KINSHASA, DRC, MAY 22, 2013–On the first day of an historic joint United Nations/World Bank Group mission to the Great Lakes region, the World Bank Group announced $1 billion in proposed new funding to help countries in the region provide better health and education services, generate more cross-border trade, and fund hydroelectricity projects in support of the Great Lakes peace agreement that was signed by 11 countries in February.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is deeply concerned about renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo between government troops and fighters of the M23 rebel movement.

05/22/2013 17:10 GMT

KINSHASA, May 22, 2013 (AFP) - The UN and World Bank chiefs made a fresh push for peace and development as they arrived Wednesday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the latest bout of fighting has sent thousands fleeing.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim pledged $1 billion in aid for Africa's Great Lakes region while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said "the time for peace" had come in the vast conflict-wracked country.

Highlights

• United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit DRC with stops in Kinshasa and Goma May 22-23, accompanied by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UN Under-Secretary-General & UNFPA Executive Director, Jordan Ryan, Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), Herve Ladsous, Head of UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and Makhtar Diop, World Bank Vice President for Africa.

DRC, Sudan and Somalia continue to host the highest number of IDPs and persons severely affected by conflict. A new report provides in-depth analysis of the situation in 12 countries.

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2013 - World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will make an historic joint visit to Africa’s Great Lakes region from May 22nd – 24th in support of a recent landmark peace agreement and to push for economic development in one of the world’s most troubled regions.

Kim and Mr. Ban will travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from May 22nd – 23rd; Rwanda from May 23rd – 24th; and Uganda on May 24th.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Years of civil war severely damaged roads and other infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo

• A World Bank-financed project is rebuilding roads, helping to improve access to markets, health care and education for communities on the outskirts of Kinshasa

• Small businesses are springing up and residents are reporting an improved quality of life

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz of Brazil as Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

He succeeds Lieutenant General Chander Prakash Wadhwa of India, who completed his assignment on 31 March 2013, and to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated and effective service during his tenure of more than two years.

WASHINGTON, May 17 2013 (IPS) - With casualties in the long-running conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) now surpassing every conflict since World War II, U.S. policymakers and advocates are stepping up campaigns to raise awareness and push legislation aimed at encouraging new negotiations, assisting in government reforms, and pressuring the neighbouring countries that have propped up the DRC’s government.

Some advocates say the situation today could be better than at any time in recent years for a durable peace process.