The UN intervention in Congo-Kinshasa between 1960 and 2021 and the constitutional incorporation of the right to development

Abstract

Objective: The objective is to investigate the legitimacy achieved by UN interventions aimed at constitutional changes and the extent to which its participation contributed to the democratization of the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially from the inclusion of the right to development in the Congolese constitution.

Methodology: The analytical metric was divided into three phases: pre-constituent, constituent and post-constituent. For the purpose of methodological construction, the hypothetical-deductive methodology was used at first and then the case study applied in the DRC.

Results: The UN-influenced Constitution incorporated the right to development, ensured this right as a fundamental principle and allied its realization by making national wealth inalienable. It also guaranteed the creation of hybrid institutions that are not related to the structure of the three powers, revealing a tool that must be part of any project that aims to guarantee development.

Conclusion: One of the main weaknesses surrounding hybrid institutions is the fact that many governments have tried to limit and weaken their independence and are subject to political interference and manipulation, as is the case with the DCR. In certain contexts, the UN is forced to cooperate with power transitions characterized by the maintenance of oligarchic figures as symbols of stability and to tolerate interference by neighbouring countries in local politics. Thus, independence between leaders, self-determination of peoples and cooperation with the UN end up colliding with a cyclical universe due to constant attempts to boycott institutional maturation and the disengagement of personal and clientelistic interests.