Sec. 3. Sense of congress
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It is the sense of Congress that— the stability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a strategic priority for the people of the DRC, the continent of Africa, and the United States, and it is in the economic and national security interest of the United States to support accountable, inclusive, and democratic governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo; it is in the United States interest to support additional efforts to end conflicts in eastern DRC, including by seeking to end the Rwandan Government’s support to the M23, the DRC Government’s support to the FDLR, the documented use of child soldiers by armed groups, and the threat posed to the Congolese people from undisciplined elements of the armed forces of the DRC and non-state armed groups;
United States humanitarian assistance remains critical in providing millions of people in the DRC with life-saving aid and alleviating the suffering of people affected by disasters; the United States should use its voice, vote, and influence in the United Nations to ensure that the withdrawal of MONUSCO from the DRC does not create a security vacuum that amplifies the armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC; the United States should identify policy reforms that would support the aspirations of the DRC Government to become eligible for a Millenium Challenge Corporation threshold program; the United States should build on the Africa Gold Advisory issued in June 2023 and encourage enterprises active in the mineral supply chain of gold produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, notably Primera Gold DRC and AuricHub, to ensure that their sourcing practices are in full compliance with national, regional, and international requirements and standards and benefit the Congolese people; the United States should work to ensure enforcement of voluntary and mandatory due diligence mechanisms and safeguards to protect internationally recognized worker rights, support multi stakeholder alliances and industry coalitions, and pursue actions to end human rights violations, environmental degradation, and opaque businesses practices in the DRC’s mining sector, and especially in regard to artisanal mining, the United States should assist and work to ensure that forced labor, including child labor, and other human rights abuses are not practiced; and the current dominant role of the PRC over the extraction, processing and refining of the DRC’s cobalt and certain other critical minerals, coupled with poor governance and illegal exploitation of critical minerals, deprives the DRC of important revenue and added value and has contributed to the lack of adherence to governance, human rights principles, and labor and environmental standards.