GENDER AND PEACEBUILDING: STRATEGIC MISSION TO ADVANCE INCLUSIVE REINTEGRATION IN ITURI
Bunia, 09 October 2025 — In the post-conflict context of Ituri, where security and social cohesion remain fragile, peacebuilding cannot be achieved without a deliberate and structured integration of gender considerations. It is within this framework that Ms. Marie Chantal Lumba, Deputy National Coordinator of the P-DDRCS in charge of operations, is currently leading a field mission in the province of Ituri. She is accompanied by Ms. Lauren Muntu Kintuadi, Head of the Gender Unit at the national coordination, whose presence underscores the strategic importance given to inclusive approaches within the DDRCS framework.
The purpose of the mission is to assess the level of gender responsiveness across ongoing disarmament and demobilization operations in the province. This includes evaluating whether the specific needs of men and women, boys and girls, are being adequately identified and addressed in the reintegration process. Through field visits, institutional consultations, and participatory dialogue with local stakeholders, the mission aims to document both the gaps and the emerging best practices related to gender-sensitive programming. Particular attention is being paid to the experiences of female ex-combatants, women associated with armed groups, and women in host communities, who often remain invisible in traditional DDR responses despite their critical role in peacebuilding.
Beyond assessment, this mission also seeks to strengthen the provincial team’s capacity in planning, monitoring, and implementing gender-responsive activities. Technical workshops and mentoring sessions are being held to build staff competencies in gender analysis, inclusive budgeting, and qualitative data collection. The goal is to ensure that gender is not treated as an add-on, but as an integrated lens through which all interventions are designed, delivered, and evaluated. This includes strengthening coordination between the P-DDRCS and local women-led organizations, whose grassroots expertise is essential to building sustainable and community-driven peace.
One of the mission’s key deliverables will be the production of strategic recommendations to inform national-level decision-making and program design. These findings will feed directly into the coordination’s knowledge management system, with the objective of replicating successful gender integration models in other provinces. By extracting lessons from the Ituri experience, the P-DDRCS aims to institutionalize a gender-transformative approach that recognizes women not only as beneficiaries, but as active agents of reconciliation and recovery.
According to Professor Ntanga Ntita, the P-DDRCS National Coordinator, “gender integration in DDR is not a technical add-on—it is a political and moral imperative. Sustainable peace requires the full recognition of women’s diverse experiences, contributions, and leadership.” This mission is therefore both technical and symbolic: it signals the commitment of the P-DDRCS to center gender equity in its peacebuilding agenda, as envisioned by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.
Ultimately, a gender-responsive DDRCS process is not just about fairness-it is about effectiveness. When gender considerations are systematically addressed, reintegration is more durable, community acceptance is stronger, and the pathways to peace become broader and more inclusive. The Ituri mission is a critical step toward making this vision a reality, one community at a time.
P-DDRCS-Communication-Unit
