The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, signed into law yesterday by President Obama, has been making news because of all the things left out of it, including billions of dollars in cuts to expensive weapons systems. But for those of concerned with the role of conflict minerals financing armed groups and military units in eastern Congo, tucked away in this law is a modest but crucial step forward. Thanks to an amendment by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), section 1252 (search for "mineral-rich zones sec. 1252") of the legislation calls for the State and Defense Departments to work together to "produce a map of mineral-rich zones and areas under the control of armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo." The U.S. government is tasked to work with U.N. and NGO experts to produce the map and keep it regularly updated.
The idea of a mapping exercise to better monitor who controls key mines in eastern Congo is not new. The U.N. Group of Experts, tasked with monitoring Congo's arms embargo, included mapping of mines as a key recommendation in its 2008 report, which was then taken up by the Belgian research group IPIS. They published an online map of militarized mining sites based upon field research they conducted in conjunction with a number of Congolese organizations this past summer. The vast technical resources and know-how of the State and Defense Departments will certainly augment such efforts. Because the context in eastern Congo remains so fluid, a map that shows which armed groups control which mines at a static point in time will only be so useful, but increasing the transparency of the trade is a crucial precondition for excluding rights abusers from the supply chain and helping to shift the market for minerals toward legitimate sources.
RHFC HITS THE RED CARPET AT THE HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL
This past Saturday, nearly 200 people came out for the Hollywood Film Festival's first human rights symposium, co-hosted by the Enough Project, which focused on ending violence against women in eastern Congo. A screening of Lisa Jackson's The Greatest Silence was followed by a panel discussion featuring actor and activist Emile Hirsch, Enough's John Prendergast, and the Global Fund for Women's Muadi Mukenge.
Left to Right: Emile Hirsch, Sonya Walger, John Prendergast
The event was closed out by actress and advocate Sonya Walger and YouTube's Steve Grove, who presented an award to Matthew Smith of Bend, Oregon, the winner of the COME CLEAN 4 CONGO contest. Smith later got to walk to the red carpet and attend the Hollywood Film Festival Gala, featuring Steven Spielberg, Charlize Theron and many other Hollywood stars.
Special thanks to HFF founder and Executive Director Carlos de Abreu for making these events possible!
CC4C winner Matthew Smith.
ACTRESS NICOLE KIDMAN ADVOCATES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT
Actress and UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman testifies before a House committee. (AP)
The House Foreign Affairs Committee held an open hearing called "International Violence Against Women: Stories and Solutions" last week. Actress and UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman testified before the Committee on the need for action in eastern Congo. Kidman called upon the United States government to continue its work to eliminate violence against women on both a domestic and international level. Find out more here. The hearing transcript and webcast are available here.
RHFC SPEAKERS' TOUR GOES CROSS COUNTRY
This past month, the RHFC campaign traveled to Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL, and Lewis & Clark in Portland, OR, to raise awareness about the crisis in eastern Congo and engage students in the campaign for peace. RHFC's Candice Knezevic was joined by a range of speakers, including Penn State Professor Lee Ann De Reus, Poet and Congolese advocate Omekongo Dibinga, HEAL Africa's Judy Anderson, Run for Congo Women's Lisa Shannon, and Congolese advocate Francesca Thelin.
Students listen to the experiences of the panelists at Lewis and Clark College.
If you're interested in hosting the speakers' tour on your campus, learn more and apply here.
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: THE GEORGES MALAIKA FOUNDATION
On Tuesday, October 27, our partner, the Georges Malaika foundation, hosted a ceremony to celebrate the laying of the foundation stone for the Georges Malaika School in Katanga, in Kalebuka, DRC. The event was held with the presence of local officials, university students, members of the press, and representatives of the 16 girls sponsored.
Architects from Studio MDA and builders of Forrest Gump lay down the bricks for phase 1
To help the Georges Malaika Foundation with materials for the school, donate here.
Read about the recent hearing on international violence against women and Nicole Kidman's testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee here.
How many internally displaced people are there in eastern DRC? Find out here.
More about Congo in the News...
Enough's Colin Thomas-Jensen talks about reforming a predatory army and creating lasting stability in eastern Congo here.
Read this article about the breakdown of the health infrastructure and the growing number of disabled children in eastern Congo.
November 6 - 9: The Genocide Intervention Network's (GI-NET) student-led division, STAND, in collaboration with core partners Save Darfur Coalition and The Enough Project, will bring together a powerful network of 1,000 students, community leaders and activists from across the country to Capitol Hill for Pledge2Protect: a conference designed to educate, empower, and highlight the work of activists who are driving the movement to prevent and stop genocide and mass atrocities. Click here to register and learn more.
November 9, 7:30 PM: From Obie Award-winning playwright Lynn Nottage comes a free staged reading of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner, Ruined, a haunting, probing work about the resilience of the human spirit during times of war. The reading will be followed with a panel discussion featuring the playwright, journalist Chou Chou Namegabe, and The Enough Project's John Prendergast. For more details, click here.
Highlights...
Journalist and Author Kevin Sites Spotlights Eastern Congo
At its first DC-based fundraiser, RHFC raised $1000 for ABFEK. Now, journalist and author Kevin Sites wants to match that amount. Read more here.
In War Zones, Rape is a Powerful Weapon
Listen to NPR's podcast on efforts to combat sexual violence in eastern Congo and the need for women's participation in conflict mediation and peacekeeping missions.
Rape Rampant in DR Congo War
Al Jazeera reports on rape from the town of Goma in NOrth Kivu. Watch the video here.
Behind the Scenes: Suffering, Writ Large
Check out photos from the photography exhibition "Congo/Women," currently on view at the U.N. here.
Reliving Rebel Life
Look at BBC World's slideshow on the Lord's Resistance Army presence in northern Congo.
Take Action!
Urge your Senators to cosponsor the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009. Click here to e-mail your Senators automatically, or call them by dialing the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking for your Senators' office.
Urge your friends to RAISE Hope for Congo! Help us grow the movement here.
Sign the facebook petition: Stop the killings in Congo
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, 
.JPG){kind=small}
