evidence: The Democratic Republic of Congo is a true climate "solutions" country with its enormous reserves of green minerals, pristine forests, and a large hydro power capacity. But several building blocks will be necessary to support this vision, such as continued political commitment, well-aligned multi-level governance, clear institutional frameworks, robust laws, policies, and strategies, well-managed oversight and financing, and robust data management, as the new DRC Country Climate Development Report (CCDR) finds. The DRC’s history of conflict and political instability has long hampered economic growth, undermined state capacity, entrenched corruption, and hindered the delivery of basic services to its people. At 234 million hectares, DRC is the largest country by surface area in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of the world’s poorest, with an estimated 95.3 million people and a poverty rate of 62.3%, ranking 178 out of 182 on the 2020 Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index. This is, by far, the most talked about reality of the Congo. At the same time, the country stands ready to punch above its weight and lead in the global climate arena. This strategic vision is strongly supported by the President (who once said "With its forests, water and mineral resources, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a genuine ‘Solution Country’ to the climate crisis") and enshrined in the 2030 National Strategic Development Plan which defines a path for DRC to reach middle-income status by 2035.