Part of the purpose of my visit to Kinshasa was to urge President Kabila to travel to Addis and to sign the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework and to actively participate.

For this, a sustained political process, led by the U.N. Special Envoy, and supported by the United States and this committee is the best hope we have had in more than a decade to help move this region toward the peace and prosperity that…

if you can have major U.S. mining companies coming into North Kivu and investing, it will be a way of also bringing peace in the region.

How do we accomplish restorative justice? How do we accomplish accountability and the end of impunity for gender violence?

violence used as a tool of fear all around the world has a horrible impact on families and communities.

I think that having a U.N. envoy of such stature and such commitment and a focus not just on peace but also on human rights and accountability is terribly important.

It is critical for the U.S. Government to play a more active role than we have in the past in any upcoming initiatives.

I would like to thank all four of our witnesses, those who have traveled long distances and those who have come from nearby, for your engagement, your service, your leadership, and your insight on these issues.

The fourth reason why peace is possible is, as you noted in your opening statement, Senator Coons, this new Peace and Security Framework that 11 countries have signed along with the United Nations Secretary General.

A key role a special envoy could play is to insist on accountability for the DRC and for Rwanda.

For every villain who would take a life to further their ends, there are heroes ready to stand up to them.

I would like to thank Senator Flake and Senator Durbin who joined us today.

Has it had any impact at all, or the lack of enforcement, the lack of training and support and engagement by the police and the judicial system--is that the core problem?

Thank you very much for your attention.

I would like to thank you and Senator Durbin for the National Defense Authorization Act and the provisions on accountability.

I plan to present the administration with a list of key recommendations for changes or for a path forward to United States policy and to introduce a resolution calling for Secretary Kerry to appoint a special envoy to address the conflict…

this is a moment--a moment when peace is possible, when with a disciplined and engaged and thorough international support and engagement, we might really see the beginning of the end of what has been decades of horrible challenge and…

The United States should work with the European Union to convene all of these companies in the supply chain.