CARE Applauds Senator Collins for Leadership in Supporting Stability in the DRC

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2006) - Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has agreed to co-sponsor a Senate bill to promote the stability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the country prepares to hold its first election in more than 45 years at the end of July.

S. 2125, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2005, establishes U.S. commitment to guiding the DRC through its election process and ensuring that the new national government is committed to transparent governance, respect for human rights, and meeting the basic needs of its citizens. S. 2125 calls for an expedition of the recovery process by rebuilding and enhancing critical infrastructure, protecting internally displaced people from further violence and working to implement programs for the disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration of combatants into society. The legislation also calls for a U.S. envoy to resolve the situation in the eastern Congo and for the United States to use its voice and vote at the United Nations to bolster international assistance in peacekeeping and recovery activities.

"This neglected crisis is finally starting to get the attention it deserves," says Adam Handler of the Policy and Advocacy Unit at CARE. "It is essential to stability in the entire region that the United States lend its support at this critical time."

Sen. Collins joins Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill.; Sam Brownback, R-Kan.; Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; and Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, who introduced the bipartisan legislation to promote relief, security and democracy in the DRC.

Earlier this month, six people traveled from Maine to Washington, D.C., to participate in CARE's National Advocacy Conference, at which hundreds of CARE constituents from across the country requested the support of their Congressional representatives in fighting global poverty.

"We were thrilled to learn of Senator Collins' commitment to helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world. U.S. support will go a long way to ensuring that the Congolese people have a chance to build a better future," says Maine native Nate Nickerson, who participated in CARE's advocacy conference. "I am very proud that our leaders hear and respond to Americans' desire to help the many people in this world who are struggling to survive on less than $1 a day."

The DRC and the broader Great Lakes region of Africa have been embroiled in a series of interconnected conflicts over several decades that have contributed to the instability of that region. Nearly four million Congolese have been killed and more than two million people displaced as a result of continued insecurity in the eastern part of the country. Despite an official end to the conflict in 2003, some 38,000 people are dying every month, mostly due to disease and lack of access to basic services.

This July, the DRC will reach an important crossroads by holding its first elections since 1960. The newly elected government will face the challenges of ending continued violence in the eastern part of the DRC, rebuilding the country after years of conflict and meeting the basic needs of its citizens. U.S. support will help ensure lasting change, which will stabilize a large part of the continent. The United States and other international actors can play a vital role in supporting the positive efforts of the DRC during this critical phase of recovery.

CARE works with communities in the DRC to improve health care services, fight malaria, generate income, support survivors of sexual violence, reintegrate children formerly with armed groups, and rehabilitate infrastructure, such as schools. CARE also works with communities in the rainforest to protect their environment while identifying alternative income sources for those who are dependent on the forest.