On 22–23 September 2026, nearly 90 representatives of local communities, civil society and public institutions gathered in Kinshasa to address a fundamental question: how can the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) make the just transition a vehicle for its own transformation, rather than simply serving the needs of the global energy transition?

The DRC is often described as a “solution country” to the global climate and energy crises. Its globally important forests, vast water and hydropower resources, strategic minerals and extraordinary biodiversity place it at the heart of international efforts to tackle climate change.

Yet Indigenous Peoples and other local communities living in these resource-rich landscapes often see few benefits from their exploitation, while tens of millions of Congolese people still lack access to affordable and sustainable energy.

Against this backdrop, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Monitoring Reforms and Public Action (CORAP), Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) and the Notre Terre Sans Pétrole campaign convened a two-day national roundtable on a just transition in the DRC.

Putting communities at the centre

The meeting marked the launch of a White Paper on the Just Transition in the DRC. Drawing on community experiences, including around oil exploitation and the Inga hydropower project in Kongo Cental province, the report seeks to establish the political, legal and strategic foundations for a national dialogue.

For CORAP Executive Director Emmanuel Musuyu, this means changing how resources are governed, the conditions under which they are exploited, and who ultimately benefits.

Three principles are central to this vision: participation, recognition and redistribution. Communities must have a meaningful say in decisions affecting their lands; their rights, knowledge and practices must be recognised; and revenues and other benefits from natural resources must contribute to local development and improved living conditions.

A “solutions country” must deliver for its own people

A central theme of the discussions was the contradiction between the DRC’s global role and conditions at home. While the country is expected to supply minerals critical to the energy transition and protect forests vital to the global climate, 80-90% of its population still lacks adequate access to modern energy.

“A ‘solution country’ cannot provide solutions to the rest of the world while offering none to its own people,” said CORAP’s Jean Claude Mputu.

Participants stressed that a just transition cannot therefore be reduced to decarbonisation or meeting international demand for minerals. It must expand access to clean and affordable energy, create jobs and local value, and support broader economic transformation.

René Ngongo Mateso, Rapporteur of the Economic and Social Council, emphasised that the DRC’s enormous energy potential and strategic minerals could create major opportunities. The challenge, he argued, is ensuring that these opportunities benefit Congolese people.

Moving beyond fragmented approaches

The DRC already has numerous policies and initiatives covering energy, mining, forests, climate, agriculture, infrastructure and carbon markets. But these areas are often addressed separately, despite being deeply interconnected.

Energy choices shape industrialisation and mining. Infrastructure affects forests and communities. Agriculture depends on energy access and healthy ecosystems. Climate policies can create new economic opportunities, but also new risks for community rights. There have recently been several important land-use planning reforms in the country, but these must be fully implemented.

“We want to see a genuine national just transition strategy that applies across all sectors,” said Musuyu. “Today, each sector tends to organise itself separately. What is missing is coordination and a shared vision.”

Towards a national roadmap

The second day focused on the institutional frameworks needed to turn this ambition into a national strategy. Participation by public authorities, including a representative of the Minister Delegate for the New Climate Economy, provided an important opportunity for dialogue between government and civil society.

Professor Joseph Malasi, representing the ministry, framed the challenge clearly: What transition does the DRC want, who should it serve, how should it be financed, and how can it genuinely improve the lives of local communities and Indigenous Peoples?

The next step will be to consolidate and validate a national roadmap for developing a shared Congolese vision of a just transition, paving the way for an eventual national strategy.

The DRC has the resources to play a pivotal role in the global transition. The challenge now is to ensure those same resources become a foundation for just, inclusive and sustainable development for the people and communities whose lands sustain them.