Congo (DRC), ESPER Peace and Security program in East DRC

The ESPER project aims to improve the living and security conditions of the population in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. ESPER targets more than 2,500,000 people, who will benefit from the improvement of the security situation through the action of the authorities and communities supported by the project.

The project seeks to achieve the following objective:

Contribute to stabilization through the promotion and improvement of security and judicial governance, as well as social cohesion in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In order to achieve this objective, the following pathways to outcomes need to be reached :

• Formalization of good practices in inclusive local (security) governance through legislation and public policies;
• Budgeting for security priorities and needs related to the improvement of security governance in provinces’ and territories’ budgets, effective disbursement and citizen monitoring of the rational use of these resources;
• Allocation of qualified personnel in adequate numbers to meet the security needs of the population;
• Direct involvement and commitment of state and non-state actors in the implementation in order to ensure ownership and sustainability of the project.

The results sought by the project are as follows:

• Result 1: Security governance is strengthened through inclusive and participatory security and justice planning and monitoring mechanisms.
• Result 2: The provision of justice and security by local authorities becomes effective, accountable, accessible to communities and responsive to their needs.
• Result 3: Government authorities at different levels take action and enable/facilitate key security actors to address the most important challenges identified at the local level.

The project will be implemented in the following targeted areas:

• North Kivu Province (Masisi, Nyiragongo, Rutshuru and Goma)
• South Kivu Province (Uvira City, Uvira Territory, Ruzizi Plain)
• Ituri Province (Aru, Djugu, Irumu and Mahagi)

The services delivered by VNG International are:

• Project design and implementation
• Selection and contracting of international and local experts
• Financial and implementation quality control and guarantee
• Mapping of local community structures and CSO partners for community sensitization and outreach in areas targeted for the development or implementation of Plans d’Action de Sãcuritã Locale (PAS)
• Support for the negotiation of framework partnership agreements with security governance structures (Comitãs Locaux de Sãcuritã, Territories, Chiefdoms, etc.).
• Support to the authorities for the organization of training workshops in the territories guaranteeing the involvement of state and non-state actors
• Organizing customized training at the decentralized level to build the skills and knowledge of community representatives to participate in the development of PAS
• Supporting the operation of Comitãs Locaux de Sãcuritã ãlargis (CLS-ãlargis) through assistance with participatory monitoring of PAS implementation
• Capacity building of community actors for their effective participation in the design, implementation, and monitoring of PAS
• Support of authorities and CSOs in the identification and reallocation of land concessions
• Support to the process of development, validation and formalization of family trees tracing customary lines of authority and rules of succession on pilot areas
• Organization of awareness campaigns on key laws related to identified security issues
• Development of a lobby and advocacy strategy and implementation of the action plan for the improvement of the legislative environment relating to local security governance
• Training of trainers for community structures and CSOs to facilitate grassroots advocacy.