DRC: the companies encouraged to integrate the ‘human rights’ into their operations

Kinshasa, August 9^th, 2026 (CPA). – The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) has encouraged on Sunday the companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to integrate the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into their operations, according to a press release. “The OHCHR has encouraged companies to integrate the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into their operations, in particular by carrying out human rights impact assessments (HRIA), establishing accessible grievance mechanisms and conducting meaningful consultations with the communities concerned, in accordance with the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)”, it is read in the UNHRO press release, issued to mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (IDWIP), celebrated on August 9th of each year. For this UN office, the celebration of this day serves as a reminder of the significant progress made in this area in DRC, marked in particular by the adoption of the Act of July 15^th, 2022, on the protection and promotion of the rights of Pygmy indigenous peoples. “(This) reflects the commitment to strengthen the fight against discrimination, social exclusion and inequalities faced by Pygmy indigenous peoples,” the source has emphasised. The UNJHRO has also indicated that this day, celebrated this year under the theme ‘Honouring Indigenous Midwives: Safeguarding Life and Well-being’, highlights the vital role of Indigenous midwives in safeguarding life and maternal and child health, as well as in passing on traditional knowledge relating to the well-being of communities, including in many Indigenous Pygmy communities in DRC. The International Day of Indigenous Peoples is an international day established in 1994 by the UN and observed on August 9th, to celebrate the 350 million people worldwide who are claiming the recognition of their existence, their cultural distinctiveness and their territorial rights.ACP/