INTRODUCTION
On March 30-31, 2008 the Congo Global Action Coalition in cooperation with the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will hold a conference to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Triggered by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the complex crisis in the Congo has claimed the lives of 5.4 million people since 1998.
The Congo Global Action Coalition is a joint project of humanitarian, human rights, diaspora, student, environmental and faith-based organizations who advocate for the Democratic Republic of Congo and work to increase international support for peace, stability and economic justice for the Congolese people.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is a living memorial to the Holocaust, which inspires leaders and citizens to confront hatred, prevent genocide, promote human dignity, and strengthen democracy. It has been monitoring the crisis in the Congo since 2003.
AGENDA
SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2008
2:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Conference Registration and Self-guided tours of the Museums' Permanent Exhibit
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Opening Program
Read English Transcript »
Read French Transcript »
Dr. Dennis Mukwege Mukengere
Director, Panzi Hospital, DRC
Zainab Salbi
Founder, Women for Women International
Omekongo Dibinga
Spoken Word Artist
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Q&A and Discussion
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Reception
MONDAY, MARCH 31, 2008
Read Transcript »
9:30 a.m.
Introduction and Welcome
Sara Bloomfield
Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
9:35 – 9:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks
Fr. Rocco Puopolo
Director, African Faith and Justice Network / Congo Global Action Coalition
9:45 – 11:00 a.m.
DRC 101: Current Issues in the Congo
Moderator:
Bridget Conley-Zilkic
USHMM
Panelists:
Gayle Smith
Center for American Progress and ENOUGH!
Zainab Salbi
Women for Women International
Archbishop Francois Maroy
Archbishop of Bukavu, DRC
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Workshop Block I
Lunch Session 1
Panel B: “Exploring Gender Based Violence in the Congo”
Moderator:
Dr. Patricia Morris
Women for Women International
Panelists:
Denis Mukwege Mukengere
Panzi Hospital, Bukavu, DRC
Karin Wachter
International Rescue Committee
Anneke van Woudenberg
Human Rights Watch
Maryam Elahi
Open Society Institute
Panel C: “What Children Hear: Children as victims of war and economic realities in the DRC”
Moderator:
Rory Anderson
World Vision
Panelists:
Monique Misenga
Department of Women and Families for the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa
Murhabazi Namegabe
Office of Voluntary Service for Children and Health, DRC
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Workshop Block II
Lunch Session 2
Panel D: “National Resource Exploitation and Conflict”
Moderator:
Akwe Amosu
Open Society Institute
Panelists:
Rev. Ferdinand Muhigirwa
Centre d'Etudes Pour l'Action Sociale (CEPAS)
Marie Mossi
Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l'Homme
Peter Rosenblum
Columbia University
Marc-Olivier Herman
Broederlijk Delen, Fatal Transactions
Panel E: “Post Conflict Nation Stabilization and Governance Concerns”
Moderator:
Tony Gambino
Great Lakes Policy Forum
Panelists:
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Howard Wolpe
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Mark Schneider
International Crisis Group
1:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Workshop Block III
Lunch Session 3
Panel B: “Exploring Gender Based Violence in the Congo”
Moderator:
Dr. Patricia Morris
Women for Women International
Panelists:
Denis Mukwege Mukengere
Panzi Hospital, Bukavu, DRC
Karin Wachter
International Rescue Committee
Anneke van Woudenberg
Human Rights Watch
Maryam Elahi
Open Society Institute
Panel C: “What Children Hear: Children as victims of war and economic realities in the DRC”
Moderator:
Rory Anderson
World Vision
Panelists:
Monique Misenga
Department of Women and Families for the Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa
Murhabazi Namegabe
Office of Voluntary Service for Children and Health, DRC
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Workshop Block IV
Panel D: “National Resource Exploitation and Conflict”
Moderator:
TBA
Panelists:
Rev. Ferdinand Muhigirwa
Centre d'Etudes Pour l'Action Sociale (CEPAS)
Marie Mossi
Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l'Homme
Peter Rosenblum
Columbia University
Marc-Olivier Herman
Broederlijk Delen, Fatal Transactions
Panel E: “Post Conflict Nation Stabilization and Governance Concerns”
Moderator:
Tony Gambino
Great Lakes Policy Forum
Panelists:
Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Howard Wolpe
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Mark Schneider
International Crisis Group
4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
Essential Tools for Building a Constituency for Congo
Media Training and Blogging for Action
Michael Graham
USHMM
Timothy Lash
International Rescue Committee
Roxanne Lawson
Trans Africa Forum
Constituency Building: From Grassroots to Grasstops
Lisa Shannon
Run for Congo Women
Cory Smith
ENOUGH!
5:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Closing Program
Read Transcript »
Margit Meissner
Holocaust Survivor
