The United States Institute of Peace hosted a workshop titled “Leveraging International Support to Build Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo” on March 18, 2010 from 9:30am to 3:30pm at the USIP headquarters, 1200 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. This workshop built on USIP’s October 2009 Trans-Atlantic Diaspora Dialogue, which outlined concrete steps that diaspora communities could take to help prevent conflict and promote peace in the DRC. These include providing input for U.S.-DRC policy and program development in Washington, D.C., participating in economic development and capacity-building initiatives, and supporting anti-corruption efforts at every level. The workshop featured two panels: the first comprising representatives from U.S. government departments (e.g. Health and Human Services, Defense and the Treasury) and the second with representatives from development agencies (e.g. the World Bank, International Finance Corporation and USAID). This workshop aimed to inform members of the diaspora and other stakeholders of ongoing development assistance programs in the DRC, provide a forum for a frank exchange of ideas and identify avenues for more effective diaspora involvement in peacebuilding.

9:30am Opening Remarks

• Vice President, USIP

10:00am Panel 1: U.S. government programs

• Health and Human Services Department representative
• Defense Department representative
• Treasury Department representative

12:00pm Lunch Break

12:30pm Lunchtime Speaker

1:30pm Panel 2: Development Programs

• USAID representative
• World Bank representative
• International Finance Corporation representative

3:30pm Closing Remarks