However, conflict in the DRC has continued. Table 1 shows the Act’s 15 U.S. policy objectives for the DRC, linked to the  five categories of assistance—humanitarian, social development,  economic and natural resource management, governance, and security. In fiscal years 2006 and 2007, about 70  percent of U.S. funding for the DRC was allocated for programs that would  support the Act’s emergency humanitarian and social development  objectives and about 30 percent was allocated for programs and activities  that would support the Act’s economic, governance, and security  objectives (see fig. Seven U.S. agencies—USDA, DOD, HHS, DOL, State, Treasury, and  USAID—allocated about $217.9 million and $181.5 million for aid to the  DRC in fiscal years 2006 and 2007, respectively, with State and USAID  providing the majority of these funds (see fig. Humanitarian. Economic and natural resource management. These challenges include (1) an unstable security environment,  (2) weak governance and widespread corruption, (3) mismanagement of  natural resources, and (4) lack of basic infrastructure. Further, weak governance  and corruption in the DRC have hindered efforts to reform the security  sector and hold human rights violators accountable. Further, mismanagement of the DRC’s  natural resources has fueled continued conflict and corruption. Moreover, the DRC’s lack of basic infrastructure  has hindered progress in humanitarian, developmental, and governance  programs. U.S. Efforts to Assess Overall Progress toward Achieving the Act’s Policy Objectives

Although U.S. agencies monitor their efforts in the DRC, the U.S.  government has not established a process to assess overall progress  toward achieving the Act’s policy objectives in the DRC. The lack of a governmentwide process for assessing its overall progress in  the DRC limits the U.S. government’s ability to ensure that it has allocated  its resources in the most effective manner. To ensure a basis for informed decisions  regarding U.S. allocations for assistance in the DRC as well as any needed  bilateral or multilateral actions, we recommended in December 2007 that  the Secretary of State, through the Director of Foreign Assistance, work  with the heads of the other U.S. agencies implementing programs and  activities in the DRC to develop a plan for systematically assessing the  extent to which the U.S. government as a whole is making progress in  achieving the Act’s policy objectives. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

For our December 2007 report, we identified (1) U.S. programs and  activities that support the objectives of the DRC Relief, Security, and  Democracy Promotion Act of 2006 (the Act), (2) major challenges  hindering accomplishment of these objectives, and (3) U.S. efforts to  assess progress toward accomplishing these objectives. To identify U.S. programs and activities that support the Act’s objectives,  we analyzed policy, planning, budget, and programming documents  describing U.S. policies and programs in the DRC provided by key U.S.  agencies—the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), Labor  (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), State, and the Treasury; the  Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); and the U.S. Agency for  International Development (USAID). We also met with representatives from each  of these agencies, the National Security Council (NSC), nongovernmental  organizations (NGO), and other organizations with expertise on DRC- related issues.
Why GAO Did This Study

During the last decade, conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)--one of the world's poorest countries--led directly or indirectly to the deaths of an estimated 5.4 million Congolese. A U.S.-supported peace process began in 2001, and the country's first democratically elected president in 40 years was inaugurated in 2006. However, conflict in the country has continued. In enacting the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006 (the Act), Congress established 15 U.S. policy objectives that address humanitarian, social development, economic and natural resource management, governance, and security concerns in the DRC. The Act mandated that GAO review U.S. programs in the DRC that support these policy objectives. In this testimony, based on its December 2007 report, GAO identifies (1) U.S. programs and activities that support the Act's objectives, (2) major challenges hindering the accomplishment of the objectives. For its report, GAO obtained and analyzed program documents for seven U.S. agencies--the Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Defense (DOD), Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL), State, and the Treasury and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). GAO also met with officials of these agencies and nongovernmental organizations (NGO) active in the DRC.

What GAO Found

In fiscal years 2006 and 2007, respectively, seven agencies allocated a total of about $217.9 million and $181.5 million for the DRC. About 70 percent of these funds supported the Act's humanitarian and social development objectives and about 30 percent supported its economic and natural resource management, governance, and security objectives. Agencies' programs and activities included, for example, USAID's provision of emergency supplies, food, and water and sanitation improvements to vulnerable populations; Treasury's provision of interim debt relief; and State's provision of training and other assistance for professionalizing members of the DRC's military. Several major, interrelated challenges--an unstable security environment, weak governance, mismanagement of natural resources, and lack of basic infrastructure--have impeded efforts to achieve the Act's policy objectives. For instance, weak and abusive DRC security forces have worsened humanitarian and social problems, forcing U.S. and NGO staff to curtail some efforts. At the same time, corruption and other governance problems have impeded efforts to reform the security sector and hold human rights violators accountable. Meanwhile, mismanagement of natural resources has fueled continued conflict and corruption, and a lack of basic infrastructure has hindered progress in humanitarian, developmental, and governance programs. The U.S. government has not established a process to assess overall progress toward the Act's policy objectives. As a result, it cannot be assured that it has allocated U.S. resources in the most effective manner. In its December 2007 report, GAO recommended that the Secretary of State work with the heads of the other agencies implementing programs in the DRC to develop a plan for systematically assessing the U.S. government's overall progress in achieving the Act's policy objectives. State agreed with GAO's recommendation.