Congo+UN+Pro+Con

12/13/08 **  
 * Is the UN Failing In the Congo?
 * **Background and Context of Debate: **Since the foundation of the United Nations Organization (UN) the organization has been involved in 59 peacekeeping operations around the world. The nature of these peacekeeping operations has evolved together with the development of the international community. However, despite nearly 50 year of peacekeeping, we are still lacking some clear-cut criteria for evaluating the success of a particular operation. Perhaps one of the most striking examples of the ambiguity of success in peacekeeping operations is the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC). The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast country in Central Africa torn by civil war and subject to repeated intervention by neighbouring states. The mandate of the UN mission there has changed five times since November 1999 while trying to match political aims with the needs on the ground. The mission's end-date is being prolonged month after month; while at the same time the mission still lacks wider political support from the international community. Political and economic indicators show that the country is not ready yet for complete self-governance: in the regions of South East Kivu and Ituri armed fighting occurs on a regular basis. The UN forces are at the same time trying to do their best to provide security and stability to the country. Latest researches also show that the UN would need 100 000 peacekeeping personnel instead of current 10 800. The questions remain: is the UN fulfilling its mandate in Congo and can it succeed at all? ||
 * **Yes **With the Ceasefire Agreement of Lusaka in July 1999 the so-called "Africa's World War" ended. Foreign occupiers (Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe…) officially removed their troops from the territory under the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Combatants of different Congo tribes were integrated into the Congolese armed forces and the DRC provisional authorities were set up, sharing power between the previously warring factions. MONUC has been involved in the process of peace-building ever since the Lusaka Agreement. The UN's presence is crucial to monitoring the Agreement and protecting the people of Congo. || **No **In the border regions of Ituri and Kivu armed fighting still goes on. MONUC isn't able to carry out its task of protecting civilians due to an insufficient number of troops. Human rights groups report severe, large scale ethnic fighting, massacres, rape etc. Sources reveal that the Ugandan and Rwandan armies are still present in the DRC, together with the mercenaries of private multinational companies, which cause severe regional instability. The EU-led operation Artemis reveals that MONUC can't deal with severe security situations. The failure of UN forces to protect civilians from terror and massacre in recent months has led them to be reviled by local people and provided an ominous reminder of past disasters in Rwanda and Bosnia. ||
 * **Yes **The Government of National Unity and Transition was established to lead the country after the war. MONUC, in coordination with other United Nations agencies, donors and non-governmental organizations, provides assistance during the transition period for the reform of security forces, and the re-establishment of a State based on the rule of law. It also assists in helping with the preparation for the forthcoming elections. || **No **The government is a place of constant ethnic frictions that impede the performance of its duties. Because of the vastness of Congo, and its lack of any roads or rail links between population centers, they are also incapable of exercising territorial sovereignty over the whole country. People have no trust in the democratic structures and display no national feeling. National governance is perceived as a zero sum game in which the power of a minister is exercised corruptly for his own benefit, as well as that of his faction and ethnic group, and at the expense of others. At the same time, government has to share power with local warlords and faces the constant threat of internal coups. The UN is doing nothing to improve this situation. ||
 * **Yes **In a war-torn society MONUC helps with disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR). They are using the latest technology and decades of UN experience with visible success. Thousands of ex-combatants have already been returned to their homes and reintegrated into the lives of their communities. DDR is of crucial importance for the future stability of the DRC. || **No **The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme faces coordination and financial problems. There is a security threat from volatile border regions that might reverse the whole DDR effort (new Rwandan army incursions have been reported in December 2004). MONUC can't protect the repatriated civilians, which discourages the ex-combatants from entering into DDR programmes. ||
 * **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Yes **<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The elections process is moving ahead well. MONUC has the best radio coverage in the country and enough means of transport and personnel to facilitate the pre-election arrangements. They are making big efforts to bring about local and national elections in 2005 with large-scale international involvement and local recruitment of election personnel. || **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">No **<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The UN is failing to move Congo towards democracy. Laws to regulate the transition process are absent. Not even the law that regulates the Independent Electoral Commission has been approved in spite of heavy pressures to speed up the process. Since 1985 there have been no records about the number of the Congolese people. There is a lack of political will to hold the elections and the UN doesn't have the power to change either the attitude of the Congolese elite, or the commitment of the international community. Nor does the security situation allow for the holding of free and fair elections across the country. ||
 * **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Yes **<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The recorded economy of the DRC and its real GDP are showing signs of growth. The UN Panel of Experts has finally provided detailed information about the involvement of a range of African, European and North American businesses in illegal or illicit exploitation of natural resources in the DRC. With the support of the UN, measures have been implemented intended to increase the control of the ministry of finance over state expenditure, and new statutes have strengthened the independence of the Central Bank. || **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">No **<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">There is considerable evidence of a continuation of criminality linked to exploitation, including fraud, smuggling, counterfeit money, extortion, and tax evasion. Many natural riches are flown directly out of the country without being taxed. Reports indicate that criminal networks with political links transport and sell ‘unofficial’ quantities of minerals and other forms of wealth, in return for arms. Child and slave labour is still being used. ||
 * **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Yes **<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">MONUC is working on improving the humanitarian situation in the DRC. They deliver humanitarian help and medical equipment. Quick impact programmes are specially meant to address humanitarian issues and work with the population affected. Without the work of the UN, the desperate situation of the Congolese people would be even worse. || **<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">No **<span style="font-size: 9pt; color: black; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The humanitarian situation in the country remains critical. Congo is lacking hospitals, access to safe water and adequate sanitary facilities. Life expectancy remains low at the age of 43 and child mortality rate is still high. The country is constantly facing different epidemics, with HIV/AIDS a major threat. The humanitarian situation is unlikely to improve, given the failure of the UN to secure a proper peace and provide safety for the people of the Congo. Indeed, recent evidence that UN troops and civilian employees have been involved in exploiting local children for sex shows that the situation is actually being made worse. ||