UK announces "major increase" in financial aid

Britain has announced what it terms a "major increase" in financial aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over the period 2003-06, "so long as the transition process remains on track". In a statement made available to IRIN on Friday, the United Kingdom (UK) said the aid was aimed at helping the country to make progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. www.developmentgoals.org "The installation of the Transitional National Government has been a major step towards peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," it said. "The United Kingdom is ready to engage in a substantial long-term development partnership with the DRC to help achieve these goals." It further stated that the UK's bilateral aid programme in 2003-04 amounted to US $38 million (in addition to contributions through the EU, UN and World Bank), and would continue to increase over the next few years, with particular focus on poverty reduction and post-conflict reconstruction. In addition, the UK said it was working with other bilateral donors and multilateral agencies to ensure a coordinated response to the needs of the DRC. In 2002-03, in addition to $24 million in bilateral aid, the UK contributed approximately $13.4 million through the EU, $40 million through World Bank, and $53.6 million through UN agencies - including the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, known as MONUC. More specifically, the UK said its Department for International Development (DFID - www.dfid.gov.uk) would focus its resources for the DRC around two core tasks. The first, helping to ensure a successful transition process, would include a contribution of $1.2 million to a trust fund to provide immediate support to transitional government institutions and ministries. The second, helping to establish a basic systems of governance for conflict prevention and poverty reduction, would include support for economic governance, involving $5.3 million to enable DRC to clear its arrears to the African Development Bank. DFID would also support the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper process through technical and financial aid. Furthermore, the UK said that DFID was planning a number of "quick-start" programmes, including $667,000 for a primary education programme in North Sankuru District, Kasai Oriental Province; $5.7 million for a malaria bed nets programme in eastern DRC; $5.7 million for a basic health services programme in five war-affected provinces in eastern DRC (Orientale, Kasai Occidental, North and South Kivu, and northern Katanga); $1.1 million for a health programme in Kindu, Maniema Province; and $8.3 million for road rehabilitation between Kindu and Ubundu. In addition, DFID had committed $27.5 million to the Multi-Country Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme (MDRP - www.mdrp.org) over five years and seconded an expert to the UN Development Programme to help the government develop a national disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration programme. With regard to humanitarian support, the UK recalled that DFID had provided $17.5 million in assistance to the DRC in 2002, and would maintain the same level of aid in 2003, with an emphasis on efforts to deal with HIV/AIDS. "The UK is committed to providing $1.7 billion of development assistance to Africa by 2005-06 to help the continent reach the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by half by 2015," the UK said. "Reducing poverty in the DRC and ensuring the war does not break out again are essential elements of achieving this goal." Recalling that DFID had built up development partnerships with a number of other countries in the region, notably neighbouring Uganda and Rwanda, the UK said it looked forward to being able to develop a similar partnership with the government of the DRC. "Peace and stability in the DRC will be a major driver for development and prosperity in the Great Lakes region and Central Africa more widely," it said.