Following a seven-year civil war, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is on a path toward recovery. A constitutional referendum was successfully implemented; free, fair and transparent elections have been held; and those elections have produced a President, a National Assembly, and provincial assemblies. Senators and provincial governments are in place and a decentralization process mandated by the constitution is under way.

Working at national and provincial levels, BRDG-DRC provides long- and short-term consulting and technical assistance, training services, applied research, workshops, conference organization and hosting, logistical support, and commodities to advance the DRC’s political transition. BRDG-DRC also awards and administers grants to nongovernmental organization (NGOs) supporting the peace and transition process and promoting democratic governance through institutional development and civic engagement.

BRDG-DRC’s seven core areas of intervention – political space for reforms, access to information, democracy resource centers, legal reform, decentralization, legislative strengthening, and judicial reform – include the following activities:

Helping to draft legislation and amendments and develop an independent magistrature.

Training national parliamentary staff, provincial assembly members, and NGOs in public hearings.

Providing technical, logistical, and material support to the Political, Administrative and Justice Committee of the National Assembly, the Permanent Commission for the Reform of Congolese Law, and the Economic and Financial Committee of the National Assemby.

Funding media efforts to responsibly analyze and publicize the new government’s reform agenda.

Facilitating public budget hearings to improve transparency and accountability in national and local governments.

Assisting NGOs and NGO networks with strategic planning.

Supporting democracy resource centers to foster engagement in political discourse, access to information, and debate of new laws and reforms.

Providing technical assistance to Bandundu, Katanga, and North Kivu provinces in community development, local government capacity building, and the engagement of civil society organizations – and facilitating decentralization in these provinces.

Supporting the Amani Peace Process in the Eastern DRC through technical assistance to the National Coordinating Unit as well as material and logistical support to the Provincial Development Committees and Kimoka Peace Camp.