Security Council resolution 2612 (2021) [on extension of the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) until 20 Dec. 2022]
Symbol: S/RES/2612 (2021)
Date: 2021-12-20
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/76 [104] UN ORGANIZATION STABILIZATION MISSION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
S/76 [102] DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SITUATION
S/ X The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Subjects: UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|UN. Group of Experts Established pursuant to Resolution 1533 (2004)|Framework for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region (2013)|Charter of the United Nations (1945). Chapter VII|PEACEBUILDING|HUMAN RIGHTS IN ARMED CONFLICTS|PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|INTERNAL SECURITY|PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS|DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO|DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SITUATION
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: ESTONIA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: INDIA
vote: yes
country: IRELAND
vote: yes
country: KENYA
vote: yes
country: MEXICO
vote: yes
country: NIGER
vote: yes
country: NORWAY
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
vote: yes
country: TUNISIA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes
country: VIET NAM
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                       S/RES/2612 (2021)
               Security Council                                                     Distr.: General
                                                                                    20 December 2021




               Resolution 2612 (2021)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 8936th meeting, on
               20 December 2021

                    The Security Council,
                    Recalling its previous resolutions and the statements of its President concerning
               the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially its resolutions 2582 (2021),
               2556 (2020), 2528 (2020), 2502 (2019), 2478 (2019), 2463 (2019), 2424 (2018), 2409
               (2018), 2389 (2017), and previous resolutions regarding the mandate of MONUSCO
               and the sanctions regime established by resolutions 1493 (2003) and 1807 (2008),
                     Reaffirming the basic principles of peacekeeping, including consent of the
               parties, impartiality, and non-use of force, except in self-defence and defence of the
               mandate, and recognising that the mandate of each peace-keeping mission is specific
               to the need and situation of the country concerned,
                     Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and
               territorial integrity of the DRC as well as all States in the region and emphasising the
               need to respect fully the principles of non-interference, good-neighbourliness and
               regional cooperation,
                    Recalling that the Government of the DRC bears the primary responsibility to
               protect civilians within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction, including protection
               from crimes against humanity and war crimes,
                     Noting that the DRC continues to suffer from recurring and evolving cycles of
               conflict and persistent violence by foreign and domestic armed groups, which
               exacerbate a deeply concerning security, human rights and humanitarian crisis, as
               well as inter-communal and militia violence in areas of the DRC, expressing concern
               over reported links between certain armed groups and terrorist networks in eastern
               DRC and emphasising that such links may further exacerbate conflicts and contribute
               to undermining State authority,
                     Recognising the efforts of the Government and the people of the DRC aiming at
               the achievement of peace and national development, further recognising the efforts
               of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the United Nations Organization
               Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in addressing the threat posed by
               armed groups in the DRC, encouraging the continuation of efforts by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, his special envoy for the Great Lakes, the African
               Union (AU), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the
               Southern African Development Community (SADC) and signatory States of the Peace




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               and Security (PSC) Framework for the DRC and the region to restore peace and
               security in the DRC, and encouraging the Government of the DRC to ensure
               continuous close cooperation with these and other international parties,
                     Recognising the importance of confidence-building, facilitation, mediation,
               good offices, and community engagement to achieve peace and security in the DRC,
               and the need for MONUSCO, as appropriate and when possible, to use these
               techniques to enhance its ability to support the Mission’s protection, its information
               gathering and situational awareness, and to implement its mandated tasks, including
               to protect civilians,
                     Reaffirming the important role of women and youth in the prevention,
               management and resolution of conflicts, as well as in peacebuilding and electoral
               processes, stressing the importance of their full, equal, effective and meaningful
               participation in all efforts for the maintenance of and promotion of peace and security
               in the DRC,
                     Expressing great concern over the humanitarian situation that has left an
               estimated 27 million Congolese in need of humanitarian assistance, further expressing
               deep concern regarding the growing number of internally displaced persons in the
               DRC with more than 5 million estimated to have been displaced to date, and the
               515,000 refugees in the DRC, as well as the more than 998,000 refugees from the
               DRC in Africa as a result of ongoing hostilities, encouraging member States to
               commit to a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and
               supporting refugees in the DRC in line with the Comprehensive Refugee Response
               Framework, further calling upon the DRC and all States in the region to work towards
               a peaceful environment conducive to the realization of durable solutions for refugees
               and internally displaced persons, including their voluntary, safe and dignified return
               and reintegration in the DRC, with the support of the United Nations Country Team
               (UNCT), stressing that any such solution should be in line with relevant obligations
               under international refugee law, international humanitarian law and international
               human rights law, and commending United Nations humanitarian agencies, partners,
               and donors for their efforts to provide urgent and coordinated support to the
               population, calling on member States and other international partners to scale up
               funding and contribute to the United Nations humanitarian appeals for the DRC and
               the region to help ensure that United Nations humanitarian agencies and other
               international organizations are fully funded and able to urgently respond to the
               humanitarian needs in the country, including by addressing the protection and
               assistance needs of refugees, internally displaced persons, all survivors of sexual and
               gender-based violence, and other vulnerable communities,
                    Recalling the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance,
                     Recalling resolution 2532 (2020) and resolution 2565 (2021) demanding a
               general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations on the Council’s
               agenda, as well as calling upon all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately
               in a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days, in order to enable
               the safe, timely, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance
               consistent with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and
               independence,
                     Commending MONUSCO for the preventive measures taken to fight the
               COVID-19 pandemic and recalling its request to the Secretary-General to instruct
               peace-keeping operations to provide support, within their mandates and capacities, to
               host country authorities in their efforts to contain the pandemic, in particular to
               facilitate humanitarian access, including to internally displaced persons and refugees
               camps and allow for medical evacuations, as well as its request to the Secretary -
               General and Member States to take all appropriate steps to protect the safety, security

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           and health of all UN personnel in UN peace operations, while maintaining the
           continuity of operations, and to take further steps towards the provision of training
           for peacekeeping personnel on issues related to preventing the spread of COVID-19,
                 Recalling all its relevant resolutions on women, peace and security, on youth,
           peace and security, on children and armed conflict, and on the protection of civilians
           in armed conflict, welcoming efforts of the Government of the DRC in this regard,
           further welcoming efforts by the Government of the DRC to implement resolution
           1325 (2000), also recalling the conclusions on children and armed conflict in the DRC
           adopted on 10 December 2020 by the Security Council Working Group on Children
           and Armed Conflict pertaining to the parties in armed conflicts of the DRC,
           expressing grave concern over the high number of violations against children, in
           particular sexual and gender-based violence being committed by security forces,
           further calling on all actors to contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of
           children formerly associated with armed groups and forces,
                 Welcoming the efforts of MONUSCO and international partners in delivering
           training in human rights, international humanitarian law, gender mainstreaming, child
           protection and protection from sexual and gender-based violence to Congolese
           security institutions and underlining their importance,
                 Recognising the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes, natural
           disasters, and lack of energy access, among other factors, on the stability of the DRC,
           including through increasingly frequent and extreme weather phenomena, flooding,
           forest fires, erratic precipitation, volcanic eruptions and food insecurity, welcoming
           the leadership of the DRC in the development of national strategies to address these
           issues and in the preservation of the Congo basin forest,
                 Commending the commitment of the Troops and Police Contributing Countries
           (T/PCCs) in implementing the Mission’s mandate in a challenging environment,
           recalling its expectations on delivering on mandated reforms and enhancements to
           MONUSCO, highlighting the importance of effective command and control, respect
           for the chain of command, adequate equipment and information in order for timely
           and effective responses to attacks on civilians,
                 Reiterating its call on all parties to cooperate fully with MONUSCO and to
           remain committed to the full and objective implementation of the Mission’s mandate,
           reiterating its condemnation of any and all attacks against peacekeepers, and
           emphasising that those responsible for such attacks must be held accountable, and
           encouraging all parties to work together to enhance the safety and security of
           MONUSCO’s personnel, including in line with resolution 2518 (2020) and to ensure
           that all peacekeepers in the field are willing, capable and equipped to effectively and
           safely implement their mandate,
                Welcoming the increased collaboration of the Congolese authorities with
           MONUSCO and with States in the region and stressing the importance of
           coordination and information sharing, including with MONUSCO, in the context of
           ongoing military operations in eastern DRC,
                Reiterating the importance of adequately resourcing United Nations peace
           operations during mission transitions to support the long-term stability and continuity
           of peacebuilding activities, and recalling resolution 2594 (2021) on United Nations
           peace operations transitions in this regard,
                 Determining that the situation in the DRC continues to constitute a threat to
           international peace and security in the region,




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                    Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

               Political situation
                     1.   Welcomes the efforts of Government of the DRC to respond to the needs
               of the Congolese people above the pursuit of partisan interests and strongly urges all
               Congolese political stakeholders to spare no efforts in implementing the critical
               governance, security and economic reforms contained in the Government’s
               programme of action 2021–2023, reiterates the importance of delivering on President
               Tshisekedi and his government’s commitments to pursue national unity, strengthen
               the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the respect of freedom of
               opinion and expression, freedom of the press and the right of peaceful assembl y, fight
               against corruption, launch domestic development programmes to significantly reduce
               poverty, and further political inclusiveness and peacebuilding and encourages
               MONUSCO to continue to support, through its good offices, peaceful, transparent,
               inclusive and credible political processes;
                     2.    Welcomes the efforts of President Tshisekedi and his government towards
               reconciliation and peace and stability in the DRC and to promote regional cooperation
               and integration, notes that political stability and security as well as increased State
               presence in areas of conflict are critical for sustainable peace in the DRC, calls upon
               the DRC authorities to work towards the stabilisation and strengthening of the
               capacity of State institutions particularly in areas of conflict, with the support of
               MONUSCO and the UNCT, in order to fulfil the rights and needs of all Congolese
               people, further calls upon all political stakeholders to work, with the support of
               MONUSCO’s good offices, toward peaceful, transparent, inclusive and credible
               processes for the presidential and legislative elections scheduled in 2023 as well as
               for future elections, in accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral law, and to
               ensure the full, equal, effective and meaningful participation of wom en at all stages;
                     3.    Requests the Secretary-General and calls upon regional organisations to
               provide political support to the strengthening of State institutions in the DRC and the
               restoration of trust among the different parties, including through their good offices,
               in order to consolidate peace and security, tackle the root causes of conflict in priority
               areas, as well as foster a broad national consensus around key governance and security
               reforms, the fight against illegal exploitations of natural resources, and support to
               current reform and other electoral processes, in line with the government of DRC’s
               national priorities, and welcomes the active diplomacy of President Tshisekedi as
               Chairperson of the African Union and his continued efforts with States in the region
               to build good relations with neighbouring countries and advance peace, security and
               regional integration;

               Human Rights
                     4.   Welcomes the commitments and actions of President Tshisekedi towards
               ensuring that the Government of the DRC protects and respects human rights and
               fundamental freedoms, as well as to combat impunity in all areas, further welcomes
               the steps initiated by the Government of the DRC towards the establishment of a
               national transitional justice strategy to promote truth and reconciliation while
               ensuring accountability for past crimes, reparation for victims and safeguards against
               the reoccurrence of past human rights violations, calls upon the Government of the
               DRC to uphold these commitments, and further calls on the Government of the DRC
               to ensure that the state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu, as part of its further efforts
               to eliminate the threat of armed groups and to restore State authority, is assessed on
               a regular basis, responsive to progress in achieving its clearly defined objectives and
               implemented with full respect for international human rights law and international
               humanitarian law;

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                 5.    Remains however deeply concerned by high levels of violations and abuses
           of human rights and violations of international huma nitarian law in parts of the
           country, committed by all parties, as well as the persistently high level of violence
           and the intensification of intercommunal violence fuelled by hate speech, including
           through social media platforms, and recognises their deleterious effect on the
           stabilisation, community reconciliation, reconstruction and development efforts in the
           DRC, recalls in that regard that it is prepared to impose targeted sanctions under
           paragraph 7 (d) and (e) of its resolution 2293 (2016), regarding inter alia human rights
           violations or abuses or violations of international humanitarian law;
                 6.    Urges the Government of the DRC to hold accountable those responsible
           for violations of international humanitarian law or violations and abuses of human
           rights, as applicable, including those involving targeted attacks against civilians,
           widespread sexual and gender-based violence, recruitment and use of children, the
           forced displacement of significant numbers of civilians, extrajudicial executions and
           arbitrary arrests, and in particular those that may amount to genocide, war crimes and
           crimes against humanity, and stresses both regional cooperation and the DRC’s
           cooperation with the International Criminal Court following the DRC’s referral of the
           situation in the DRC in 2004, as well as cooperation with the African Court of Human
           and People’s Rights;
                  7.   Welcomes the cooperation of the Government of the DRC with the team of
           international experts on the situation in the Kasai regions mandated by the Human
           Rights Council in its resolution 45/34, recognises the improvements in the
           cooperation since President Tshisekedi’s election, requests the Government of the
           DRC to implement all the recommendations made by the team of international experts
           in its report, and to cooperate with the team of two international human rights experts,
           charged with monitoring, evaluating, providing support and reporting on the
           implementation by the DRC of those recommendations, further welcomes the
           Government of the DRC’s continued cooperation with the United Nations team
           deployed, as agreed, to assist the Congolese authorities investigations into the deaths
           of the two UN experts in March 2017, and calls on them to ensure all perpetrators are
           brought to justice and held accountable;
                 8.    Welcomes the steps taken by President Tshisekedi and his government to
           hold security forces accountable for violations of human rights and fight impunity
           within their ranks, release political prisoners, and close irregular detention centres, as
           well as to investigate and prosecute violations of human rights by State agents, further
           welcomes investigations by the Congolese authorities on any disproportionate use of
           force by security forces on peaceful protesters and calls on the Congolese authorities
           to ensure that those responsible for these acts are brought to justice, calls upon the
           Government of the DRC to facilitate, in line with previous agreements, full and
           unhindered access for the Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC (UNJHRO) to all
           detention centres, hospitals and morgues and all other premises required for
           documenting human rights violations, as applicable, stresses the need for the
           Government of the DRC to continue to ensure the increased professionalism of its
           security forces, including vetting, training and capacity building of security personnel
           to fully respect domestic and international human rights law, as well as international
           humanitarian law, and underlines the importance of observing the rule of law;
                 9.    Strongly condemns sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations
           perpetrated by all parties in the DRC, welcomes efforts made by the Government of
           the DRC to combat and prevent sexual violence in conflict and post -conflict
           situations, including progress made in the fight against impunity through the arrest,
           prosecution and conviction of perpetrators from the FARDC and the PNC and towards
           the establishment of a national reparation fund for victims and survivors, and urges
           the Government of the DRC to continue to strengthen its efforts to combat impunity

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               for sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations, including sexual violence
               committed by the FARDC and PNC at all levels, and to provide all necessary services
               and protection to survivors, victims and witnesses, and further calls upon the
               Government of the DRC to complete investigations into allegations of sexual
               exploitation and abuse by members of the FARDC in line with the its zero-tolerance
               policy and, as appropriate, to prosecute those responsible, further encourages the
               government to take all measures to continue to support the provision of medical,
               sexual and reproductive health, psychosocial, mental health, legal and socioeconomic
               services to survivors of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations to
               facilitate their reintegration into their communities and to provide all necessary
               services, including legal, and protection to survivors;
                     10. Encourages the Government of the DRC to implement in full its National
               Strategy and the Roadmap agreed during the national conference in Kinshasa fro m
               11–13 October 2016 to evaluate the implementation of the Joint Communiqué
               between the Government of the DRC and the United Nations on the Fight Against
               Sexual Violence in Conflict adopted in Kinshasa on 30 March 2013 and its addendum
               signed in 2019, and to ensure adequate funding is allocated to the implementation of
               these commitments, encourages further progress by the FARDC in implementing the
               action plan against sexual violence and in implementing the recently signed plan of
               the PNC, and recalls the importance of cooperation with the SRSG for Sexual
               Violence in Conflict;
                     11. Welcomes the progress made by the Government of the DRC to consolidate
               the gains of the Action Plan to End and Prevent the Recruitment and Use of Children
               and expedite its implementation, including aspects of the plan related to sexual
               violence against children, and to take all necessary steps to end and prevent all
               violations and abuses against children, and to ensure that children are not detained
               for their alleged association with armed groups and are handed over to child
               protection actors, in line with the Ministry of Defence and the National Intelligence
               Agency Directives issued in 2013, and calls upon the Government of the DRC to
               continue its efforts, in particular by prosecuting perpetrators within security forces
               for child recruitment and use and by ensuring that perpetrators of all violations and
               abuses are held accountable, and recalls the importance of cooperating with the SRSG
               for Children and Armed Conflict;

               Armed Groups
                     12. Strongly condemns all armed groups operating in the DRC and their
               violations of international humanitarian law as well as other applicable international
               law, and abuses of human rights, reiterates its condemnation of the violence witnessed
               in the DRC including a renewed surge in attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces
               (ADF), especially those involving attacks on the civilian population, United Nations
               and associated personnel and humanitarian actors, as well as medical personnel and
               facilities, summary executions and maiming, sexual and gender-based violence and
               recruitment and use of children, abductions of children and humanitarian personnel,
               attacks on schools and civilians connected with schools, including children and
               teachers, and hospitals in violation of applicable international law by armed groups
               and militias, the use of civilians as human shields, the forced displacement of
               significant numbers of civilians, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary arrests, the
               indiscriminate use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) which represents an
               increasing threat to civilians and civilian objects and further reiterates that those
               responsible must be held accountable;
                    13. Demands that all armed groups cease immediately all forms of violence
               and other destabilising activities, the illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural
               resources, and further demands that their members immediately and permanently

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           disband, lay down their arms, reject violence, end and prevent violations perpetrated
           against children and release children from their ranks, recalls in this regard that
           recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in the DRC may lead to sanctions
           under paragraph 7 (d) of resolution 2293 (2016);
                 14. Notes that the elimination of the threat posed by armed groups requires an
           integrated regional approach and strong political engagement by the governments of
           DRC, SADC and the ICGLR to further seize on the positive regional momentum, in
           close coordination with MONUSCO and the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes,
           underscores that there can be no purely military solutions to these problems,
           welcomes the establishment of a Contact and Coordination Group to oversee the
           technical implementation of non-military measures for the neutralisation of foreign
           armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region, bearing in
           mind the need to address the root causes of conflict, including the illicit exploitation
           and trafficking of natural resources and put an end to recurring cycles of violence, as
           outlined in the PSC Framework, reaffirms that the PSC Framework remains an
           essential mechanism to achieve durable peace and stability in the DRC and the Region
           recalls the commitments undertaken by the region under the PSC Framework not to
           tolerate nor provide assistance or support of any kind to armed groups, urges the
           signatory States, with the support of the PSC Framework Guarantors, to strengthen
           their collaboration in addressing appropriately and holistically the threat of all
           remaining foreign armed groups in the DRC and the illicit flow of weapons in the
           region, fully supports the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes
           in fulfilling his mandate to address the remaining challenges in implementation of the
           PSC Framework and to promote peace and stability in the region, including through
           good offices, coordinated strategies and shared information with MONUSCO,
           UNOCA and other UN entities, and stresses the need for coordination and cooperation
           between the Government of the DRC and other national authorities, United Nations
           entities, civil society organisations and development actors to build and sustain peace,
           stabilise, improve the security situation and assist in restoration of State autho rity;
                 15. Calls on the signatory States of the PSC Framework to complete without
           precondition the repatriation of the remaining former M23 combatants, as well as
           other combatants seeking voluntary return to their country of origin, within the
           shortest time frame possible;
                 16. Condemns the continued illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural
           resources, particularly so-called “conflict minerals” like tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold,
           diamonds, cobalt, and coltan, as well as cocoa, charcoal, timber, and wi ldlife, by
           armed groups and criminal networks supporting them, the negative impact of armed
           conflict on protected natural areas, which undermines lasting peace and development
           for the DRC, and encourages the Government of the DRC to strengthen efforts to
           safeguard those areas, calls on member States of ICGLR and regional economic
           communities to jointly fight illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources by
           improving and reinforcing the security around mining regions, seeking
           rapprochement between mining communities, local authorities and security actors to
           resolve conflicts and promote the rights of person belonging to communities around
           mining regions, and encourages them to promote the transparent and lawful
           management of natural resources, including the adoption of government revenue
           targets to finance development, sustainable regulatory and customs frameworks, and
           responsible mineral sourcing supply chain due diligence, and recalls in this regard its
           resolutions 2457 (2019) and 2389 (2017) as well at its presidential statement
           S/PRST/2021/19;
                 17. Notes that drivers behind different armed groups’ activities and militia
           violence are varied, internal and external, and that there is no purely military solution
           to these problems, underlines the need for tailored responses in addressing the threat

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               posed by armed groups, calls on the Government of the DRC to take further action in
               this respect, combining military and non-military approaches in accordance with
               international law, including international humanitarian law and international human
               rights law, and including through tailored Disarmament, Demobilisation and
               Reintegration (DDR) of ex-combatants into civilian life and local peacebuilding
               initiatives which are sensitive to the needs and experiences of women and girls, in
               coordination and with the support of MONUSCO in accordance with its mandate;
                     18. Calls for increased and effective joint operations by the Congolese
               security forces and MONUSCO including its Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), that
               include joint planning and tactical cooperation, in accordance with MONUSCO’s
               mandate and in strict compliance with the United Nations Human Rights Due
               Diligence Policy (HRDDP), to ensure all efforts possible are being made to prevent,
               deter and stop armed groups and stresses the need to carry out all operations, joint or
               unilateral, in strict compliance with international law, including international
               humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable;
                     19. Welcomes the establishment of the Disarmament, Demobilisation,
               Community Recovery and Stabilisation Programme (PDDRC-S) and urges the
               Government of the DRC and its partners, including international financial
               institutions, to urgently provide adequate and timely support for swift and effective
               implementation of the DDR of eligible former combatants, under coordination of the
               PDDRC-S, through tailored, community-based and context specific DDR initiatives
               with sustainable economic alternatives and opportunities in order to effectively attract
               combatants willing to demobilise and transition into a peaceful civilian life, learning
               lessons from previous approaches, and ensuring that accountability for serious human
               rights violations and abuses and international crimes, transitional justice initiatives
               and the protection of children’s rights are an integral part of those processes;
                     20. Welcomes the preliminary commitments and actions taken by President
               Tshisekedi and his government to advance security sector reform (SSR), promote the
               consolidation of State authority, reconciliation, tolerance and democracy, encourages
               the Congolese authorities to continue the troop rotations announced by President
               Tshisekedi, and calls on the Government of the DRC to remain fully committed to
               protecting the civilian population through the swift establishment of professional,
               accountable and sustainable security forces that respect international humanitarian
               law and domestic and international human rights law, the deployment of an
               accountable Congolese civil administration, in particular the police, judiciary, pr ison
               and territorial administration, and the consolidation of rule of law and promotion and
               protection of human rights, further calls upon the Government of the DRC to uphold
               its national commitments to SSR, including by allocating the necessary financial
               resources, and taking into account women’s full, equal, effective and meaningful
               participation and safety, and notes with concern the limited progress in those fields
               essential for the DRC’s stabilisation to date;
                     21. Notes with concern that diversions of arms from national stockpiles
               continue to constitute a source of supply for armed groups in the DRC, calls for
               continued national efforts to address the threat posed by the illicit transfer,
               destabilising accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons, including
               inter alia through ensuring the safe and effective management, storage, monitoring
               and security of their stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, and the fight against
               arms trafficking and diversion, including through capacity building and combating
               impunity, with the continued support of MONUSCO, as appropriate and within
               existing resources, and calls on the Government of the DRC to expand its support to
               the National Commission for Small Arms and Light Weapons Control and Reduction
               of Armed Violence (CNC-ALPC);


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           MONUSCO’s mandate
                22. Decides to extend until 20 December 2022 the mandate of MONUSCO in
           the DRC, including, on an exceptional basis and without creating a precedent or any
           prejudice to the agreed principles of peacekeeping, its Intervention Brigade;
                 23. Decides that MONUSCO’s authorised troop ceiling will comprise 13,500
           military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 591 police personnel,
           and 1,050 personnel of formed police units, and continues to agree to a temporary
           deployment of up to 360 personnel of formed police units provided they are deployed
           in replacement of military personnel, as proposed by the Secretary-General in his
           report S/2019/905, and invites the Secretariat to consider further reduction of
           MONUSCO’s level of military deployment and area of operations based on the
           positive evolution of the situation on the ground, in particular in the regions where
           the threat posed by armed groups is no longer significant, in line with the joint
           strategy on the progressive and phased drawdown of MONUSCO (S/2020/1041);
                24. Decides that the strategic priorities of MONUSCO are to contribute to the
           following objectives:
                (a)   Protection of civilians, as described in paragraph 29 (i) of this resolution;
                 (b) Support to the stabilisation and strengthening of State institutions in the
           DRC and key governance and security reforms, as described in paragraph 29 (ii) of
           this resolution;
                 25. Stresses that MONUSCO’s mandate should be implemented based on a
           prioritization of tasks established in paragraphs 29 to 39 of this resolution and, in this
           regard, reaffirms that the protection of civilians must be given priority in decisions
           about the use of available capacity and resources;
                 26. Welcomes the UN Strategy for Peace Consolidation, Conflict Prevention
           and Conflict Resolution in the Great Lakes region as well as its Action Plan,
           encourages ownership and political will by the signatory states of the PSC Framework
           for their effective implementation, calls on the United Nations Special Envoy for the
           Great Lakes Region to continue his regional and international engagement to support
           the full implementation of the PSC Framework and urges MONUSCO to work with
           the Office of the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes to seek political solutions to stop
           the cross-border flows of armed combatants, arms and natural resources that threaten
           peace and stability in the DRC, by aligning strategies and conducting information -
           sharing and coordinating their respective reporting;
                27. Authorises MONUSCO, in pursuit of its mandated tasks, to take all
           necessary measures to carry out its mandate and requests the Secretary-General to
           immediately inform the Security Council should MONUSCO fail to do so;
                28. Requests MONUSCO to ensure that any support provided to operations
           conducted by national security forces, including in the form of rations and fuel, should
           be only for joint operations, jointly planned and executed, and subject to appropriate
           oversight and scrutiny, in strict compliance with the United Nations HRDDP,
           including by the United Nations Country Team, failing which that support should be
           suspended;
                 29. Decides that the mandate of MONUSCO shall include the following
           priority tasks, and that all MONUSCO’s tasks should be implemented in a manner
           consistent with respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms:




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          (i)   Protection of civilians
                      (a) Take all necessary measures to ensure effective, timely, dynamic and
                integrated protection of civilians under threat of physical violence within its
                provinces of current deployment, with a specific focus on Ituri, North Kivu and South
                Kivu, including the use of good offices, whilst retaining a capacity to intervene
                elsewhere in case of major deterioration of the situation, through a comprehensive
                approach and in consultation with local communities, including by preventing,
                deterring, and stopping all armed groups and local militias from inflicting violence
                on the populations, by disarming them, and by supporting and undertaking local
                mediation efforts and national level advocacy to prevent escalation of violence and to
                counter hate speech, paying particular attention to civilians gathered in displaced
                persons and refugee camps, peaceful demonstrators, humanitarian personnel and
                human rights defenders, in line with the basic principles of peacekeeping, while
                ensuring the risk to civilians are mitigated before, during and after any military or
                police operation, including by tracking, preventing, minimising and addressing
                civilian harm resulting from the mission’s operations, including when in support of
                national security forces;
                      (b) Maintain a proactive deployment and a mobile, flexible and robust
                posture, including by conducting active patrolling by foot and by vehicle, in particular
                in high risk areas;
                      (c) Work with the Government of the DRC and humanitarian workers to
                identify threats to civilians and implement joint prevention and response plans and
                strengthen civil-military cooperation, to ensure the protection of civilians from abuses
                and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law,
                including all forms of sexual and gender-based violence and violations and abuses
                committed against children and persons with disabilities;
                      (d) Enhance its community engagement with civilians, including by the troops
                and police, to raise awareness and understanding about its mandate and activities, to
                strengthen its early warning mechanism, and to increase its efforts to monitor and
                document violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of
                human rights, and continue and strengthen local community engagement and
                empowerment, as well as strengthening protection of civilians through early warning
                and response, including prevention, as appropriate, to lay out a strategy with the
                government of the DRC containing concrete measures to build trust and
                understanding among the population regarding MONUSCO’s efforts in the DRC and
                to prevent disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining the mission’s credibility
                and hindering its performance, and by ensuring mobility of the mission;
                       (e) in support of the authorities of the DRC, and on the basis of information
                collection and analysis, carry out targeted offensive operations in the DRC to
                neutralise armed groups, to ensure effective, timely, dynamic and integrated
                protection of civilians, and to contribute to the objective of reducing the t hreat posed
                by armed groups to state authority and civilian security in the DRC and to make space
                for stabilisation activities, either unilaterally or jointly with the Congolese security
                forces, through a reconfigured and effective FIB, as determined by th e Force
                Commander, with a view to enabling it to execute its mandate, that includes combat
                units from additional TCCs functioning as quick reaction forces having undergone
                pre-deployment training and verification in accordance with UN standards and with
                appropriate capabilities and equipment, able to cope with asymmetric warfare, which
                falls under the authority, command and control of MONUSCO Force Commander and
                with the support of the whole of MONUSCO, in a robust, highly mobile and versatile
                manner and in strict compliance with international law, including international
                humanitarian law, and with the United Nations HRDDP and in accordance with the

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                  standing operating procedures applicable to persons who are captured or who
                  surrender, and underlines that the entire MONUSCO force, including the Intervention
                  Brigade, must prioritise the implementation of its protection of civilians mandate,
                  including through a mobile, flexible and robust posture;
                        (f) Work with the authorities of the DRC, leveraging the capacities and
                  expertise of the UN Police, MONUSCO and UNCT justice and corrections capacities
                  including the UN Prosecution Support Cell, UNJHRO and other MONUSCO Justice
                  components, and the technical assistance team deployed by OHCHR, to strengthen
                  and support the DRC judicial system in order to investigate and prosecute all those
                  allegedly responsible for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity and
                  violations of international humanitarian law and violations or abuses of human rights
                  in the country, including through cooperation with States of the region and the ICC,
                  following the decision made by the Prosecutor of the ICC in June 2004 to open,
                  following the request of the Government of the DRC, an investigation into alleged
                  crimes committed in the context of armed conflict in the DRC since 2002;
                        (g) Provide good offices, advice and support to the Government of the DRC
                  to promote human rights, in particular civil and political rights, and to fight impunity,
                  including through the implementation of the Government’s “zero tolerance policy”
                  with respect to discipline and human rights and international humanitarian law
                  violations, committed by elements of the security sector, and to engage and facilitate
                  mediation efforts at local level to advance sustainable peace;
                        (h) Strengthen the Mission’s early warning and response mechanisms,
                  including by systematically recording and analysing its rate of response and ensure
                  that risks of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations are included in the
                  Mission’s data collection, threat analysis and early warning system;

           (ii)   Support to stabilisation and the strengthening of State institutions in the DRC,
                  and key governance and security reforms, in order to establish functional,
                  professional, and accountable state institutions, including security and
                  judicial institutions
                  Stabilisation
                       (a) Provide coordination between the Government of the DRC, international
                  partners and United Nations agencies in a targeted, sequenced and coordinated
                  approach to stabilisation informed by up to date conflict analysis, through the
                  implementation of the International Security and Stabilisation Support Strategy
                  (ISSSS) and adoption of a conflict-sensitive approach across the Mission;
                        (b) Provide technical advice to the Government of the DRC in the
                  consolidation of an effective national civilian structure that controls key mining
                  activities and manages in an equitable and productive manner the extraction, value
                  addition, transport, and trade of natural resources in eastern DRC, in coordination
                  with the Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region’s technical assistance efforts;

                  Root causes of conflict
                        (c) Provide good offices and technical support, in coordination with regional
                  and international partners, with a view to furthering reconciliation, democratisation
                  and inclusion, addressing the root causes of conflict and promoting intercommunal
                  and gender-responsive reconciliation and countering hate speech, including through
                  political support and engagement with interlocutors across the political spectrum,
                  including the Government, opposition parties, local authorities, women and civil
                  society;



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                    (d) Provide good offices, advice and assistance to enable the Government of
               the DRC to prevent, mitigate, and resolve intercommunal conflicts through, inter alia,
               mediation and community engagement, by undertaking national and local dialogues
               on community security, local conflict resolution, promotion of justice and
               reconciliation initiatives, and to ensure actions against armed groups are supported
               by civilian and police components as part of consolidated planning which provides a
               comprehensive response to area-based stabilisation efforts;
                     (e) Monitor, report immediately to the Security Council, and follow-up on
               human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law
               to report on restrictions on political space and violence, including in the context of
               the elections, and support the United Nations system in-country to ensure that any
               support provided by the United Nations shall be in strict compliance with the United
               Nations human rights due diligence policy and consistent with international
               humanitarian law and human rights law and refugee law as applicable;

               Security Sector Reform (SSR)
                     (f) Provide good offices and strategic and technical advice to the Government
               of the DRC and play a role in coordinating the support provided by international and
               bilateral partners and the United Nations system, in consultation with the Government
               of DRC, particularly in North and South Kivu and Ituri provinces to:
                    – accelerate national ownership of SSR by the Government of the DRC, including
                      through supporting the development of a common national plan, as well as a
                      clear and comprehensive SSR implementation roadmap including benchmarks
                      and timelines;
                    – encourage inclusive SSR which delivers security and justice to all through
                      independent, accountable and functioning justice and security institutions which
                      take into account women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and safety,
                      underlines in that regard that progress in the fight against impunity is critical
                      for the security forces to no longer be perceived as a threat to civilians;
                    – promote and facilitate military, police, justice and prison sector reforms to
                      enhance the justice and security sector’s accountability, fighting against
                      impunity and operational effectiveness and effectiveness; in that regard, provide
                      expertise, advice and training to the Congolese security forces to strengthen
                      their capacity, in particular through human rights training and through continued
                      implementation of the Integrated Operational Strategy for the Fight Against
                      Insecurity, developed by MONUSCO police, in strict compliance with the
                      United Nations HRDDP;
                    – continue to support, via the United Nations Mine Action Service, the
                      Government of the DRC in enhancing the capacities of the Congolese security
                      forces, including through advice, training and capacity development in weapons
                      and ammunitions management, Counter-IED, Explosive Ordnance Disposal;

               Disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration (DDR)
                     (g) Provide good offices, advice and assistance to the Government of the
               DRC, particularly in North and South Kivu and Ituri provinces in close cooperation
               with the UNCT and international partners, for the implementation of the PDDRC -S
               in accordance with order No. 21/038 of 5 July 2021 and for the DDR of Congolese
               and foreign combatants not suspected of genocide, war crimes, crimes against
               humanity or abuses of human rights, into a peaceful civilian life that can be
               complemented by a Community Violence Reduction (CVR) approach through
               community-based security and stabilisation measures and a flexible disarmament and


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           demobilisation approach, coordinated under the framework of the ISSSS, while
           paying specific attention to the needs of women and children formerly associated with
           armed forces and groups;
                 (h) Coordinate with civil society, donor partners and government officials,
           including local and provincial leaders, to support DDR efforts, especially regarding
           reintegration into civilian life;
                 (i) Provide support to the disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation,
           resettlement and reintegration (DDRRR) process to return and reintegrate foreign
           combatants not suspected of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity or abuses
           of human rights and their dependants to a peaceful civilian life in their country of
           origin, or a receptive third country while paying specific attention to the needs of
           women and children formerly associated with armed forces and groups;
                 (j) Advise and support the DRC authorities in the disposal of weapons and
           ammunitions of disarmed Congolese and foreign combatants in compliance with
           resolution 2424 (2018) as well as applicable international arms control treaties,
           including the Nairobi Protocol of which the DRC is signatory party and the Kinshasa
           Convention;
                 (k) Continue to collaborate with the Government of the DRC to consolidate
           the gains of the Action Plan to Prevent and End the Recruitment and Use of Children
           and expedite its implementation, including on the aspects related to Sexual Violence
           by the FARDC, and continue dialogue with all listed parties to obtain further
           commitments and work towards the development and implementation of action plans
           to prevent and end violations and abuses against children;

           Protection of the United Nations
                30. Ensure the protection of United Nations personnel, facilities, installations
           and equipment and the security and freedom of movement of United Nations and
           associated personnel;

           Child protection
                 31. Requests MONUSCO, with support of the UNCT, to take fully into
           account child protection as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist
           the Government of the DRC in ensuring that the protection of children’s rights is
           taken into account, inter alia, in DDR processes and in SSR as well as during
           interventions leading to the separation of children from armed groups in order to end
           and prevent violations and abuses against children, and acknowledges the crucial role
           of United Nations Child Protection Advisers deployed as a standalone capacity in
           MONUSCO in that regard, requests MONUSCO to continue to ensure the
           effectiveness of the monitoring and reporting mechanisms on children and armed
           conflict;

           Gender, Sexual Violence
                 32. Requests MONUSCO to take fully into account gender considerations as
           a crosscutting issue throughout its mandate and to assist the Government of the DRC
           and other relevant stakeholders in creating a legal, political and socio-economic
           environment conducive to ensuring the full, equal, effective and meaningful
           participation and full involvement and representation of women at all levels, and
           survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, for the maintenance and promotion of
           peace and security, protection of civilians, including by engaging women’s networks
           as partners in protection, support to DDR and SSR efforts, and support to stabilisation
           efforts through, inter alia, the provision of civilian and uniformed gender and women

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               protection advisers and focal points at headquarters and field levels, participation of
               women civil society leaders and organization members with regards to conflict
               prevention and resolution, public institutions and decision-making, requests
               MONUSCO support the government in advancing women’s full, equal and
               meaningful political participation, in particular achieving the 30% constitutional
               quota and further requests enhanced reporting by MONUSCO to the Council on this
               issue;
                     33. Acknowledges the important role of United Nations Women Protection
               Advisers deployed in MONUSCO in supporting the Government of the DRC to
               implement its commitments on addressing sexual violence in conflict and post -
               conflict situations and calls on MONUSCO to ensure they continue to work closely
               with the Government of the DRC at both strategic and operational levels;
                    34. Reiterates the urgent and imperative need to hold accountable all
               perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law, requests MONUSCO to
               accelerate the coordinated implementation of monitoring, analysis and reporting
               arrangements on sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations;

               Humanitarian Access
                     35. Recalls all its relevant resolutions on the protection of humanitarian and
               medical personnel, including resolutions 2439 (2018) and 2286 (2016), and expresses
               serious concern at increased attacks on humanitarian personnel and medical
               personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties, as well as impediments to
               humanitarian access in eastern DRC, demands that all parties allow and facilitate, in
               accordance with relevant provisions of international law and consistent with
               humanitarian principles, the full, safe, immediate and unhindered access of
               humanitarian personnel, equipment and supplies and the timely delivery of
               humanitarian assistance to populations in need, in particular to refugees and internally
               displaced persons, throughout the territory of the DRC, and recalls that individuals
               and entities may be designated by the Security Council Committee established
               pursuant to resolution 1533 (2004) for planning, directing, sponsoring or participating
               in attacks against medical personnel or humanitarian personnel;
                     36. Calls on MONUSCO to strengthen its collaboration with humanitarian
               actors and streamline coordination mechanisms with humanitarian agencies to ensure
               information sharing and an effective response, in line with their respective mandates,
               to protection risks to the population;
                     37. Emphasises the importance of maintaining international support and
               engagement – financially, technically and in-kind – to respond rapidly to infectious
               disease outbreaks and requests all relevant parts of the United Nations System to
               effectively coordinate their activities, in accordance with their mandates and
               responsibilities, in response to Ebola, COVID-19 and other potential outbreaks and
               notes the positive role of MONUSCO in the 2018-2020 eastern DRC Ebola response
               and recognises that Ebola is one of many serious humanitarian and health challenges
               in the DRC that need sustainable solutions, including sustained strengthened
               healthcare systems to contain future epidemics;

               Sanctions regime
                     38. Requests MONUSCO to monitor the implementation of the arms embargo
               as described in paragraph 1 of resolution 2293 (2016) in cooperation with the Group
               of Experts established by resolution 1533 (2004), and in particular observe and report
               on flows of military personnel, arms or related materiel across the eastern border of
               the DRC, including by using, as specified in the letter of the Council dated 22 January
               2013 (S/2013/44), surveillance capabilities provided by unmanned aerial systems,

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           seize, collect, record and dispose of arms or related materiel brought into the DRC in
           violation of the measures imposed by paragraph 1 of resolution 2293 (2016), and
           exchange relevant information with the Group of Experts;
                 39. Expresses its full support to the United Nations Group of Experts
           established by resolution 1533 (2004), calls for enhanced cooperation between all
           States, particularly those in the region, MONUSCO and the Group of Experts,
           requests timely information exchange between MONUSCO and the Group of Experts,
           encourages all parties and all States to ensure cooperation with the Group of Experts
           by individuals and entities within their jurisdiction or under their control and
           reiterates its demand that all parties and all States ensure the safety of its members
           and its support staff, and unhindered and immediate access, in particular to persons,
           documents and sites the Group of Experts deems relevant to the execution of its
           mandate;

           Mission effectiveness
                 40. Recognizes that the effective implementation of peacekeeping mandates is
           the responsibility of all stakeholders and is contingent upon several critical factors,
           including well-defined, realistic, and achievable mandates, political will, leadership,
           performance and accountability at all levels, adequate resources, policy, planning, and
           operational guidelines, and training and equipment;
                 41. Stresses the importance to provide MONUSCO with the necessary
           capacities to fulfil its mandate in a complex security environment that includes
           asymmetric threats to its personnel, requests the Secretary-General, Member States,
           and the Government of DRC to take all appropriate measures to ensure the best level
           possible of safety and security of MONUSCO’s personnel, in line with resolution
           2518 (2020), and principles to guide the COVID-19 vaccination of uniformed
           personnel in-theatre and prior to deployment in line with UN guidelines and best
           practices to improve safety of peacekeepers, recalling as well the Action Plan on
           improving safety and security related to the report on “Improving Security of United
           Nations Peacekeepers, notes with concern the grave risks violations of the Status of
           Forces Agreement can present to the safety and security of United Nations personnel
           serving in peacekeeping operations, and requests the Secretary-General to implement
           the provisions of resolution 2589 (2021) for establishing accountability for crimes
           against peacekeepers;
                 42. Requests the Secretary-General to implement the following activities in
           the planning and conduct of MONUSCO's operations within the limits of the mandate
           and area of operation and in line with existing United Nations guidelines and
           regulations:
              – strengthening the implementation of a mission-wide early warning and response
                strategy, as part of a coordinated approach to information gathering, incident
                tracking and analysis, monitoring, verification, early warning and
                dissemination, and response mechanisms, including response mechanisms to
                threats and attacks against civilians that may involve violations and abuses of
                human rights or violations of international humanitarian law, as well as to
                prepare for further potential attacks on United Nations personnel and facilities,
                and ensure gender-sensitive conflict analysis is mainstreamed across all early
                warning and conflict prevention efforts;
              – encouraging the use of confidence-building, facilitation, mediation, community
                engagement, and strategic communications to support the mission’s protection,
                information gathering, and situational awareness activities;



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                    – prioritising enhanced mission mobility and active patrolling to better execute its
                      mandate in areas of emerging protection risks and emerging threats, including
                      in remote locations, and prioritise deployment of forces with appropriate air and
                      land assets, to support the mission’s protection, information gathering, and
                      situational awareness activities;
                    – improving MONUSCO’s intelligence and analysis capacities, including
                      surveillance and monitoring capacities, within the limits of its mandate;
                    – providing training, knowledge and equipment to counter explosive devices,
                      including enhanced support to troop- and police-contributing countries to
                      deploy the environment specific mine-protected vehicles needed under the
                      current Force requirements;
                    – implementing more effective casualty and medical evacuation procedures,
                      including the Standard Operating Procedure on Decentralized Casualty
                      Evacuation, as well as deploying enhanced medical evacuation capacities;
                    – taking active and effective measures to improve the planning and functioning of
                      MONUSCO’s safety and security facilities and arrangements;
                    – securing long-term rotation schemes for critical capabilities as well as exploring
                      innovative options to promote partnerships between equipment, troop- and
                      police-contributing countries;
                    – ensuring that any support provided to non-United Nations security forces is
                      provided in strict compliance with the HRDDP, including the monitoring and
                      reporting on how support is used and on the implementation of mitigating
                      measures;
                    – prioritising mandated protection activities in decisions about the use of available
                      capacity and resources within the mission, according to resolution 1894 (2009);
                    – strengthening its sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response
                      activities in line with resolution 2467 (2019), including by assisting the parties
                      with activities consistent with resolution 2467 (2019), and by ensuring that risks
                      of sexual and gender-based violence are included in the Mission’s data
                      collection and threat analysis and early warning systems by engaging in an
                      ethical manner with survivors and victims of sexual and gender-based violence,
                      and women’s organizations;
                    – implementing resolution 1325 (2000) and all resolutions addressing women,
                      peace, and security, including by seeking to increase the number of women in
                      MONUSCO in line with resolution 2538 (2020), as well as to ensure the full,
                      equal, and meaningful participation of women in all aspects of operations,
                      including by ensuring safe, enabling and gender-sensitive working
                      environments for women in peacekeeping operations, taking fully into account
                      gender considerations as a crosscutting issue throughout its mandate, and
                      reaffirming the importance of uniformed and civilian gender advisors, gender
                      focal points in all mission components, gender expertise and capacity
                      strengthening in executing the mission mandate in a gender-responsive manner;
                    – taking fully into account child protection as a cross-cutting issue;
                    – implementing youth, peace and security under resolution 2250 (2015), 2419
                      (2018) and 2535 (2020);
                    – implementing peacekeeping performance requirements under resolutions 2378
                      (2017) and 2436 (2018);



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              – implementing the United Nations zero-tolerance policy on serious misconduct,
                sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment, and all actions under
                resolution 2272 (2016), and to report to the Security Council if such cases of
                misconduct occur;
                 43. Reiterates the need to further improve the effectiveness of the Force
           Intervention Brigade to ensure effective, timely, dynamic and integrated protection of
           civilians and the neutralisation of armed groups by, inter alia, completing
           implementation of past assessments to reinvigorate the Intervention Brigade’s
           operational effectiveness, attaching additional staff officers, as deemed appropriate
           by MONUSCO Force Headquarters, and undertaking the action set out in
           paragraph 29 (i) (e) of this resolution;
                 44. Requests the Secretary-General to take all possible steps, including
           through the full use of existing authorities and at his discretion, to maxi mise
           MONUSCO’s operational capacity and ability to discharge its mandate, with a
           specific focus on priority areas, including through enhancing MONUSCO’s
           personnel, mobility assets and capabilities for gathering timely, reliable and
           actionable information on threats to civilians, especially the linkages between armed
           groups and local communities, while continuing to strengthen the performance of the
           Mission;
                 45. Requests MONUSCO to consider the environmental impacts of its
           operations when fulfilling its mandated tasks and, in this context, to manage them as
           appropriate and in accordance with applicable and relevant General Assembly
           resolutions and United Nations rules and regulations;
                 46. Requests troop- and police-contributing countries to implement relevant
           provisions of resolution 2538 (2020) and all other relevant resolutions on reducing
           barriers to and increasing women’s participation at all levels and in all positions in
           peacekeeping, including by ensuring safe, enabling and gender-sensitive working
           environments for women in peacekeeping operations;
                47. Urges troop- and police-contributing countries to continue taking
           appropriate action to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, including vetting of all
           personnel, predeployment and in-mission awareness training, to ensure full
           accountability in cases of such conduct involving their personnel, including through
           timely investigations of all allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by troop - and
           police-contributing countries to hold perpetrators accountable, to repatriate units
           when there is credible evidence of widespread or systemic sexual exploitation and
           abuse by those units, and to report to the United Nations fully and promptly on actions
           undertaken;

           Exit strategy
                 48. Welcomes the Transition plan on the basis of the Joint Strategy on the
           Progressive and Phased Drawdown of MONUSCO endorsed by resolution 2556
           (2020), requests MONUSCO to withdraw from Tanganyika by midand to
           consolidate its footprint in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, the three provinces
           where active conflict persists, while pursuing its work on good offices and
           institutional strengthening at the national level as recommended by the Joint Strategy,
           including the continuation of an early warning and rapid response system, encourages
           the Joint Working Group between the United Nations and the Government of the DRC
           to engage in regular discussions on the implementation of the transition plan and
           progress towards achieving the benchmarks and indicators in liaison with civil society
           and further encourages the United Nations, in collaboration with national and
           international stakeholders to operationalise the humanitarian-development-peace
           triple nexus approach in Tanganyika and the Kasai region;

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                    49. Stresses the importance of a strategic and coherent approach by the United
               Nations, the Government of the DRC, international financial institutions and other
               multilateral and bilateral partners to the mobilisation and use of resources to ensure
               that the conditions are in place for MONUSCO’s responsible and sustainable
               withdrawal and to sustain peacebuilding gains and encourages the international
               community and donors to support the scaling up of the activities and programming of
               the UNCT and other United Nations entities operating in the DRC;
                     50. Calls upon MONUSCO, the UNCT and other United Nations entities
               operating in the DRC to strengthen integration and cooperation to undertake the
               priority collaborative actions identified in the Transition plan and to enable scaled up
               programming by the UNCT in preparation for MONUSCO’s withdrawal, including
               by developing a coherent resource mobilisation strategy;
                     51. Calls upon MONUSCO to work closely with the UNCT to identify ways
               to address gaps in capabilities to prepare for the exit of MONUSCO, underscores the
               need to progressively transfer MONUSCO’s tasks to the Government of the DRC, the
               UNCT and other relevant stakeholders, where appropriate and consistent with
               mandates and resources, in order to enable the responsible and sustainable exit of
               MONUSCO and encourages the Secretary-General where appropriate to discontinue
               tasks related to support to stabilisation and the strengthening of State institutions in
               the DRC, and key governance and security reforms, which can be responsibly and
               sustainably assumed by other stakeholders and to streamline MONUSCO
               accordingly;
                    52. Recognises the role played by Radio Okapi in providing information to
               Congolese population, including local communities while raising awareness and
               understanding about MONUSCO’s mandate and activities and requests MONUSCO
               and relevant partners to explore the available options to sustain Radio Okapi
               programming in the context of MONUSCO’s transition;
                     53. Stresses that MONUSCO’s activities should be conducted in such a
               manner as to facilitate progress towards sustainable and inclusive peace and
               development and address the root causes of conflict, to reduce the threat posed by
               domestic and foreign armed groups to a level that can be managed by the DRC’s
               security forces and enables MONUSCO’s gradual, responsible and sustainable exit,
               based upon progress towards satisfying the benchmarks and indicators set out in the
               Transition plan and taking into consideration the situation on the ground, with a
               particular focus on reduction of the threat to civilians;
                     54. Recognising the progress made by the Government of the DRC and its
               efforts to fulfil its commitments, encourages the government to swiftly address the
               following key issues in order to make the support and technical assistance of
               MONUSCO and other partners more efficient, in particular with regard to priorities
               identified by the government of the DRC and MONUSCO in the Transition Plan:
                     (a) Initiate disciplinary and judicial procedures, in accordance with the DRC
               legislation, against DRC officials who have been found to have engaged in corruption,
               ordered or participated in violence against civilians or engaged in commercial
               relations with armed groups;
                     (b) Initiate appropriate disciplinary and judicial procedures against
               individuals responsible for human rights violations and abuses, including crimes
               against children and sexual and gender-based violence, and work towards eliminating
               human rights violations committed by Congolese security forces;
                     (c) Devise a security sector reform plan with MONUSCO and other
               international and regional partners on ways to strengthen the capacity of national


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           security forces, so that they are able to manage the security situation in areas where
           armed groups are present and active with a view towards transition;
                 (d) Conduct information-sharing with security forces in the region to interdict
           cross-border flows of arms, combatants, and natural resources that threaten peace and
           stability in the DRC;

           Reports by the Secretary-General
                55. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council every three months
           including:
                (i) information on the situation in the DRC, including progress towards the
                strengthening of State institutions, key governance and security reforms;
                (ii) information on the implementation of MONUSCO’s mandate, including
                its protection of civilian tasks, as per the requirements set out in paragraph 46
                of resolution 2463 (2019), as well as on progress made towards consolidating
                the footprint of MONUSCO in the three provinces where active conflict persists
                and the progressive transfer of tasks to the Government of the DRC, the UNCT
                and other relevant stakeholders, cooperation among regional security forces,
                MONUSCO’s performance including on FIB operations, and information on
                police and force generation and the implementation of the measures taken to
                improve MONUSCO’s performance, including to ensure FIB effectiveness as
                outlined in paragraphs 40 to 47;
                (iii) progress towards the realisation of the 18 benchmarks and indicators set
                by the Government and the United Nations in the Transition plan;
                (iv) updates on efforts to adequately resource and on progress on
                implementation of the priority collaborative actions with specialised agencies,
                funds and programmes of the United Nations identified in the Transition plan;
                (v) updates on the progressive transfer of MONUSCO’s tasks to the
                Government of the DRC, the UNCT and other relevant stakeholders, including
                where appropriate on the discontinuation of tasks as requested in paragraph 51;
           and further requests the Secretary-General to include gender analysis in all reports to
           the Security Council;
                56. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council every six
           months, in coordination with the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great
           Lakes Region and the SRSG for the DRC on the implementation of the commitments
           under the PSC Framework and its linkages with the broader security situation in the
           Great Lakes Region;
                57.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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