits of the country's wealth. This bleak situation, persisting since independence, is caused in part by inadequate governance of our natural resources and in part by a lack of serious commitment from the DRC's international partners in the mining, forestry, and gas sectors.

It is therefore imperative that Congolese civil society takes a more active stance and works together to ensure that our wealth is well managed and that it benefits the Congolese people. In this spirit, NGOs working in the fields of natural resource governance, civic education, human rights, and citizen activism decided to consolidate our strengths and formalise our collective efforts by launching the CORAC coalition.

CORAC’s overall objective is to ensure that our country's natural resources are governed ethically, sustainably, under the rule of law, and for the benefit of its people. The Coalition provides a platform that unites leading national non-governmental organisations with strong community roots, expertise, and experience in natural resource governance monitoring, international advocacy, citizen engagement, thought leadership, and education campaigns for institutions and community leaders across the country. CORAC's official launch responds to the remarkable absence of the Congolese people's voice in international discussions on the governance and future of the country's natural resources. Built on the principles of inclusivity and recognising the immense potential and challenges of ethical and sustainable governance of natural resources in the DRC, CORAC aims to rally a wide variety of other organizations in the DRC and to collaborate with all organisations that share its objectives.

CORAC's activities focus primarily on international advocacy, engagement with Congolese policymakers, and the provision of information, analysis, and recommendations on the ground to ensure that debates on the DRC's natural resources reflect the views of its civil society.

The Coalition will hold a capacity-building workshop in Kinshasa to analyse the challenges facing the mining, gas, oil, and forestry sectors. As one of the key pillars of CORAC's activity, workshops and seminars will be organised to examine high-profile and controversial cases in the natural resource exploration sector, alongside other efforts to build knowledge and awareness of natural resource governance among community leaders across DR Congo.

In the coming months, CORAC's work will be particularly important in light of the elections in the DRC and the continued escalation of the international struggle to secure the strategic minerals needed for a sustainable transition.

"The DRC has found itself at the heart of global efforts to achieve its net zero emissions ambitions. Never before has it been so important to bring Congolese perspectives and expertise into the global debate, and to help ensure that our country's natural resources are governed ethically, sustainably, in accordance with the rule of law, and for the benefit of its people," said CORAC's Georges Kapiamba.

The launch of CORAC is accompanied by the publication of an article in the high-profile London-based Diplomat Magazine, which can be accessed here.

Further information on CORAC, its position and activities can be found on its new website, https://corac-rdc.org/.

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Notes to editors

CORAC's leadership

Georges Kapiamba is the president of Association pour l'Accès à la Justice (ACAJ), an established Congolese human rights NGO that is made up primarily of lawyers and that promotes security and justice reform.

Franck Fwamba is a prominent civil society activist and expert on natural resources government, serving as a Coordinator for "Touche pas à mon cobalt" campaign, a Director General of the NGO Ressources Naturelles pour le Développement and Coordinator of the Tous Pour la RDC Coalition.

Carbone Beni is a pro-democracy activist and Executive Director of Icon Institute for Alternatives (ICONIA), an NGO working in governance and promoting values-based leadership and skills. ICONIA provides education and training resources for the country's socio-political leaders, and a platform for discussion of transformative ideas. He is a co-founder of the Filimbi citizens' movement, which promotes democratic and civic values and campaigns against human rights violations.

Contact: [email protected]
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Georges Kapiamba, Franck Fwamba and Carbone Beni
CORAC
+243 814 043 641
[email protected]
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