BRAZZAVILLE - The World Food Programme and the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples - as part of a joint action alongside the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - are organizing an advocacy workshop for the implementation of Law No. 5-2011 on the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples in the Republic of Congo.
Along with the support of His Excellency Mr. Aimé Ange Wilfrid BININGA, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Promotion of Indigenous Peoples, the event has recieved an abundance of support from Mr. Justin Assomoyi, Director General of the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples, Ms. Micheline Nguessini, Prefect of the Department of Lekoumou and Mr. Pascal Ngamilele, representative of the National Network of Civil Society Organizations of Indigenous Peoples of Congo (Renorscipac).
Starting this Monday, May 31, 2021, representatives of twenty ministries, the Senate, the Departmental Council of Lékoumou, civil society and indigenous organizations will meet to evaluate the current level of implementation of Law No. 5-2011 in order to propose concrete corrective actions in favor of indigenous populations.
"Ten years after the promulgation of Law No. 5-2011, and despite the efforts made by the government, the access of indigenous people to basic social services and the use of natural resources is still hampered by the socio-cultural and community reality. "declares Mr. Aimé Ange Wilfrid Bininga, Minister of Justice, Human Rights and the Promotion of Indigenous Peoples. "The workshop that opens today, at the initiative of the World Food Program and the Ministry of Justice, is a welcome[d] opportunity that will allow us to strengthen and coordinate at the national level the actions related to the rights of Indigenous Peoples. "
For Mr. Ali Ouattara, Representative of the World Food Program in the Republic of Congo, this advocacy workshop is part of the continuity of the agency's activities in the field. "Our teams work closely with indigenous communities in the department of Lékoumou where we implement school feeding programs, where we strengthen the capacities of groups through training and distribution of equipment, where we organize sessions to popularize law no. 5-2011 and conduct advocacy, particularly on the issue of access to land.
"The support of the World Food Program to the government of the Republic of Congo is very transversal and is expressed today through the organization of a workshop, a privileged space for exchanges, which will allow the taking of strong commitments from all parties for an effective application of the adopted texts," adds Mr. Ouattara.
The activity is organized within the framework of the program to improve access to social protection for indigenous populations in the department of Lékoumou, implemented by three United Nations agencies (WHO - World Health Organization, WFP - World Food Programme and UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund), since January 2020, with funding from the Joint Fund for Sustainable Development Goals.
"This program reaffirms the relevance of joint and integrated responses. It enshrines the complementarity of the mandates of WFP, UNICEF and WHO as a key element of the United Nations' development action in the Republic of Congo," said Mr. Chris MBURU, United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Congo.
For more information, contact
World Food Programme in the Republic of Congo Cécile Mercier, Communications Officer cecile.mercier [at] wfp.org (cecile[dot]mercier[at]wfp[dot]org) ; Tel. +242 06 614 7728
Follow the World Food Programme on Twitter @wfp_media; @PamCongo; @WFP_Africa
Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Promotion of Indigenous Peoples
Cauchet Ngoulou, Communications Advisor cauchetn [at] gmail.com (cauchetn[at]gmail[dot]com); Tel +242 06 678 5449
United Nations System in the Republic of Congo Prosper Mihindou-Ngoma, Communications Officer mihindou-ngoma [at] un.org (mihindou-ngoma[at]un[dot]org); Tel. +242 06 948 2672 Twitter: @UN_Congo
Facebook: United Nations System in the Republic of Congo
