On January 27, 2021, the Congolese National Assembly voted to dissolve the government led by former Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba. In February, president Felix Tshisekedi appointed a new prime minister,  Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde. A month since his appointment, the prime minister has yet to announce his cabinet. The current government restructuring process presents an ideal opportunity to engage on increased female representation in the upcoming government. Only 17% of the recently dissolved government members were females, although the Congolese constitution guarantees gender parity in government.

In the past month, JHR has engaged key stakeholders such as decision-makers, CSOs, and the public to promote increased female representation in the upcoming government. On March 6th, JHR held a roundtable discussion on female representation in Kinshasa. It brought together six female Members of Parliament, all members of L’Union Sacré de la Nation (USN), a platform created by the current President that seeks to promote good governance practices. The roundtable also drew media managers, journalists, and women’s rights organizations such as the Permanent Framework for Consultation of Congolese Women (CAFCO) and the organization Rien Sans les Femmes. Among the participants was Mrs. Marie Josée Ekufu, an important female political figure in the DRC and former presidential candidate.

The round table’s overall objective was to assess women’s representation in the public and private sectors and to discuss strategies to ensure gender parity is respected in the upcoming government. During the session, female MPs committed to engaging fellow MPs and influential figures such as the first lady to improve women’s representation in the new government. They also committed to initiating bills to improve female representation in decision-making positions and counter impunity for SBGV.

At the end of the session, participants drafted and signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to respect gender- parity when forming the new government as prescribed by the constitution. The petition was officially handed to the Prime Minister after the roundtable. Participants also drew a press release that was shared with the media. The event was covered by the national broadcaster RTNC and several local media.

Two days after the event, on March 8th, 2021, The First Lady of the Republic, Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, met with the Prime Minister to champion gender parity in the upcoming government. Concurrently, throughout March, JHR produced over 30 on-air forums on female representation in government. The interactive on-air forums brought together CSO representatives, government officials, with a cumulative reach of over 30 million people.

On March 29th, after weeks of coverage on the issue of women’s representation,  the Congolese press widely reported that the President had refused to sign on a new proposed government due to insufficient female candidates.

JHR intends to keep working with key stakeholders in the DRC  to promote gender parity in decision-making in both the private and public sectors.

JHR is thrilled to co-present SIEGED: THE PRESS VS. DENIALISM from April 29 – May 9, at North America’s largest documentary festival, Hot Docs, taking place online this year due to public health restrictions.

The film looks at the way Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has used the covid-19 pandemic to attack the press, and how this undermined efforts to ensure Brazilians had the necessary public health information they needed to stay safe. The film’s synopsis:

Tickets on sale now: http://ow.ly/JHBV30rDPXS .