Kinshasa, July 14th, 2026 (CPA) – A workshop to discuss a critical analysis of the implementation of the law on fundamental principles relating to environmental protection was held on Tuesday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, fifteen years after its enactment, has reported the CPA.
“Today, by analysing this law together, we aim to create a space for sincere, practical, inclusive and constructive discussion. A critical analysis of its provisions shows that, 15 years after its adoption, the law is struggling to be implemented, for various reasons,” said Maître Félix Lilakako, chair of the board of directors of the NGO “Lawyers for the Environment in Congo” (JUREC).
Mr Lilakako noted that this assessment exercise brought together stakeholders from four sectors – namely mining, telecommunications, hydrocarbons and energy – to conduct an uncompromising review of the strengths and weaknesses of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s environmental legal framework.
During the meeting, discussions centered on the low rate of implementation of measures adopted since 2011. Although the original text was supplemented in 2023 by Ordinance-Law No. 23-007-2023 to incorporate global climate issues and nationally determined contributions (NDCs), effective implementation on the ground remains a major challenge to the DRC’s status as a ‘solution country’.
The NGO JUREC took the opportunity at this conference to present the findings of an independent analysis it had carried out, which highlights the need to clarify the rules in sectors where regulations are currently non-existent or incomplete, in order to ensure the sustainable management of natural resources. As the ultimate aim of this workshop was to identify pragmatic recommendations and concrete courses of action, some seven recommendations were presented by the organizers following the discussions, including the wider dissemination of the law setting out the fundamental principles relating to environmental protection and the establishment of a process to finalize the implementing regulations for the framework law on the environment
Enacted in 2011, the Environmental Protection Act sets out general guidelines to promote the sustainable management of natural resources, prevent risks, combat all forms of pollution and nuisance, and improve people’s quality of life whilst respecting the ecological balance. CPA/