Kinshasa, July 12th, 2026 (CPA). – An Arria-formula meeting focusing on the links between armed conflicts, the plundering of natural resources and peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is scheduled for Monday at the United Nations Security Council, offering victims a direct platform before the world’s major powers, CPA learnt Sunday from an official source. Organized under the DRC’s rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of July, the meeting, to be chaired by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba, will bring together independent experts, civil society representatives and victims of violence in the eastern part of the country, who will present their testimonies and analyses directly to members of the Security Council. Through this initiative, Kinshasa intends to draw the attention of the world’s leading powers to the human, security and environmental consequences of Rwanda’s aggression, carried out with its M23 proxies, as well as the illicit exploitation of natural resources in conflict-affected territories. The meeting is expected to highlight the massacres of civilians, forced displacement of populations, conflict-related sexual violence and the looting of strategic minerals, which the Congolese authorities describe as one of the main factors prolonging insecurity in eastern DRC. Unlike formal Security Council meetings, the Arria-formula provides an informal setting that encourages more open exchanges with external participants.
The Congolese authorities consider it an appropriate platform to raise issues deemed difficult to address during formal debates and to provide Security Council members with first-hand insight into the realities of the conflict. According to Kinshasa, dismantling networks involved in the illegal exploitation of natural resources is an essential prerequisite for achieving lasting peace, protecting civilian populations and stabilizing the Great Lakes region.
DRC’s UN Security Council presidency serving diplomatic priorities
Thérèse Kayikwamba, at the United Nations General Assembly
Since July 1st, the DRC has been holding the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, a responsibility it intends to use to advance several diplomatic priorities, including natural resource governance, the fight against conflict-related sexual violence, civilian protection and stronger efforts to combat impunity. On July 8th, a high-level meeting dedicated to the « Women, Peace and Security » agenda was chaired by Prime Minister Judith Suminwa. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege, for his part, called on the presidency to help advance transitional justice mechanisms and strengthen sanctions against perpetrators of human rights violations. Created in 1992, the Arria-formula is an informal working mechanism of the United Nations Security Council.
It enables Council members to hear from experts, non-governmental organizations, civil society representatives and victims in order to inform their deliberations on issues relating to international peace and security.