Atlanta-Lubumbashi — The Carter Center today announced the launch of the Climate and Environmental Justice Initiative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This initiative aims to guarantee a just transition, recognizing that DRC's mineral wealth is vital to building a low-carbon and resilient world and that the Congolese people should fully share in the prosperity and promise of this new climate economy.
Since its inception in 2007, The Carter Center’s Extractive Industries Governance program has been focused on the DRC extractive sector, to advance human rights, transparency, and accountability. With the global objective of securing clean, affordable energy, the DRC is becoming a key player in meeting international resource demands. The new initiative shifts our focus towards promoting climate and environmental justice to ensure the equitable sharing of the country’s mineral resources to support sustainable development and human rights for all.
"The Carter Center's new Climate and Environmental Justice Initiative will work to ensure that Congolese people are not left behind. We are advocating for an equitable sharing of prosperity and wealth generated throughout the DRC’s green minerals supply chains, and we want to be sure that the Congolese population is well-equipped to adapt to the ongoing impacts of climate change," said Romain Ravet, Senior Country Representative of The Carter Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The initiative intends to work with stakeholders on this complex problem to ensure climate justice. It calls on the private sector and international actors to adopt responsible and fair practices in the supply chains of extractive resources to better prevent and remedy their impacts on climate change in the DRC. The initiative offers the Congolese State an independent advisory role in the design, implementation, and evaluation of effective policies for the protection of human rights, the creation of local value chains, the maximization of revenues generated by green minerals, and their allocation for the benefit of the Congolese population.
The initiative also proposes to amplify monitoring and advocacy campaigns by independent civil society actors at national, regional, and international levels and support the representation of the Congolese population's interests in national, regional, and international initiatives and platforms for climate justice and environmental issues.
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Contact: In Atlanta, Amanda Larson, amanda.larson@cartercenter.org
In Lubumbashi, Ismaël Tutu: ismail.tutu@cartercenter.org
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