Democratic Republic of Congo: Trade

Mr. Joyce
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the work of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Government's commission reviewing natural resource contracts in that country.

Meg Munn
Reviewing contracts on the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was necessary to ensure that agreements, signed under previous administrations, allow the Congolese state to receive appropriate revenue from the resources on its territory. We supported the creation of the commission, and have urged the DRC Government to allow it to work independently, and give its recommendations thorough consideration.

There have been some allegations from civil society that the commission's work has not been sufficiently transparent. We have encouraged the commission and the government to be as transparent as possible and await the commission's final report with interest.