DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: P-DDRCS STRENGTHENS NATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON THE PROTECTION AND REINTEGRATION OF CHILDREN ASSOCIATED WITH ARMED FORCES AND GROUPS
Kinshasa, 22–23 December 2025 – As part of efforts to strengthen national coordination on Children Associated with Armed Forces and Groups (CAAFAG) and to ensure strategic alignment of interventions for sustainable impact, the Programme for Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization (P-DDRCS) organized a National Annual Review Workshop of Child-DDR implementing actors from 22 to 23 December 2025. The workshop was co-financed with technical and financial support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Held in Kinshasa, the two-day workshop brought together key national and international stakeholders involved in the protection, disengagement and reintegration of conflict-affected children, including bilateral and multilateral partners, P-DDRCS Provincial Coordinators, Heads of CAAFAG Sections, as well as national and international experts.
A Clear Institutional Framework Driven by Presidential Will
The workshop was officially opened on 22 December 2025 at P-DDRCS Headquarters by the Deputy National Coordinator in charge of Technical and Operational Affairs, Ms. Marie-Chantal LUMBA TSHIMANGA. The proceedings were firmly grounded in the national legal and strategic framework, as defined by Presidential Ordinance No. 21/038 of 4 July 2021 establishing, organizing and governing the P-DDRCS.
In her opening address, Ms. LUMBA TSHIMANGA recalled that the P-DDRCS is the sole national structure legally mandated by the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to provide strategic direction, coordination and implementation of DDRCS, including Child-DDR. She called on participants to engage in frank, technical and constructive discussions to strengthen prevention, protection and the sustainable reintegration of children who have been recruited or used in armed conflicts.
High-Level, Evidence-Based Technical Exchanges
The workshop featured substantive presentations on key themes, including the legal and judicial protection of children, action plans to end the recruitment and use of children, the fight against sexual violence, the international “Children, Peace and Security” agenda, the Vancouver Principles, analysis of the security and humanitarian context, as well as national analytical data and study findings on the socio-economic reintegration of former CAAFAG.
These exchanges enabled participants to identify progress achieved, persistent challenges and operational priorities, within a framework of national accountability, transparency and continuous improvement of interventions.
A Strong Message of National Leadership and Sovereignty
Closing the workshop on 23 December 2025 at the Cercle Elaïs, the National Coordinator of the P-DDRCS, Professor Jean de Dieu Désiré NTANGA NTITA, PhD, flanked by the Deputy National Coordinators, emphasized that the workshop was not a mere administrative exercise, but an act of sovereignty, strategic coordination and mutual trust between the Congolese State and its partners.
Drawing on African wisdom, he recalled that “to protect a child is to protect the future of the Nation,” reaffirming that children associated with armed groups are never perpetrators but victims of war, manipulation and the breakdown of social structures. Each child withdrawn from an armed group, reunited with family, enrolled in school or trained in vocational skills, he stressed, represents a victory for the Republic.
He expressed sincere appreciation to UNICEF, a strategic partner of the P-DDRCS, for co-financing and consistently supporting the initiative, as well as to MONUSCO and the Joint Technical Working Group (JTWG) for their operational and technical assistance.
The UNICEF Representative, Dr. John AGBOR, commended the collaboration with the Congolese Government through the P-DDRCS and advocated for the protection of children in vulnerable situations. He further reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to continue supporting the P-DDRCS in line with its mandate and UNICEF’s engagement on children released from armed groups.
Consolidated Leadership and Enhanced Perspectives
Under the leadership of His Excellency Félix-Antoine TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO, President of the Republic, Head of State and Chair of the P-DDRCS Steering Committee, child protection constitutes an irreversible presidential priority, fully embedded in the National P-DDRCS Strategy adopted in April 2022.
At the conclusion of the workshop, IT equipment was handed over to provincial P-DDRCS coordination offices to strengthen operational capacities in the field and enhance the quality of monitoring and coordination of interventions.
Through this initiative, the P-DDRCS reaffirms its role as a central pillar of the national peace, stabilization and child protection architecture, while consolidating an exemplary partnership with UNICEF and the broader international community, in the service of sustainable peace grounded in human dignity.
P-DDRCS Communication Unit
