TANGANYIKA: HIGH-LEVEL PBF–P-DDRCS DELEGATION MEETS VICE-GOVERNOR, SIGNALING TRUST AND NATIONAL OWNERSHIP
Kalemie, 8 October 2025 — In a symbolic moment for peacebuilding and institutional credibility in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a high-level joint delegation from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) and the National Programme for Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization (P-DDRCS) was received by Vice-Governor Isidore Kabwe Longo in Kalemie, Tanganyika Province.
The delegation was led by Ms. Gilliam Sheehan, head of the PBF mission, alongside Professor Jean de Dieu Désiré Ntanga Ntita, National Coordinator of the P-DDRCS. Their visit marked a pivotal engagement to assess the implementation of peace-building efforts and reinforce long-term collaboration in support of the government-led reintegration and local development agenda. This visit comes at a defining moment as the DRC transitions from a humanitarian emergency toward a nationally anchored development model, where state leadership, local needs, and durable peace converge.
Speaking during the audience, Ms. Sheehan emphasized the dual objective of the mission: to evaluate progress made on the ground and to consolidate the PBF’s technical and financial support to the P-DDRCS, particularly in regions that remain vulnerable yet vital to the national stabilization strategy. “The PBF is committed to supporting peacebuilding initiatives that are locally driven, results-oriented, and institutionally sustainable,” she stated.
For Vice-Governor Kabwe Longo, the visit was an opportunity to reaffirm the provincial government’s full commitment to supporting all ongoing projects. He stressed that in a province still deeply affected by the aftermath of armed conflict and massive internal displacement, socioeconomic recovery and reintegration are not optional — they are urgent and shared imperatives.
Professor Ntanga Ntita, speaking on behalf of the P-DDRCS, underscored the importance of the trust placed in the P-DDRCS, the only DDRCS coordination body across the DRC national territory. He highlighted that beyond operational results, this meeting sent a powerful signal of institutional cohesion, national leadership, and strategic maturity in managing international partnerships. « The DRC is now demonstrating its capacity to define, own, and lead its peacebuilding agenda, » he said. The visit reinforced a shared conviction: that effective peace consolidation requires coordinated, multi-level governance, harmonized with national strategies, and backed by development-oriented interventions.
In a fragile yet hopeful post-conflict context, such high-level coordination between national, provincial, and international actors serves as a foundation of credibility and a catalyst for sustainable impact. It paves the way for deeper engagement, greater alignment with national priorities, and lasting resilience among affected communities.
P-DDRCS Communications Unit
