Thursday, August 7, 2014

U.S. Secretary of State Meeting with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President

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Adoption Alert

August 5, 2014

Democratic Republic of the Congo

U.S. Secretary of State Meeting with Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President

On August 4, Secretary of State John Kerry met with DRC President Joseph Kabila to stress the urgency of lifting the suspension on the issuance of exit permits for Congolese adopted children.  Secretary Kerry strongly emphasized our humanitarian concern for the children and families affected by the suspension, and urged that children whose adoptions were completed in Congolese courts should be allowed to obtain exit permits and join their adoptive families in the United States. 

President Kabila did not provide any new information during the meeting regarding the DRC government’s policy to not review cases during the suspension.  President Kabila stated that the DRC adoption process has involved many inconsistencies in case processing and needs to be reformed.   

The Department of State deeply regrets that families continue to face an indefinite wait for exit permits.  We will continue to stress to the DRC government our concern for Congolese adopted children who are not able to obtain exit permits and stress our commitment to addressing the Congolese concerns about intercountry adoptions.  Our offers to provide technical expertise, and to bring a delegation of Congolese officials to the United States, remain on the table and will continue to be reiterated at every opportunity. 

Please direct questions related to this alert or a specific adoption from the DRC to the Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States.  Email inquiries may be directed to ExitPermitSuspensionDRC@state.gov

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