APPOINTMENT OF POC FOR SGBV

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000814 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/GWI, AF/FO, AF/C, AF/RSA USAID FOR COO/ODP, AA/AFR, AFR/EA, AFR/DP, AFR/SD, DCHA/CMM, DCHA/OFDA, EGAT/WID, SPANS PARIS FOR USAID BRUSSELS FOR USAID NAIROBI FOR USAID/EA/RCMG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREF KWMN KJUS EAID CG SUBJECT: APPOINTMENT OF POC FOR SGBV ¶1. Embassy Kinshasa is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Sara Rasmussen-Tall as the Point of Contact for Sexual and Gender Based-Based Violence (SGBV) programs within the USAID Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo. ¶2. The USG maintains active programs to respond to severe and widespread SGBV in the Democratic Republic of Congo. USG programs aim to improve access to care and treatment for SGBV survivors, fight impunity of perpetrators through legal services and reforms, promote community awareness of SGBV and prevent future acts of violence. USG programs are managed by USAID (Social Protection Staff; Health Office; Democracy and Governance Office; and Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance),Department of State (Political Section with Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor; Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration) and Department of Defense (Defense International Institute of Legal Studies). These programs are most active in the Provinces of North and South Kivu, Maniema and Orientale. ¶3. State and USAID Officers maintain extensive contact with the United Nations Peacekeeping operation (MONUC),other UN agencies and bilateral donors, and Congolese officials engaged in the fight against SGBV. ¶4. Post encourages all who seek to learn more about SGBV issues and programs or who plan to develop SGBV-related programs to consult early and often with the Embassy and USAID Mission. Post maintains information on all current and forthcoming SGBV programs and has extensive contacts and information related to the programs of other actors in this area. Among the information resources are fact sheets and MONUC's Comprehensive Strategy on Combating Sexual Violence in the DRC. ¶5. Point of Contact: Sara Rasmussen-Tall, USAID, srasmussentall@usaid.gov. Alternate Contacts: Ambassador William Garvelink, garvelinkwj@state.gov; Samuel Brock, Deputy Chief of Mission, brocksv@state.gov; Stephen Haykin, USAID Mission Director, shaykin@usaid.gov; Allyson Gardner, USAID Program Officer, agardner@usaid.gov; Jay Nash, USAID OFDA, jnash@usaid.gov; Phillip Nelson, Political Counselor, nelsonpr@state.gov;Col. Thomas Crowder, Office of Security Cooperation, crowderta@state.gov. GARVELINK