Hadja Lahbib continues her working visit to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after a one-on-one with her Congolese counterpart, Christophe Lutundula. Her schedule revolves around the Congolese Parliament. According to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "the meeting will highlight the importance of women's participation in political life and will address the challenges of gender equality in Belgium and the DRC. The event will also be an opportunity to review a project, supported by Belgium, aimed at promoting women's participation in the electoral process in the DRC through coaching activities, advocacy, and sharing of experiences."

After her time at the Congolese hemicycle, the Belgian diplomat will have a working session with the Representative in Congo of the UN Secretary-General, Ms. Bintou Keita. The two officials will discuss the work of MONUSCO and the implementation of the mission's drawdown plan, as well as the general situation in the East of the DRC.

Also on the agenda for this Wednesday, the head of Belgian diplomacy will meet with the newly appointed Prime Minister by the President of the Republic, Judith Suminwa Tuluka, to whom she also intends to extend her warm congratulations for her appointment as the first woman to lead the next Congolese Government.

Her day will conclude with a meeting with the participants in the project resulting from the "Métis" Resolution. A delegation of 20 métis will take the same flight as the minister on April 10th for a four-day visit to Belgium. In line with the goals of the resolution, this project is intended to acknowledge the history of métis born during colonization, to listen to their expectations, and to consider together future opportunities.

"The DRC occupies a preeminent place in Belgian foreign policy. Because of their shared history, Belgium and the DRC have rich and close relations, both between the official Belgian and Congolese institutions and between the citizens of the two countries. This cooperation is evident in economic, political, social, cultural, and military fields, among others. The DRC is also the main partner country of Belgian development cooperation and one of the main beneficiaries of humanitarian aid funded by Belgium," the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Gisèle Mbuyi