government has prioritized the development of the national strategy structured around the
strengthening of the capacity of the provinces and ETDs to take charge of their
responsibilities in order to find suitable solutions to each type of housing and environment,
reorganization of the sub-sector in accordance with the laws on decentralization and the
promotion of hygienic latrines, waste management systems (liquid, solid and gaseous), fight
against disease vectors and pollution as well as education, information and communication
for behavioural change. This is how systems for the collection, transportation and handling
of solid waste (including controlled dumping) are being sited in the main towns of the
country. In the city of Kinshasa, for example, the communes have sorting points for domestic
waste to be sent to a treatment centre (CET) operated in the east of the city with the support
of the European Union.
304. Concerning the education of the population, the DRC waged a campaign on the
popularization of the articles of Law No. 11/009 of 9 July, 2011 on the fundamental
principles on the protection of the environment. In fact, in order to ensure the sustainable
management and protection of the environment, the Government’s policy consisted in
strengthening the institutional mechanisms to combat all forms of pollution through the
sanitization of the environment and improvement in the standard of living, in accordance
with international Conventions and Treaties. Several of the following specific actions are
being implemented: (i) consideration of the gender dimension in the management of
renewable natural resources; (ii) improvement in management capacity through
educative measures, training, research and institutional consolidation; (iii)
organization of sensitization and educational campaigns on the human environment
for the population in order to stimulate behavioural change, and (iv) active
involvement of all stakeholders, particularly the ministries, sectoral public
departments, civil society and the private sector.
RIGHT TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO
PROPERTY OWNERSHIP AS WELL AS ACCESS TO LAND AND CREDIT (Art. 19)
305. Concerning the right to sustainable development, including the right to property ownership
as well as access to land and credit, the country has put in place laws among which mention
can be made of the following:
Law No. 11/022 of 24 December, 2011 on the fundamental principles relating to
agriculture: Article 8.
Law No. 73-021 of 20 J u l y , 1973 on the general regulations, land and real
estate regulations as well as the collateral regulations, as amended and
complemented by Law No. 80-008 of 18 July, 1980.
Articles 9 and 10, Section 2 of the law on parity between men and women: the
State shall guarantee the right to private initiative by women and encourage
access to savings, credit and the various opportunities new technologies without
gender-based discrimination…” and “the State shall take all measures to
eliminate any harmful practice militating against the rights of women with regard
to access to ownership, management, administration, use and disposal of
assets…”
Law No. 11-020 of 15 September, 2011 setting the rules on micro finance in the
DRC; Articles 9 and 10.
306. Since 2000, the human development index has continued to improve from 0.274 in 2000
to 0.414 in 2013, with an average annual growth of 3.24% and a gradual improvement
in the living conditions of the people. However, the social context is still worrying
with a poverty rate of 61.3% which is characterized by huge disparities in income
levels between individuals and between the urban and rural areas.
.
307. To combat poverty which mainly affects women and to provide the population with
sustainable development, including the right to property as well as access to land and credit,
the Government has formulated projects and strategies which include the following:
Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRSP 2);
Agricultural governance, gender as well as human and institutional capacity
strengthening;
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