Summary

The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, visited the Congo from 14 to 24 October 2019.

Since the visit of the previous Special Rapporteur in 2010, the Government of the Congo has adopted a solid legal framework and appointed a number of mechanisms within the Government to protect and promote indigenous peoples’ rights. Indigenous peoples in the Congo are slowly gaining recognition in society, with direct discrimination in some instances receding, but continue to suffer from severe indirect and systemic discrimination. Indigenous peoples live in a markedly worse state of poverty and disempowerment than the Bantu population. Access to health care, education and employment were the major concerns raised by indigenous peoples during the visit, as well as lack of security of tenure and restrictions on their way of life due to encroachment on their traditional lands by private actors, including without their informed consent. The Special Rapporteur did not observe any significant improvement in indigenous peoples’ right to participate in public life. Climate change, in spite of the Congo basin being considered one of the richest areas in terms of biodiversity, has an impact on the way of life of those still dependent on the forest for survival.

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur assesses the progress that has been achieved towards implementing the recommendations made following the 2010 visit and identifies additional challenges affecting indigenous peoples, in particular regarding conservation and climate change.