Assistance by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security to the project “Integrated Community Empowerment and Peace-Building Support Project in Ituri” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

August 4, 2008

On the 4th of August(Monday), the Government of Japan and the United Nations (UN) decided to extend assistance totalling 5,162,305.62 US dollars (approximately 583.34 million yen), through the Trust Fund for Human Security to a project entitled “Integrated Community Empowerment and Peace-Building Support Project in Ituri” that will be implemented by the United Nations Develop Programme (UNDP), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In Ituri District prolonged conflict and political instability caused large number of displaced persons and destruction of social infrastructure, which led to deterioration of social and economic condition. Now approximately 80% of residents in the district are living in absolute poverty, while conflict has settled down and refugees and internally displaced persons start returning to home.
This project aims to address these challenges by restoring livelihoods and productive assets, improving the access to social services, empowering communities and promoting a culture of peaceful co-existence between communities. Activities implemented under this project will include:

providing equipment, seeds and animals to agricultural, fishing and livestock organizations, training on production and conservation to those organizations and construction of vocational training centers for youth and unemployed members of communities;
rehabilitating local government office buildings, police posts and primary health centers;
strengthening the skills of medical staff, and providing education to community members on health and hygiene practices and behaviours;
training civil society on planning and evaluation of recovery activities;
establishing youth centers where sporting and cultural activities will be implemented and creating a network of youth leaders; and
promoting prevention of sexual and gender-based violence including through radio campaigns.

The Government of Japan, together with this project, is implementing the project entitled “Support to Child-Friendly Environment through Community Participation in Ituri” (approximately 376 million yen) through UNICEF by the Community Empowerment Grant. Collaboration of these two projects is expected to progress peace-building process through social and economic reconstruction in Ituri District and to realize human security at the community level in effective manner.

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