04 April 2006

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: "Keep up the good work you are doing," said United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme team during his recent visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He was visiting DRC to examine the progress achieved in the preparations for the country’s first general elections, due on 18 June.

More than 600 UN Volunteers – in addition to the staff of the UN Mission in DRC (MONUC) – are involved in the preparations for the elections. The DRC has the largest UNV contingent deployed anywhere in the world. The UNVs come from Africa and other continents and are involved in different mission activities: child protection, gender equity, human rights respect, reintegration of former combatants, public information, electoral registration and logistical support.

During his visit, the Secretary-General met with the local and international staff of MONUC and interacted with the UNV team. Keeping in mind the hard conditions in the country, Mr. Annan thanked them for the good work and the results achieved. "I know that many of you had to go through hardships and have been exposed to dangers. I would like you to know that I appreciate greatly your devotion," he assured them. He then traveled to the provinces where other UNV teams are supporting the work of MONUC.

The day before, the Secretary-General met journalists during a press conference where he expressed his wish to see ongoing efforts move closer to the objective of having transparent, inclusive elections in Congo.