Ross Mountain: “Peace doesn’t fall from the sky, one has to work for it

” Kinshasa, 3 November 2009 - Ross Mountain, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC since February 2005, is leaving the mission at the end of the week. Today he held a press conference at MONUC headquarters in Kinshasa, where he said he was optimistic for the future of the country, as the great progress achieved over the past five years was testament to what can be done to overcome the challenges that lie ahead. Mr. Mountain began by saying that he leaves the DR Congo with optimism for the future, as there has been “enormous progress,” with the country leaving war behind and holding the first democratic elections in 2006. “I’m proud of the progress accomplished by the United Nations, the Congolese government and our partners. The elections were the biggest ever undertaken by the UN with the assistance of the Independent Electoral Commission and its president Rev. Malu Malu, which led to a sovereign elected government, and all the democratic institutions of state.” He explained that the first task for a post conflict country like the DRC was the consolidation of peace, reconstruction and development, yet problems remain, and a lot of reforms need to be carried out, in areas such as the security sector and justice. “It’s not an easy task and takes time, but I’ve seen the courage and engagement of the Congolese. There is hope for the future, so that the country’s enormous resources and potential can be developed to benefit its citizens. Peace doesn’t fall from the sky, it’s a long and slow process and one must work hard for it.” Mr. Mountain went on to say that the UN is supporting the government with the STAREC plan of stabilization in the east, which includes the cantoning of soldiers to barracks, the deployment of national police in sensitive zones and the deployment of MONUC Military Operating Bases in remote sensitive areas, to improve the protection mechanisms for the population. Humanitarian operations remain a priority for the UN and its partners, with millions of people in eastern DRC in need of assistance. “Together we have a structure to address these problems, such as the pooled fund, and protection clusters, to address real problems in real time, and over the past five years humanitarian assistance has greatly increased. We have a good humanitarian base, and this support will continue, to assist the local and national authorities in the development of the country,” Mr. Mountain concluded.