How can lasting peace be built in fragile contexts? The ESPER programme believes the answer often starts at the community level, where citizens, authorities, security services and civil society work together. A new video looks back at ten years of this approach in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On 15 June 2026, European decision-makers, representatives of Congolese institutions, researchers and civil society organisations gathered in Brussels to share what a decade of ESPER has taught them. VNG International and Cordaid implemented ESPER, with support from the Dutch government.
H.E. Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo B., Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Security, Decentralisation and Customary Affairs of the DRC, delivered the keynote speech. The first panel examined the local security governance in the Congolese context. The second panel explored how investment and stability reinforce each other.
The video captures the day’s main messages. The Deputy Prime Minister explains that the government has taken ownership of the programme, which is now the subject of a decree and two orders. The government is rolling it out nationwide, with ten provinces fully involved. Other speakers describe how police and communities now work more closely together, and why investing in local security is also an investment in development. The video closes with the conference recommendations.
See how local security governance has taken shape in the DRC over the past ten years:
