DRC: Call to strengthen the fight against child labor in mines
US Department of Labor Undersecretary Thea Lee and her delegation are visiting Kinshasa . She met several government officials including the Ministers of Labour, Mines, Social Affairs, the Prime Minister and plans to meet President Tshisekedi to discuss, among other things, workers’ rights, responsible business practices and the Build Back Better World initiative. of President Biden.
Facing the press, Thea Lee explains in depth the reasons for her presence in the DRC.
“My presence in Kinshasa is an opportunity to deepen relations between the DRC and the United States. It is a privileged partnership for peace and prosperity… I met various personalities from the DRC, in particular the Ministers of Labour, Mines, Social Affairs, the Prime Minister and I have to meet the President of the Republic. We believe we insist on strengthening human rights and good governance in the DRC. This is very important for economic growth. in this country in order to attract more foreign investment”, she explains.
The United States Department of Labor intends to become more involved in the fight against child labor in the mines of the DRC.
“It is also important that the supply chain cannot integrate child labor. The United States Department of Labor is pleased to be able to work in partnership with the DRC on a number of projects and especially in this concerning the idea of getting children out of mining work. We intend to strengthen the capacity of the DRC to apply the standards required of work. We also aim to strengthen trade unions, civil society… We we envision having a very good partnership between the DRC and the United States,” she said.
In addition, the Under Secretary of the United States Department of Labor, also mentioned the interest of the DRC in the international economic initiative, Build Back Better World undertaken by President Biden and the leaders of the G7 to help respond to the enormous infrastructure needs of low- and middle-income countries.
“I sincerely believe that the Build Back Better World initiative will benefit the DRC. It’s about strengthening infrastructure with high-level sustainable investments. It’s also about getting low- and middle-income countries to have a environmental standards. The initiative comes from the public sector of the government. It will also help in the improvement of water quality, education, digital. My visit also aims to further strengthen relations between Presidents Biden and Tshisekedi. I believe that these relations will be useful for the people of the DRC”, said Thea Lee.
Note that under the Build Back Better World program, led by the United States, the G7 countries will strive to meet the 40,000 billion dollars of infrastructure that developing countries will need by 2035. The The initiative aims to catalyze private sector financing for quality infrastructure and will encourage private sector investments that support ‘climate change’. , health and safety, digital technology, and gender equity and equality”.
