Mission Report, Democratic Republic of Congo 2009

Rebuilding courts and trust: An assessment of the needs
of the justice system in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Executive Summary

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) organised an international delegation of jurists to visit the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) in February 2009. The IBAHRI and ILAC are grateful to the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs for the financial support provided.
The IBAHRI and ILAC mission was aimed at conducting a needs assessment of the Congolese judicial
system in order to assess where expertise can be most constructively applied – both geographically and thematically – to assist the reconstruction of the justice system.
The six-person delegation held meetings with government ministers, parliamentarians, civilian and military judges and prosecutors, representatives of the Congolese bar associations, police, academics,
international donors, NGOs, advocates and Congolese citizens. Both ILAC and the IBAHRI wish to express their sincere gratitude for the hospitality and assistance given by all those they met and for the additional assistance generously provided by the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), and in particular its Rule of Law Unit.
The aim of the report is not to present a full-scale analysis of the situation in the justice sector of the DRC. Instead, the report aims to assess the key areas where expertise and assistance can be most
helpful to assist in reforming the Congolese justice system, based on what is planned and what is already being done regarding the DRC’s judiciary.