At the head of a large delegation composed of members of the central government and those of her office, the head of gender matters was greeted in Goma late at night by Madame Aurélie Nziwoue, head of the ONU-WOMEN/Goma office and Mr. Julien Nkuba, Head of the Office of Cooperation and Partnership of the Provincial Division of Gender, North Kivu.

“We have just landed in Goma with a 16-member delegation from the government and 16 members from my Cabinet. We wanted to be here in Goma to share in their grief and to strengthen our sisters. A woman is a cultivator, a woman is one who moves forward. We want this unity of women's production to move forward and for the war to stop, to allow the women of Goma, Sake, Masisi, and Ituri to move forward. We are here to consolidate our strength, because as they say, in consolidating, unity is strength. The mothers from Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, the mothers from Kasumbalesa, those from central Kongo, the mothers from Kwilu, Kikwit, the mothers of Equateur, North Ubangi, South Ubangi, and Oriental Province, all mothers are behind the head of state. All mothers want peace, in a spirit of parity, especially since the constitution of the Republic allows every Congolese, male or female, to feel free wherever they are, and development begins at the base, and the base is the land, the base is the soil, the base is the subsoil. Thus, we want peace and development to allow for the overall development of the DRC,” stated Mireille Masangu Bibi Muloko.

As a result, the official launch ceremony of International Women's Day is held under the national theme: "Increasing the necessary resources for women and girls in peace for a gender-equal Congo" and under the international theme "Investing in favor of women: accelerating the pace."

The national minister of gender, family, and child calls on all women to align behind the President of the Republic Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo to preserve and consolidate peace, safety, and development in the DRC not only in the provinces of North and South Kivu, victims of war, but also across the entire Republic.

As a reminder, the celebration of this March 8th takes place in a somber mood. All women and men will dress in black, to sympathize with the population of the East. Thanksgiving masses are organized across the entire Republic, following the call made by the Minister of Gender, Family, and Child.

GT