Development Challenge Other Donors FY2001 Program / Activity & Budget Information Summary Tables Program Summary Work Force Data Program/Sector Summary USAID Search: DRC Previous Years' Activities 2000, 1999 Friday, 10-Aug-2001 09:20:51 EDT

Introduction

The size, wealth of resources and strategic location of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa guarantee that the country will play a pivotal role in regional developments. The Embassy's Mission Performance Plan focuses on fostering political and economic development to forestall the recurrence of humanitarian disasters. USAID's assistance to the DRC, advances U.S. interests by bringing stability to a country and a sub-region torn by conflict, by conserving its unique biodiversity and by stemming the spread of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDs and polio. U.S. assistance will help foster the respect for human rights and the rule of law and strengthen civil society to become an equal partner in the development of the DRC. The DRC has the potential to attract vast U.S. investment in mining, oil, gas, power and electricity and serve as the third largest market for the United States in Africa. The DRC also has the potential to provide water and electrical power for much of central and southern Africa.

The Development Challenge

The DRC is classified as a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC). The November 1999 report of the World Bank on the DRC indicates that the DRC's external public debt is 10 times its export of goods and services. Debt service due presently to the Paris Club is $9.3 billion, more than twice the total government revenue. The domestic debt arrears exceed $9 billion. Output continued to decline from minus 3.5% in 1998 to minus 14% in 1999. During the same period, inflation increased to over 325%. The accumulated debt and the nation's decline are largely due to the current conflict, decades of corruption and mismanagement of its resources by former President Mobutu that discouraged investment. Per capita income has dropped from $361 in 1960 to below $156 in 1999. Over 80% of Congo's population live in absolute poverty.

After coming to power in 1997, the Kabila government implemented strict fiscal and monetary policies, which created a relatively stable economy. An intense dialogue between donors and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (GDRC) on democracy began during this period. However, the demands of war have disrupted all key areas of economic activity as well as the political dialogue. The judicial sector is non-functional, as the court system has collapsed. Civil servants function without salaries, equipment and supplies. Nonetheless, citizens still depend on the court system to settle disputes. The delivery of social services has also collapsed, as successive governments have not been able to provide resources to support any of the social sectors. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) carry the burden of providing basic social services in health and education. The Catholic Church alone supports over 60% of the education and health care delivery services.

Over 60% of the population are under the age of 25. Infant mortality is high at 148 per 1,000. The routine immunization systems have ceased to function in most parts of the country. Polio immunization coverage for the first 6 months of 1999 was 13% nationally. In addition to polio, the DRC has perhaps the most extensive collection of known and emerging infectious diseases in the world. The DRC is famous for outbreaks of hemorrhagic fevers, monkey pox and currently the HIV/AIDs epidemic. HIV/AIDs infection rate in the general population is approximately 6-8%. However, HIV/AIDs infection rate in foreign African armies engaged in the conflict ranges between 35-50%. The population growth rate of 3.2% also has the potential to erode any improvements in the standard of living.

The vast country is inaccessible during most of the year due to a general lack of road networks. Without roads, the Congo River became the major artery for transport, however much of the river is now cut off by belligerent forces leading to disruptions in the transportation of food stuff, goods and services. The DRC suffers from vast and intense environmental degradation, deforestation, soil erosion and flooding. Policies concerning access to and control over natural resources are antiquated and ambiguous. The conflict has encouraged outright large-scale deforestation, pillage and depletion of the DRC's vast equatorial forest and natural resources. In the rebel held areas, the outside powers are pillaging resources for profit and to finance their armies.

The war and U.S. legislative sanctions specific to the DRC (due to the Congo's inability to pay its development debts) limit U.S. assistance to the DRC. The present 18-month strategy focuses on humanitarian assistance to the victims and internally displaced of the conflict, and accents continued U.S. engagement in the Congo. It presents a program with short-to medium-term health, democracy, justice, and environment objectives. The program responds to changing political situations and accommodates a surge in funding and program development should the environment permit USAID to work freely in the DRC.

Through a well-focused health strategy, USAID has supported good governance in public health institutions and encouraged citizens' participation. The program focuses on a) enhancing child survival through the primary health care system; b) control and prevention of STD/HIV/AIDs; and c) rehabilitation of health delivery systems. USAID's infectious diseases control program as an element of primary health care, currently focuses on polio eradication and malaria control and includes an initiative to improve surveillance and response to disease outbreaks. Using USAID funding and technical support provided by BASICS II, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization plus the logistical and material support of UNICEF, the GDRC planned and implemented a national polio vaccination campaign which successfully reached over 85% of the country's estimated 10.2 million children aged 0-60 months in the midst of the conflict. Malaria control activities are implemented in collaboration with the BASICS project, which supports the introduction of these policies and practices into the health care delivery system and the community. Employing the USAID AIDSMARK program with Population Services International (PSI), an aggressive behavior change and condom social marketing strategies were initiated, targeting youth, commercial sex workers and other high-risk groups. USAID provided technical and material support through Tulane University to establish a School of Public Health (SPH) within the University of Kinshasa to train and broaden the human capacity base for health delivery in the Congo. With the closure of USAID in 1991, assistance to the SPH ceased. USAID support to the school resumed in FY1999. Over 20 medical directors and administrators are trained annually. The faculty has also taken a direct role in supporting operational research at the central level. Well-established USAID's contacts in the DRC not only supported CDC's investigation of two outbreaks of hemorraghic fever but also helped assure its success in the occupied territories where the outbreak occurred.

The democracy and good governance strategy seeks to support the creation of necessary preconditions for arriving at an actual functioning democracy and economically viable transition. It supports the capacity of Congolese civil society to promote dialogue with government and other key actors and to actively participate in the democratic transition. The program supports the development of democratic institutions, improvement in human rights and the judicial process; it also supports the peace process through conflict management and avoidance and encourages the swift implementation of the Lusaka Accord. A well-informed peace building NGOs network has been established. Documentation Centers providing legal and peace building information in and beyond Kinshasa and internet access to individuals and civil society have been opened and are flourishing. Through the International Foundation for Election Systems and the Law Group, USAID programs support justice and the rule of law for ordinary Congolese. USAID promotes dialogue between civil society and local officials and provides assistance to ease critical bottlenecks in local communities. USAID assistance to victims of the conflict has encouraged restoration of normalcy, agriculture and food production and provision of health and services. USAID environment program seeks to build a constituency for environmental stewardship in the country. The program builds on community, government and private sector initiatives and reinforces the relationship between cities and the countryside.

Other Donors

Most donor assistance is provided through international NGOs. The European Union (EU) is the major donor in humanitarian assistance with $50 million support in 1999. The United States is the second largest bilateral donor after Belgium. With assistance from UNDP, the Ministry of Justice has assessed the justice sector. Accelerating the Lusaka Accord process will provide an opportunity for a surge in donor assistance.

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