Introduction 1. This report is submitted in accordance with Article 62 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights read in conjunction with Article 26 of the Protocol to the Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa, and in accordance with the new guidelines of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The latter recommends to State Parties to, henceforth, submit their periodic reports in two parts: Part A on the implementation of the Charter and Part B on the implementation of the Protocol. 2. With regard to Part A, the Democratic Republic of Congo is pleased to present its combined report covering the period from 2008 to 2015 (11th, 12th and 13th periodic reports). This part was prepared by the Interministerial Committee responsible for drafting the country’s reports on the implementation of international legal instruments. This Committee is presided over by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and it comprises several sector ministries and some civil society organizations, in particular, those ones working in the human rights sector (ONGDH). 3. The preparation of Part A of this report took into consideration the final recommendations of the African Union Commission made following the preceding Combined Report contained in its document with reference No. ACHPR/RDC/8, 9, 10th Rep/744/03.010 of 3 December 2010. The drafting of this part is also meant to inform the Commission about progress achieved in implementing the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights since the last report and also about the difficulties encountered as well as future plans relating to the implementation of this Charter in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 4. In Part B, the Democratic Republic of Congo presents its combined initial report with the periodic reports dating from 2005 to 2015, and reaffirms its willingness to comply with its commitments to the ACHPR and to maintain constructive dialogue with the latter on legislative, administrative and other measures taken to give effect to the rights of women guaranteed by the Protocol, and to the obligations stipulated in the aforementioned Protocol. 5. The pieces of information presented in this second part of the report were collected and collated under the direction of the Ministry of Women, Family and Children’s Affairs within the framework of a participatory and inclusive process involving experts from policy and democratic-support institutions, in particular from the Presidency of the Republic, Parliament (Senate and National Assembly), the National Human Rights Commission, the Higher Audiovisual and Communication Council, the Independent National Electoral Commission, experts from sector ministries, especially from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Interior and Security and the Ministry of Decentralization and Customary Affairs, the Ministries of Defence, Planning, Women, Family and Children’s Affairs, Public Health, Social Affairs, Primary and Secondary Education , Higher and Tertiary Education, Labour, Employment and Social Welfare, Economy, Agriculture and Rural Development, Environment etc., as well as civil society organizations including women’s associations and human rights organizations. This process is comprehensively developed in Part B of this State Report. Part A: Implementation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights General Background 6. The preparation of this report comes against the general background characterized on the political, security, economic and social fronts by the following issues: 7. On the political and security front, the country’s situation is marked by the government’s political will to continue with efforts aimed at restoring peace all over the country, particularly in the East.These efforts are broken down into several actions carried out under the direction of the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) both at the diplomatic, political and military levels. Indeed, to improve the security situation in the eastern part of the country, the government resorted to both diplomacy and the use of force. Thus, in February 2013, a framework agreement was signed in Addis Ababa with the Heads of State of the sub-region and representatives of the United Nations in order to return to peace in the Great Lakes region, especially in the East of the DRC. At the end of this agreement, 4