On the eve of the Paris Conference, NGOs urge the International Community to take action for the Great Lakes region

The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are facing one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world. Today, as humanitarian needs continue to grow, the underfunding of the humanitarian response and the obstacles to humanitarian access are leaving millions of people without life-saving assistance and further shrinking humanitarian space. This crisis goes beyond the immediate emergency, it also stems from the gradual collapse of essential services (health, water, education, electricity, food), on which the survival and dignity of the population depend.

In eastern DRC, the intensification of conflicts since January 2025 has significantly increased humanitarian needs, resulting in more than 2.1 million new internally displaced persons, including about one million children, bringing the total to 5.71 million, 90% of whom are in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri. These displacements, often repeated and forced, have undermined people’s ability to access livelihoods, weakening their food security, health, and resilience. These displacements are accompanied by protection risks, notably characterized by gender-based violence and violations of children’s rights.
These displacement and protection dynamics also affect neighboring countries in the Great Lakes region, requiring stronger cross-border humanitarian coordination.

We call on the international community, donors, and policymakers to seize the opportunity offered by the International Conference for Peace and Prosperity in the Great Lakes Region to:

• Strengthen attention to urgent humanitarian needs;
• Ensure safe and unhindered access to humanitarian aid, particularly in eastern DRC;
• Renew their commitment to humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law, and the protection of civilians as well as humanitarian and health personnel;
• Support efforts to coordinate and localize the humanitarian response for greater effectiveness;
• Increase and coordinate humanitarian response funding in the DRC, by providing, notably to local civil society actors, additional flexible funding adapted to needs in an ever-changing context. These resources must address the essential and growing needs of the population while ensuring the implementation of sustainable solutions through the mobilization of development donors.

Signatories :

Action Contre la Faim, CONAFOHD-RDC (Conseil National des Fora d’ONG Humanitaires et de Développement en RDC), Coordination SUD, FONGI (Forum des ONGI RDC), Handicap International – Humanity & Inclusion, Médecins du Monde International Network, Oxfam, Première Urgence Internationale, Save the Children, Solidarités International, War Child Alliance Foundation, World Vision.