UN Human Rights Council Tenth Regular Session
Follow-up to the Special Session on the Democratic Republic of the Congo 
Statement by the Delegation of the United States of America
Delivered by Melanie Khanna
March 17, 2009
 
Thank you, Mr. President.
The United States shares the Human Rights Council’s concern over the deteriorating human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and appreciated the attention that the Special Session in December brought to it.   We call for the immediate end to all human rights violations and abuses in the DRC and unconditional respect for the rights of the Congolese people.  Given the severity of human rights abuses in the DRC, the United States was disappointed by the Council’s decision last March not to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert.  
The United States is gravely concerned about the rampant sexual violence perpetrated by the Congolese military, by armed militia groups and increasingly, by civilians.  The increase in abductions, rapes, sexual enslavement and killings of young girls is alarming as is the widespread impunity for these crimes.  The lack of a functioning justice system in the DRC permits this violence to continue, in effect perpetuating not only the systematic physical and psychological destruction of women, but also societal acceptance of such abuse.
The United States is hopeful that recent events in the eastern DRC may provide the basis for the situation to improve.  The voluntary integration of hundreds of former militia members into the Congolese military lessens the likelihood of armed conflict and should, in time, allow displaced persons to return home.  The joint Congolese-Rwandan operation against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda has led over 1,000 FDLR combatants to enter the UN-led process designed to facilitate their return to Rwanda.  While these recent events have in some cases afforded humanitarian organizations greater access to populations in need of their assistance, we continue to underline the urgent need for improved civilian protection in light of the ongoing and widespread suffering in eastern DRC.  We urge the Congolese government to spare no effort in fighting impunity for human rights violations.  This Council should make full use of the human rights mechanisms at its disposal to address the ongoing crisis.
The United States commends the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for its efforts to monitor and investigate human rights problems in the DRC, including through the use of its field-based Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO).  We also commend its efforts to engage in human rights protection and promotion activities, partly through the efforts of UN special procedures mandate holders.  While noting that the Joint Human Rights Office faces enormous challenges, including ongoing resource constraints and entrenched impunity, its recent successes include the establishment of legal aid clinics in North Kivu and the creation of networks of human rights NGOs in nine provinces.  We also express our support for the OHCHR’s Human Rights Mapping exercise, which is intended, in cooperation with the Congolese government, to document and address human rights abuses of the past.
Thank you, Mr. President.