The Gender Section of MONUSCO and UN Women organized a day of consultations in Kinshasa on Thursday, September 10, bringing together women’s and youth organizations to discuss natural resource governance and inclusive regional economic integration.

The initiative brought together women and men involved in peace processes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Its objective was to contribute to strengthening inclusive and gender-responsive governance of natural resources and to promote the full participation of women and young people.

Natural resources as a source of conflict

The consultation follows the Arria-formula meeting held on July 13, 2026, and the high-level public debate organized on July 22, 2026, by the United Nations Security Council under the presidency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the theme of “Natural resource governance as a foundation for peace, security and prosperity.”

On that occasion, Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner regretted that the Congo’s natural resources had been transformed “into a vulnerability, fueling predation, violence and instability.”

On Thursday in Kinshasa, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of MONUSCO, who attended the opening ceremony of the consultation, stated that the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s natural resources must become a driver of peace and prosperity for its people rather than a factor of conflict.
“In several provinces in the east of the country,” said James Swan, “the illicit exploitation of natural resources continues to be closely linked to war economies, insecurity, forced displacement and violence against civilian populations.”

Aimée Matungulu of UN Women, for her part, stressed that “the benefits derived from the exploitation of Congo’s natural resources do not always benefit the entire population equitably.”

James Swan also noted that the DRC helped place natural resource governance at the heart of the international agenda during its presidency of the Security Council last July.
“This ambition must now be translated into reality, and this is precisely where women and young people must have their rightful place and play a major role,” he added.

“That is precisely why we are gathered here today, because this workshop provides a strategic opportunity to listen to women and young people and to better understand their realities,” Aimée Matungulu added.

Taking part in natural resource governance

For her, it is therefore essential that women and young people “not be considered merely as beneficiaries of public policies or development programmes.”
“They must be recognized as full-fledged actors, strategic partners and sources of proposals capable of actively contributing to natural resource governance,” she explained.

Minister of Gender, Family and Children Micheline Ombae, for her part, strongly emphasized that the involvement of women and young people is indispensable.
“We are all aware that seeking the contributions of women and young people is essential to addressing the challenges of peace, economic success and resilience in the different parts of our country,” she stressed, adding: “Nothing sustainable can be built without women.”

As James Swan pointed out, if natural resources are to cease being a source of conflict and instead become a driver of peace and prosperity, women and young people must be “at the heart of decision-making and the sharing of economic benefits.”
The Head of MONUSCO therefore reiterated the Mission’s commitment to continuing, alongside UN Women and the United Nations system as a whole, to support Congolese institutions and civil society organizations in this direction.

In his address delivered on July 22, during the Security Council’s public debate held under the presidency of the DRC, the UN Secretary-General stated that “countries and populations must be the first and principal beneficiaries of the resources found within their territories.”
“That is why the United Nations is helping national authorities strengthen governance and institutions, improve regulatory frameworks, and ensure that mineral resources contribute to development and peacebuilding,” he said.