In July 2023, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, appointed him Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United Nations in New York.

In addition to the high responsibility of leading the DRC’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, he has been chairing the Group of Francophone Ambassadors in New York (GAF) since September 2023.

The President of the Republic has also entrusted him with the essential mission of representing, on the one hand, the Democratic Republic of Congo and, on the other hand, the African continent—together with his counterparts from Liberia and Somalia—at the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2026.

The Panel Rapporteur, Ambassador Zénon MUKONGO NGAY, served as Permanent Representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United Nations Office and Specialized Agencies in Geneva, Switzerland, and Vienna, Austria, from September 2015 to December 2019. He also held several positions before serving as Minister Counselor and Senior Legal Advisor at the Permanent Mission of the DRC to the United Nations in New York between 1998 and 2015.

A career diplomat and experienced negotiator of the main multilateral legal instruments of the United Nations system for more than two decades, Ambassador Zénon MUKONGO is also a trained lawyer who has proven himself in the art of defense at the Lubumbashi Bar, where he won the Excellence Award in the bar exam in 1993.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, “with distinction,” from the University of Lubumbashi, along with several diplomas and other advanced degrees in international law, including a specialization in human rights and international law from Columbia University in the United States of America (Spring Term 2003), a certificate in international law and new challenges from the United Nations Codification Division (Addis Ababa, 2011), a specialization in transitional justice from the Training Center in Rabat (Morocco, 2008) and an advanced diploma in new information and communication technologies from the ILO Training Center in Turin and Rome (Italy, 2003).

His areas of expertise include diplomatic negotiations, transitional justice, human rights, and international criminal law.

A seasoned diplomat with solid international experience gained in multilateral institutions and public administrations. Her career reflects her ongoing commitment to peace, security, and international cooperation, particularly on the African continent.

She currently serves as Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea.

From 2021 to 2023, she served as Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DRC, with a particular focus on peace and security issues in Africa.

From 2011 to 2019, she worked as a diplomat with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Gaborone, Botswana.

Her professional career also includes eleven years of experience within the United Nations System, notably with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Center (UNMACC).

Before joining the international institutional sector, she worked for seven years in the private sector, which enabled her to adopt a pragmatic approach to management, communication, and high-level professional relations.

Ms. Jocelyne Kabengele Lukundula is trilingual and holds a Master’s degree in Business Communication from the European Institute of Communication in Brussels, Belgium. Her career has also been enriched by several specialized certifications.

She is married and has four children.