Call for Expression of Interest: Community Empowerment and Engagement in Democratic (Congo DR)

Deadline: 30-Sep-2026

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is inviting NGOs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to submit concept notes for projects that strengthen community empowerment, inclusion, participation, and resilience among displaced and host populations. The programme responds to the prolonged displacement and protection crisis in the DRC, where armed conflict, repeated population movements, fragile returns, limited humanitarian access, and pressure on host communities continue to create significant protection challenges. UNHCR’s multi-year strategy for the DRC for 2027–2030 places inclusion, participation, accountability, and empowerment at the center of its protection approach.

About the UNHCR DRC Programme

The DRC continues to experience a protracted crisis of forced displacement and protection. Repeated displacement and fragile returns have placed additional pressure on communities already facing limited access to resources and basic services.

These challenges have contributed to:

- Weakened traditional solidarity mechanisms. - Increased risks of exclusion and discrimination. - Tensions over resources and basic services. - Pressure on local governance systems. - Challenges to peaceful coexistence between displaced and host populations. - Increased protection risks for marginalized groups. The programme aims to strengthen communities so that displaced and host populations can participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lives and contribute to protection, durable solutions, and local development. Main Objectives of the Programme

The initiative focuses on strengthening:

- Community empowerment. - Inclusion and participation. - Community protection mechanisms. - Social cohesion. - Inclusive decision-making. - Conflict prevention. - Accountability and co-responsibility. - Community resilience. - Local capacity for coordinated alert and response. The approach recognizes communities as active partners in protection rather than only recipients of humanitarian assistance. UNHCR DRC Strategy 2027–2030 UNHCR’s multi-year strategy for the DRC from 2027 to 2030 places inclusion, participation, accountability, and empowerment at the center of protection efforts. The strategy promotes shared leadership and inclusive decision-making between UNHCR, communities, local organizations, and other stakeholders. A key principle is co-responsibility with communities, meaning affected populations should have meaningful opportunities to influence the planning and delivery of interventions. Strengthening Refugee-Led and Community-Based Organizations The programme recognizes refugee-led organizations (RLOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) as important actors in protection and local development. Projects are expected to strengthen the participation and capacity of organizations representing: These organizations should have opportunities to participate in different stages of project development and implementation, including needs analysis, priority setting, decision-making, implementation, and monitoring. Community Participation in Protection Meaningful community participation is a central component of the programme. Rather than developing interventions without community input, projects should provide mechanisms through which affected populations can contribute to identifying needs and establishing priorities. Community participation should extend throughout the project cycle, including: - Participatory needs assessments. - Priority setting. - Decision-making. - Project implementation. - Monitoring. - Protection service feedback. This approach can help ensure that interventions reflect actual community priorities and protection concerns. Strengthening Community Protection Mechanisms The call targets projects that reinforce community protection mechanisms and improve the ability of local structures to identify and respond to protection concerns. Projects should help strengthen community-level systems for coordinated alert and response while building the capacity of local authorities and community mechanisms. The objective is to create stronger and more coordinated protection structures that can respond to emerging risks. Inclusive and Representative Structures Another important focus is institutionalizing inclusive and representative structures. Projects should ensure that different groups within displaced and host communities can meaningfully participate in protection and decision-making processes.

Particular attention should be given to

- Women. - Youth. - Older persons. - Persons with disabilities. - Other marginalized groups. Participation should be meaningful rather than purely symbolic, allowing diverse community members to influence priorities and decisions. Promoting Social Cohesion Social cohesion is an important part of the programme because displacement and competition over limited resources can increase tensions between communities.

Projects should promote:

- Inclusive dialogue. - Trust-building. - Conflict prevention. - Peaceful coexistence. - Joint community actions. - Communication between displaced and host populations. These activities should contribute to stronger relationships and reduce tensions arising from resource pressures, access to services, and local governance. Conflict Prevention and Inclusive Dialogue The programme encourages projects that create opportunities for different groups to engage in constructive dialogue. Inclusive dialogue can help communities identify shared concerns, address tensions, and develop joint approaches to local challenges. Projects should focus on preventing conflict and building trust between different population groups rather than responding only after tensions have escalated. Building Local Capacity Capacity building is another major component of the programme. Projects should contribute to strengthening the capacity of local authorities and community mechanisms to coordinate alerts and responses