UNITED NATIONS: Despite diplomatic progress aimed at ending the brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Pakistan told the UN Security Council that continued violence, humanitarian pressures and internal displacement in the country’s east underscored the urgency of restoring peace and stability on the ground.

“The situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo remains fragile and deeply concerning,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said during a debate in  the 15-member Council on the situation in DRC and wider Great Lakes region.

“We reiterate the need for full implementation of resolution 2773 and stress that progress toward a durable ceasefire remains essential for stabilizing the region and creating space for a political solution,” he added.

Tensions have been high between ethnically aligned armed groups in parts of the region for decades, punctuated by the horrific killing of nearly a million people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.  More recently, in 2022, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 armed group’s intervention on Congolese soil.  A peace agreement — known as the Washington Accords — was brokered in June 2025 and endorsed by the Council in resolution 2803 (2025), though fighting continues.

In his remarks, the Pakistani envoy welcomed the sustained diplomatic engagement in support of de-escalation, including efforts under the African Union-led mediation, the Washington process and the Doha Framework.

“These initiatives, together with the good offices of the United Nations and regional organizations, represent important and mutually reinforcing pathways toward restoring trust between the parties and advancing a comprehensive settlement.”

Ambassador Asim Ahmad also takes note of progress toward the operationalizing ceasefire oversight and verification arrangements and supports MONUSCO, the UN peace-keeping force,  playing a constructive role in ceasefire implementation, once conditions permit.

The Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, a 2013 agreement signed in Addis Ababa to end the persistent violence in eastern DRC, continues to provide a comprehensive platform for addressing the root causes of instability in the Great Lakes region, with its commitments relating to dialogue, cooperation and confidence-building remaining essential for advancing regional stability.

“The illicit exploitation and trafficking of critical natural resources also remains a structural driver of instability in eastern DRC,”  the Pakistani envoy said, adding it requires strengthened regional cooperation, transparency in supply chains and effective implementation of existing regional mechanisms  to ensure that natural resources become a source of shared prosperity, and not conflict and chaos for the people.

In conclusion, Ambassador Asim Ahmad  reaffirmed  Pakistan’s  strong support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and  Islamabad’  commitment to advancing lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region.

Earlier,  Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN-Women told the Security Council, “Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will only be secured when women are treated not as collateral victims and their bodies as spoils of war, but as empowered agents of stability, accountability and peace.”

Describing the opportunities for women’s leadership in the Great Lakes region as “unique and transformative”, she said countries of the region already have some of the highest percentages of women’s representation in politics in the world.  However, the region’s security now hinges on ending violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  “Without safety, women cannot lead, and without their leadership, peace and recovery efforts fail,” she stressed.

Against that backdrop, Ms. Bahous asked the Council to redouble its support for women’s equal representation in peacemaking and for the work of women-led civil society organizations.  She also urged members to protect funding for MONUSCO, whose work supports local women and includes crucial protection for women human rights defenders.

Huang Xia, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, outlined the various diplomatic initiatives focused on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Those included the signing of the Washington Accords in December 2025, the resumption of negotiations in Washington in March and the resumption of the Doha Framework talks aimed at defusing the violence perpetrated by the M23 militia.

Despite those efforts, he said “the violence has taken on a new dimension” marked by the increasing use of advanced military technology, drone attacks and GPS jamming.  Human displacement is widespread, food insecurity is rising and there has been an increase in sexual violence.  “This is compounded by a worrisome rise in hate speech and identity-based polarization,” he said, warning that the conflict could exacerbate tensions between countries in the region.

Indeed, he said, a persistent sense of mistrust among countries demonstrates the need to address the root causes of the conflict.  The Council should lend its full support to regional talks led by Togo, as the African Union’s mediator, including at the financial and technical levels.

Appealing directly to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and all relevant actors to resume “frank dialogue”, he cautioned:  “No resolution, no mediation, no verification mechanism can succeed unless the parties directly concerned choose the path of peace.”