DRCNDF General Assembly

Revitalizing Governance and Climate Action: The 2025 DRC-NDF General Assembly

The Democratic Republic of Congo Nile Basin Discourse Forum (DRC-NDF) marked a pivotal moment in its organizational history on November 24, 2025. Meeting in Butembo, the Ordinary and Elective General Assembly (GA) convened to evaluate past performance, navigate complex regional challenges, and install a new leadership team dedicated to environmental stewardship.

A Hybrid Gathering Amidst Regional Challenges

Despite the volatile security context in eastern DRC, the Assembly demonstrated resilience through a hybrid format. A total of 68 participants engaged in the proceedings:

Physical Attendance: 50 members gathered in Butembo.
Virtual Attendance: 18 participants joined from Bunia (Ituri Province) via digital platforms, as insecurity made road travel impossible.

The assembly showed strong demographic diversity, featuring 43 women and 25 men, with 33 youth representatives playing an active role in the discussions.

Evaluation of the 2021–2025 Term

Under the guidance of outgoing President Mrs. Kakule Katungu Thérèse, the GA assessed the previous term’s progress. The report highlighted a mix of historic breakthroughs and persistent obstacles.

Diplomatic Success: The Nile Basin CFA

The crowning achievement of the outgoing management was the DRC’s leadership in water diplomacy. Under the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the DRC accelerated the ratification of the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). In February 2024, the DRC became the sixth nation to deposit its instruments of ratification, joining Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi. This move was the “critical threshold” needed to officially establish the Nile River Basin Commission (NRBC).

Key Challenges and Failures

Security and Health: Ongoing volatility and health crises hindered field operations.
Funding Gaps: Environmental awareness campaigns and scientific research stalled due to a lack of resources.
Member Contributions: Economic hardships led to a discontinuation of annual contributions from many of the 112 member organizations.

Strategic Directions for 2026-2028

To address these hurdles, the Assembly adopted several vital resolutions:

Mandatory Environmentalism: Every member organization is now obligated to create nurseries and promote tree-planting awareness.
Financial Advocacy: The forum will intensify advocacy toward the World Bank and the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) to secure direct funding for member-led projects.
Data-Driven Research: A restructuring of the research unit is planned to design more effective data collection tools for environmental monitoring.

A New Era of Leadership

The GA concluded with a democratic secret ballot to elect a Steering Committee for a three-year mandate. A significant milestone was reached with the election of the forum’s first female President.