Today, Monday, 2 October 2023, Dr Mukwege announced his candidacy to run in the presidential elections in DRC later this year.
In light of his announcement, Dr Mukwege has decided to step down from his role as special advisor to the Mukwege Foundation.
The Mukwege Foundation was created in 2016 to support survivors’ demands for a world where sexual violence as a weapon of war is no longer tolerated, and bears consequences for individual perpetrators and states. We are working towards a future where sexual violence in conflict is no longer seen as inevitable, but is recognised for what it is: a crime that should have consequences.
Our source of inspiration is the vision of holistic, survivor-centred care developed by Dr Mukwege and his team at Panzi Hospital in the DRC; however, our work has an international scope and is not focused on the DRC. We work for a future where survivors receive the holistic care and compensation they need to rebuild their lives, adapting and scaling up Panzi’s best practices elsewhere.
Our programmes – rolling out holistic care programmes in conflict-affected countries, supporting survivor-led activism and advocacy, and advocating for timely and robust action by governments and the international community to halt sexual violence in conflict – will continue as before.
The Mukwege Foundation is not involved in Dr Mukwege’s political campaign, nor will it accept or facilitate any funding for this purpose. As an independent charitable organisation, the foundation remain politically neutral and does not involve in any political activities – nor will it do so in the future.
