The World Bank has suspended disbursements for three projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following the dissolution of the Social Fund of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FSRDC). This decision has caused a lot of ink to flow, but according to the Presidency of the Republic, the Chief of Staff of the Head of State wanted to dispel any misunderstanding.
According to Guylain Nyembo, during a meeting in Kinshasa on May 15, the Congolese authorities and the World Bank Group converged their views on the restructuring of the FSRDC. During this meeting, “the Congolese side reassured the World Bank on the legal motivations of this reform initiated since 2008”, he declared.
At the end of this meeting, the World Bank took note of this restructuring, thus stopping the suspension of disbursements for three projects financed by the IBRD. The two parties will now establish together the terms of the transitional period to calmly continue the operations in progress.
The dissolution of the FSRDC was guided by the concern to comply with the Constitution and the laws of the Republic, according to the Presidency of the Republic. The main mission of the FSRDC is to improve the living conditions of the Congolese population, and the projects supported by the World Bank through this state structure relate to the prevention and response to gender-based violence, stabilization and the recovery of eastern DRC.
The World Bank clarified that the suspension of disbursements for the three projects is temporary, the time for the two parties to define the terms of the transitional period.
In sum, this situation prompted both parties to work together to minimize disruption to project activities and any negative impact on project beneficiaries.