Country Brief
With its 2,345,000 km2 land area, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is characterized by (i) its wealth of exceptional natural resources (forests, mines, water resources, biodiversity, energy), (ii) its dense hydrographic network , of which the Congo River Basin is the most dominant (3.7 million km2), and (iii) its population estimated at around 75 million inhabitants, with a demographic growth of 3.1%, and whose income comes mainly from the informal sector. The country's sustainable development strategy revolves around priority areas including the mining, agriculture, forestry sectors and the development of industries under a decentralized framework.The integration of environmental concerns, including climate change, in all sectoral strategies and national development planning remains a key issue due to Insufficient funding, both internal and external, for the effective implementation of large-scale strategies and action plans, as well as major legal and institutional impediments.