Democratic Republic of Congo urges full implementation of gender parity law

On the International Day of African Women, the Democratic Republic of Congo held a ceremony at the National Museum in Kinshasa under the theme “Women, Peace, Parity”. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka highlighted that, twenty years after the constitutional inclusion of gender parity, the law still needs effective application. She said, “Les droits des femmes ne constituent ni une faveur ni une concession. Ils sont une exigence de justice et un fondement de notre démocratie.”

Government officials, including Minister of Communication Patrick Muyaya Katembwe and representatives of the Salama Women’s Institute and the Cadre permanent de concertation de la femme congolaise (Cafco), called for more women in decision‑making positions. Awards were presented to prominent women activists for their contributions to gender equality.

The event called for concrete steps to translate the legal commitment to parity into real representation of women in political and institutional bodies.