Strengthening the rule of law and protection of civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In recent years, approaches to the provision of support to the rule of law in conf lict and post-conf lict settings have evolved significantly. While in the past the provision of support to the justice sector was generally deemed to be most effective in post-conf lict settings, recent experiences by peacekeeping missions have demonstrated that supporting the fight against impunity and the strengthening of the justice sector can be used to engage politically with key stakeholders and inf luence their behaviour, in both conf lict and post-conf lict settings, laying the foundations of a more sustainable peace, even before it is fully achieved. As such, it has increasingly been recognized that the provision of support for justice can be used as a key element of United Nations political engagement in the process of maintaining sustainable peace.