ReliefWeb

Project: Addressing climate - and water-driven migration and conflict interlinkages to build Community Resilience in the Congo Basin. Project Policy Brief 2

Background

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), emergencies like diseases, armed conflict, and market disruptions from climate-induced natural disasters (droughts and floods) have significant impact on local population. Impacts on women generally the most vulnerable due to lower socio-economic status and limited access to information - range from limited access to resources and neglected rights to increased burden of domestic work and family responsibilities. Effects on men, especially in the absence of livable income, vary from inability to fulfil socially allotted role as household providers, to anxiety and stress or potential health failure.

Other issues with known long-term negative consequences on socio-economic and adaptive capacity of both women and men that also reinforce gender disparity include economic constraints, socio-cultural norms, and massive migration of livestock from the Sahel region to parts of the DRC. Disasters intensify disruption of production (animal/crops) systems, competition for natural resources, physical dispossession, and loss of livelihoods triggering human migration and conflicts, so that they are seen as direct consequences of climate change (CC).

This policy brief is the second in a series of three that summarise the key messages from the Project - “Addressing climate- and water-driven migration and conflict interlinkages to build Community Resilience in the Congo Basin”. The Project was funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC- Canada) and undertaken by the Congo Basin Water Resources Research Center (CRREBaC), based at the University of Kinshasa (DRC), in collaboration with UNUINWEH (Canada), over a period of 2019-2021. This Policy Brief is developed for attention and possible uptake by the following actors (non-exhaustive list):

• Public administration that deals with issues related to gender inequalities, such as the DRC Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and National Solidarity Commitments, and similar provincial gender administration services. Elected political leaders / representatives at the national and provincial levels.

• Civil society organizations and networks such as Nouvelle Société Civile Congolaise - NSCC and Groupe de Travail Climat REDD Rénové - GTCRR, and members of women organizations in the DRC, such as Coopérative des femmes de Haut-Uélé- COFEHU, Dynamics of Bas-Uélé for an integral development and the defense of the rights of women and children in rural areas - DYFEMIR, National Committee on Women and Development- CONAFED, The Women’s & Gender Studies Research Network – (WGSRN), Coalition of Women Leaders for the Environment and Sustainable Development- CFLEDD, Women’s International League for peace and freedom.

• International agencies (e.g. UN Women DRC and United Nations Children’s Fund - UNICEF), and humanitarian organizations.

• Intergovernmental organisations / networks that support and promote gender-equal development in Africa, such as the African Union, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), African Development Bank (AfDB)