PEUPLE
TECHNICAL SHEET
NAME : “Promoting the Participation of Indigenous Pygmy Peoples in the Sustainable Management of Land and Natural Resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo” – PEUPLE Project
DATES : January 1st 2021 – December 31st 2023
BUDGET : 380 001 €
WHAT IT’S ABOUT : Promoting the fundamental rights and lifestyles of Pygmy Indigenous Peoples, alongside with their inclusive participation in the sustainable management of lands, territories and natural resources for the protection of the environment.
AREA OF INTERVENTION : Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Equateur and North Kivu Provinces
LOCAL PROJECT PARTNERS : Programme Intégré pour le Développement du Peuple Pygmée au Nord-Kivu (PIDP), Solidarité pour les Femmes Autochtones (SPFA) and the Réseau Ecclésial du Bassin du Congo (REBAC)
FUNDING PARTNERS : Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Secours Catholique – Caritas France and CCFD – Terre Solidaire
OBJECTIVES : 1. Respond to requests from organizations defending Indigenous peoples’ rights to be strengthened in their capacities for action and advocacy with civil society and the authorities ;
2. Coordinate and strengthen initiatives taken by local CSOs to defend the rights of Indigenous peoples in order to encourage their participation in the sustainable management of natural resources ;
3. Provide technical support and encourage greater financial support from European and UN institutional actors for projects aimed at defending the rights of Indigenous populations.
HOW WE INTERVENE : Structural strengthening of partner CSOs, development of their strategic, financial and organizational capacities, their management and their advocacy, exchange of experience, documentation of cases of land expropriation from Indigenous peoples, research and advocacy actions at local, national, European and international level (UN, European Union)
WHY THIS PROJECT ?
Indigenous Pygmy peoples suffer from a lack of representation in the DRC, at a national and provincial level. The very status of “Indigenous people” suffers from a lack of legal and political recognition, although the DRC has ratified several international and regional texts that deal with Indigenous peoples’ rights to land and natural resources.
Therefore, Indigenous Pygmy peoples of the DRC face discrimination and violations of their rights, as well as the dispossession of their ancestral lands.
For a duration of 3 years, the PEUPLE project was built at the request of Congolese organizations in partnership with a consortium of three European organizations specialized in human rights protection, support for capacity building, and advocacy in Europe and the UN.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The PEUPLE project aims to support capacity building for three Congolese civil society organizations – PIDP, SPFA and REBAC – in order to improve the effectiveness of their targeted advocacy actions with relevant Congolese and international institutional decision-makers. The objective is to consolidate the inclusive participation of Indigenous Pygmy populations in the sustainable management of lands, territories and natural resources for the protection of the environment.
By the end of the project, local CSOs in Equateur and North Kivu Provinces will play a decisive role with institutional and non-institutional actors to defend the rights of Indigenous populations and their active participation in the management of lands, territories and natural resources.