President Kagame today met in his office members of the UN Joint Executive Board who have been on a fact-finding mission country. The President thanked the delegation for the visit, saying that visiting Rwanda physically is worth more than reading a hundred books on Rwanda because by visiting, one gets a better and clearer perspective of what is going on on the ground. The President told the delegation that transformation of the country has been very challenging but that Rwanda has been using favourable approaches that have made Rwanda be where it is now in such a short period of time.
He pointed out the consolidation of the private sector to enable it spearhead development of the country and urging the population to own development processes as some of the approaches that the Government is using to transform the country. President Kagame said that the dream of Rwandans is to ultimately end the cycle of dependence on aid and live with the dignity that they deserve and emphasized that the United Nations can play a big role to help Rwandans realize their dreams.
The head of the delegation, Abderram Ould Hadrami said that the delegation was in the country to experience and assess ‘first-hand’ activities of the UN in the country, including the ‘One UN implementation progress. He said that the delegation had visited different projects and programs and were impressed by Rwanda’s progress in different areas including the 9 YBE program, the role women are playing in governance and decision making, legal reforms, human rights and other governance aspects.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Aurelien Agbenonci said that the delegation met the President to share their views on what they had seen during their tour of the country and that their impression of the country was very positive. He also said that the President also shared his views on international cooperation, his country’s fight for dignity and the resilience of the Rwandan people. “He shared with us his vision for development of the country and explained why he is trying to make sure that Rwandans own their own development and pointed out that although aid is important, Rwanda would like to use it to ultimately become self sufficient, “he said, adding that as the UN coordinator, he could attest that Rwanda is on the right track towards achieving the MDGs.