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Canada-the Democratic Republic of Congo relations

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Bilateral relations

Canada is active in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through diplomacy, international and humanitarian assistance, security support and trade relations. Canada contributes to the development of the DRC through its program of international aid and humanitarian assistance, in close collaboration with civil society and its international partners. Through its support of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), Canada contributes to national and international efforts to ensure stabilization and the building of a lasting peace and thereby the protection of civilians, particularly children, from violence and human rights violations.

In the DRC, Canada is represented by the Embassy of Canada to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first Canadian ambassador was accredited to the DRC in 1962, and the embassy in Kinshasa opened in 1965. The embassy was closed between 1993 and 1997 in protest against the Mobutu regime's human rights violations.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been represented in Canada by an embassy in Ottawa since 1965.

Congolese students in Canada

In 2023, there were 4,020 Congolese studying in Canada.

Trade relations

There are significant Canadian mining investments in the DRC. Trade relations between Canada and the DRC are modest. In 2023, trade between Canada and the DRC totalled $190,4 million.

In 2023, the value of Canadian exports to the DRC reached $23,2 million. Canada exports mostly transport equipment, nuclear reactors, animal products, textiles, machinery and electric appliances, and mineral products.

In 2023, the value of Canadian imports from the DRC totalled $167,2 million. Canada primarily imports metals, wood and nuclear reactors.

In 2022, Canadian direct investment in the DRC amounted to a value of $46 million. There is no data available regarding Congolese direct investment in Canada.

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Development

In accordance with its Feminist International Assistance Policy, Canada is implementing a development program in the DRC that prioritizes 3 pillars:

  1. gender equality and combatting sexual and gender-based violence
  2. health, including sexual and reproductive health and rights
  3. inclusive governance and child protection

The DRC is the sixth-largest recipient of Canadian developement assistance, having received $206.71 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year (April 1 to March 31), of which $143,55 million came from Global Affairs Canada.

A significant portion of the Canadian aid in the DRC is in the form of humanitarian assistance delivered to people affected by conflict and disasters in the DRC. Canada's humanitarian assistance in the DRC helps to provide food, treatment for acute malnutrition, drinking water, hygiene products, sanitation systems, health and protection services (including medical and psychosocial support to survivors of sexual violence), infection prevention and diagnosis services and livelihood support for vulnerable populations.

For more information on development projects involving the DRC, visit Project Browser.

Canada also funds local projects through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives managed by the Canadian embassy in Kinshasa and awards scholarships through the Canadian International Development Scholarships 2030 (BCDI 2030) program.

Operations

Canada is concerned about the ongoing violence (particularly sexual and gender-based violence) and human rights violations in the DRC, especially in the eastern provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri.

In 1998, a rebellion in the Eastern DRC led to a complex conflict involving the Congolese authorities, rebel groups, and several neighbouring countries. The UN Security Council established the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) in 1999 to carry out a variety of tasks related to the Lusaka Ceasefire Agreement. The mission was renamed the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in 2010 in order to reflect significant changes to its mandate, which includes, among other tasks, protecting civilians, humanitarian personnel, and human rights defenders and supporting the strengthening of the DRC's state institutions and key governance and security reforms. Canada supports MONUSCO through deployments of military (Operation CROCODILE) and police (Canadian Police Arrangement (CPA) led by the RCMP and other Canadian police partners. Moreover, a section of Specialized Police Team (SPT) operated in the most needed region to provide advice and investigation on sexual and gender-based violence. In addition to regular funding through its assessed contribution to the UN peacekeeping budget, Canada also provides tactical airlift to certain UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, including MONUSCO (Operation PRESENCE).

Canada is a member of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, which it chaired in 2020. Canada is also a top donor to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, which is very active in the DRC, and announced a contribution of $15 million to the fund in 2021.

Through the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, Canada promotes the rights of women, girls and gender-diverse people, advocates for women’s empowerment and fights to end impunity for perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict related sexual violence. Canadian funding in the DRC helps provide health care, as well as psychosocial and legal services, to victims of sexual and gender-based violence, strengthen key national institutions and support local women's organizations to support the empowerment and rights of women and girls.

Through the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs), Canada supports civil society organizations in the DRC to advance the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and overall peace and security efforts, by strengthening local advocacy targeting the gender-specific root causes of violence. This includes bolstering the promotion of women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, peace processes and peacebuilding.

Partnerships and organizations

To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and the Democratic Republic of Congo work closely in multilateral fora, such as:

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