/’ PBG Quarterly Report ‘Programme de Bonne Gouvernance’ Contract No. DFD-I-00-08-00071-00 Task Order No. DFD-I-01-0800071-00 USAID Project Office: USAID/EA/RAAO Quarterly Report 13 October 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 January 2013 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by DAI. PBG – FY 2013 Quarterly Report 13 - Page 1 of 25 Task Order Quarterly Report Programme de Bonne Gouvernance First Quarterly Report FY 2013 October 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 Quarterly 13 for Task Order # DFD-I-01-0800071-00 October 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008 DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. PBG – FY 2013 Quarterly Report 13 - Page 2 of 25 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I INTRODUCTION 04 SECTION II POLITICAL BACKGROUND 05 SECTION III SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE ADVANCES 08 SECTION IV OUTSTANDING ISSUES, CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES 23 SECTION V PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT QUARTER 24 LIST OF APPENDICES ANNEX 1 Year 1 Activities Update – Chart format as defined in FY 2013 Workplan ANNEX 2 PMP Results Update ANNEX 3 Calendar of Activities – Quarter 1 of FY 2013 ANNEX 4 PBG Success Stories ANNEX 5 Workshop Scanned Participation lists PBG – FY 2013 Quarterly Report 13 - Page 3 of 25 I – INTRODUCTION In October 2009, the life of the ‘Programme de Bonne Gouvernance’ (PBG) began. This thirteenth quarterly report, covering activities from October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012, focuses on the first quarter of implementation for Year 4 (FY 2013) workplan activities of this $36,251,768 five-year (three years with two option years) program whose purpose is to improve management capacity and accountability of select legislatures and local governments. The program operates in five areas of the country (the capital, Kinshasa and the provinces of Bandundu, Katanga, Maniema and South Kivu), working closely with three categories of Congolese partners: I. Civil society and community-based organizations; II. Parliamentary institutions at the central and provincial level; and III. Public institutions having a stake and role in decentralization. Major achievements of this past quarter include: Under IR1 Trained a total of 568 members of civil society organizations across four provinces and 12 ETDs; Sponsored 24 interactions between civil society organizations and government authorities; Hosted an evaluation and planning workshop for the activity Circles des Femmes which were conducted in South Kivu, Bandundu and Maniema; Conducted an evaluation session with CSOs partners in Katanga, Bandundu and Maniema with a particular emphasis on sustainability; Promoted 12 public audiences with 889 participants; Succeeded in persuading National MPs to provide their profiles and information on their activities during recess and interventions either in the press or during plenary sessions to be posted on the website. Fostered 6 local media governance programs. Under IR2 Trained or provided technical assistance to a total of 205 staff and members of Parliament across five different legislatures at the provincial and national level; Promoted 11 oversight actions of provincial institutions; Promoted 13 public audiences conducted with provincial MPs; Conducted a workshop to launch a national policy research network. At the end of the discussions, the participants adopted the founding of the network and set up a team for its animation. Conducted an evaluation of and submitted recommendations for the status of the archiving system of the Journal Official of the DRC divisions intervening in the last phase of the legislative process (the publication of laws and edicts); Provided logistical assistance to the Political, Administrative and Justice Commission to examine the law on the CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission); Facilitated a workshop to examine the edict proposal in South Kivu concerning Promotion of the right to register children’s Civil Status. The edict was deemed admissible by the plenary on October 12th. Facilitated workshops in Bandundu and Maniema on the legislation on public procurement in the DRC; Under IR 3 Trained a total of 285 local government employees ; Provided assistance to the EU to support a decentralization conference benefitting provincial governors’ representatives, provincial assembly presidents, as well as administrative staff from the governors’ offices; Facilitated the signing of a public-private partnership between the municipality of Katuba and the company Atlas Construction covering the construction and management of the Market Katuba III with an initial investment of $578,000 ; Conducted a workshop to evaluate the environmental impact of the rehabilitation of the Kamikunga Primary School in Alunguli commune ; Organized the awareness-building campaign on decentralization reform at the University of Kinshasa; PBG – FY 2013 Quarterly Report 13 - Page 4 of 25 II – POLITICAL BACKGROUND Overview of the situation at the National Level This period was highlighted by the organization in Kinshasa of the14th Francophone Summit which was held on October 12-14, 2012. Participants included the Heads of State and Government of all countries sharing the use of the French language. On October 27th the report on “Doing Business” was released for 2013 which ranks the DRC 181/185 on making an effort to improve the business climate. The Ministry of Planning responded to this report by pointing out that this classification does not take into account the reforms that were recently implemented. Tension with the reintegrated CNDP rebellion over the provisions of the Agreement of 23 March 2009 culminated on November 20th with the fall of the cities of Goma and Sake at the hands of the ex-rebels who had mutinied and renamed themselves the M23. The insurgents took the opportunity to loot the provincial agency of the Congo Central Bank as well as road building equipment and the provincial government offices. Confronted with the disapproval of the international community the rebel group opted to withdraw from the city of Goma where the administrative authorities returned to the capital a week later. In the meantime the Congolese government and the M23 initiated talks in Kampala on the reasons for the mutiny which led to this conflict. The M23 demands that the Agreement of 23 March 2009 between the Congolese government and the CNDP (National Congress for the Defense of the People) be respected and implemented. National Assembly On Thursday, October 18th the permanent office of the National Assembly received the draft budget for 2013. This budget totals 6,900 billion Congolese francs (7.5 billion U.S. dollars). After analysis by the office of the lower house of Parliament, the draft was sent to the plenary for discussion. This draft budget for 2013 is seeing an increase of more than 5% over the 2012 budget ($7 billion U.S. dollars). The draft budget was declared admissible and transmitted to the ECOFIN Commission for its consideration before its presentation to plenary for discussion and adoption by the end of December. On 10 October 2012, the National Assembly passed the bill establishing the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH). This organization’s duties will include conducting surveys on all violations of human rights and the guidance and support of victims in judicial proceedings subsequent to these violations. On Thursday, October 18th the National MPs rejected the no-confidence motion submitted against the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Alexander Luba Ntambo. The author of the no-confidence motion, the MP Albert Fabrice Puela accused the minister of "incompetence" in his handling of the security crisis in North Kivu in eastern DRC. 202 MPs backed maintaining the Deputy Prime Minister and 164 against. On October 17th National Assembly Members listened to the Attorney General’s speech requesting the lifting of immunities for their colleagues Roger Lumbala and Eugene Ndongala. The first is suspected of complicity with the M23 rebels while the second is under suspicion for statutory rape. After reading the Attorney General’s indictments, the President of the National Assembly, Aubin Minaku spoke of the need to allow the two MPs to defend themselves in accordance with the Assembly’s rules of procedures. To date, neither of these two MPs have testified, the first demanding security guarantees before leaving France where he has sought refuge, the second citing health problems. The National Assembly President also announced the establishment "in several days" of a commission to decide on the issue of lifting the two deputy’s immunities before the lower house takes an official position. This period was also marked by President Joseph Kabila’s speech before Parliament on the State of the Nation as prescribed by the Constitution. In essence his message consisted of inviting Congolese to form a national cohesion against the aggression he has for the first time formally attributed to Rwanda through their M23 proxy. He promised to convene a national dialogue in the coming months with all political and PBG – FY 2013 Quarterly Report 13 - Page 5 of 25 social forces to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity and national Congolese peace and stability of the country. South Kivu Back in Bukavu on October 5th after a visit to Kinshasa, the Governor accompanied the National Interior Minister and other officials embarked