Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo has established a National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up (NMIRF) known as the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights (CIDH).

INSTITUTIONAL SETUP

The Interministerial Committee on Human Rights (CIDH) has been established by Decree.

Composition

The CIDH is composed of: • The Minister of Human Rights as Chair of the Committee; • A Permanent Secretariat led by a Permanent Secretary, assisted by a Deputy Permanent Secretary; • The Permanent Secretariat is supported by additional staff and 34 focal points seconded from various sectoral ministries.

More than 25 ministries are involved in its work, including Justice, Interior, Defense, Health, Gender, Education, Finance, Environment, and others.

Focal points, who are career civil servants holding at least the rank of Chief of Office, are nominated by their respective ministries and formally appointed by decree from the Minister of Human Rights. The mechanism also includes focal points from the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and gender equality mechanisms.

Methods of work

The CIDH meets regularly when preparing and validating reports. For each report, ad hoc drafting groups are created, and focal points collect data from their respective ministries. Drafts are then produced and submitted for validation by Committee members, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society thematic groups. After validation, the Minister of Human Rights transmits the report to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for submission to the relevant UN or regional body. While internal SOPs guide coordination, information management relies mainly on email and does not have dedicated SOPs.

Institutional memory and training

To build capacity and preserve institutional knowledge, members receive training on human rights, treaty bodies, the UPR, special procedures, and reporting. However, there is no formal system in place beyond training to mitigate the impact of staff turnover.

Despite this progress, the CIDH faces significant challenges, particularly regarding statistics requested by treaty bodies, as disaggregated data is often insufficient or unavailable. Continuous capacity-building for its members remains necessary. Although the government contributes to the remuneration of Committee members, the volume of work requires strong support from partners, especially in financing activities.

MANDATE

The national mechanism's mandate, established by decree, covers the preparation and drafting of reports required under international and regional human rights treaties, including those for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), as well as monitoring and evaluating the implementation of treaties and recommendations.

The CIDH engages with UN Treaty Bodies, the UPR, and regional human rights mechanisms, and it also follows up on recommendations, including through contributions to legislative changes.

Process for the preparation of state reports

Drafting committees are set up on an ad hoc basis for each report, meeting during data collection and drafting phases. Focal points from ministries gather information, which is then compiled into a draft report by committee members. The draft is validated with input from the National Human Rights Commission and civil society groups. Once approved, the Minister of Human Rights forwards it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for submission. Timely submission is ensured through this structured coordination process.

COORDINATION

The CIDH meets regularly when preparing reports and when validating reports.

Channel of communication with the Parliament In the DRC, Parliament has a Permanent Human Rights Commission.

• The Chairperson of this commission attends certain meetings of the Interministerial Committee on Human Rights.
• For recommendations requiring Parliamentary action, the Chairperson of the commission engages with the Committee to determine how the recommendation can be brought before Parliament.

Channel of communication with the Judiciary Magistrates are invited each time the Committee receives recommendations in Concluding Observations from the treaty bodies. They are also invited during the validation of reports to provide their contributions.

CONSULTATION

According to Article 6 of the decree establishing the CIDH, delegates from human rights NGOs, trade unions, and other professional bodies may participate consultatively in CIDH work upon invitation by the Minister of Human Rights. The committee can also benefit from the services of consultants or experts, both international and national.

The CIDH has also developed an integrated plan that consolidates recommendations from Treaty Bodies, the Universal Periodic Review, and Special Procedures, and produced a guide to popularize thematic recommendations from the third UPR cycle with technical support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and funding from the UPR Voluntary Fund.