Beyond Humanitarianism in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Since August 2008, renewed violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) North Kivu province has created a humanitarian catastrophe by displacing more than 250,000, killing scores of innocent civilians, disrupting aid efforts and destroying critical infrastructure. The crisis was precipitated by a host of factors, including: continued concerns about the influence of Hutu extremists in the region, weak governance and competition for access to the region's vast mineral wealth. The 31^st October high-level consultative meeting (involving representatives from the African Union, UN agencies, the United States, South Africa, France, the UK, Sweden and Belgium) sought, among other things, to forestall a looming humanitarian disaster. This event will assess the efficacy and sustainability of ongoing humanitarian efforts and examine options for a more robust approach.