Kinshasa, September 30th, 2025 (CPA).– The national disaster risk management policy (2025-2050) for the Democratic Republic of Congo has been presented as a strategic lever for placing resilience at the heart of public action, according to a document consulted by the CPA on Tuesday by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC. “The national disaster risk management policy that the DRC is preparing to adopt is not limited to a technical framework. It is a real instrument of transformation, a strategic lever for placing resilience at the heart of public action,” the document states.
According to Bruno Lemarquis, UN humanitarian coordinator in the DRC and deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general, quoted in the document, the adoption of this framework is a turning point for the country in terms of disaster risk. He stated in the same document that this policy, which is aligned with regional and international commitments, aims to integrate risk management into every plan, every project, and every public decision. “This policy goes further, proposing a management approach in line with the decentralization approach, placing governors and territorial administrators at the head of governance structures at the provincial and territorial levels,” said the statement from the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in the DRC. The same source said that this policy is also a vehicle for peace, because preventing risks means preventing conflicts and strengthening the bond of trust between the state and its citizens. It affirms that protecting populations is a national priority, adding that it means investing public resources and international aid wisely—not to put out fires, but to prevent them and thus build a future.
Prevention is not a luxury
Furthermore, the resident coordinator of the UN system in the DRC stated in his press release that prevention is not a luxury, but a strategic investment. It is also a factor in saving lives, preserving schools, hospitals, roads, and crops, enabling children to learn, families to stay together, and communities to live with dignity, even in the face of uncertainty. “It is also a way to redirect national and international budgetary resources toward sustainable solutions,” the source emphasized. The document states that this policy paves the way for catalytic and innovative partnerships, particularly with the parametric insurance approach, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), green climate funds, loss and damage funds, and the resilience mechanisms of the World Bank and the IMF.