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The initiative is financed by the Government of Poland and was formalized at UNIDO headquarters in Vienna.

The signing ceremony took place between UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller and Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to UNIDO, Ambassador Urujeni Bakuramutsa, in the presence of Poland’s Head of Mission to UNIDO, Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, and officials from Poland’s Ministry of Economic Development and Technology.

“Today’s signing is more than just a document, it marks the beginning of a triangular partnership: Poland as an emerging donor, UNIDO with its technical expertise, and Rwanda on its path toward resilient, sustainable development,” Director General Müller said. “Together, we will deliver practical solutions that improve lives and build a safer, more sustainable future.”

Titled “Strengthening Rwanda’s capacities to respond to industrial and natural hazards,” the project will be implemented by UNIDO in cooperation with the Fire and Rescue Brigade of the Rwanda National Police.

It aims to strengthen institutional capacities, carry out a comprehensive feasibility study and risk assessment, and prepare a roadmap to improve national firefighting and emergency response systems.

A potential second phase could support targeted capacity‑building and the provision of specialized firefighting equipment.

Amb. Bakuramutsa described the project as a concrete example of multilateral cooperation that supports national development objectives.

“This project embodies the principles of international cooperation that define effective multilateralism,” she said. “It directly contributes to the implementation of our Second National Strategy for Transformation and Vision 2050, particularly in building a modern, competitive and green industrial economy.”

The project aligns with UNIDO’s strategic priorities of fostering sustainable and resilient industrialization, securing supply chains and promoting industrial safety and security. It is expected to strengthen Rwanda’s disaster preparedness and industrial safety frameworks, with practical benefits for communities and businesses.

Ambassador Szczygieł emphasized Poland’s commitment to development cooperation with African partners.

“Poland attaches great importance to development cooperation with African countries, and the project being signed today, implemented by UNIDO, is a prime example of this,” he said, noting Poland’s recent cooperation with UNIDO in countries such as Tajikistan, Moldova and Georgia and the country’s continued support for Ukraine.

Beyond its immediate technical aims, the initiative also marks a step toward deeper cooperation between Poland and UNIDO and signals Warsaw’s growing role as a reliable development partner.

By joining efforts with Rwanda, UNIDO and Poland intend to lay the groundwork for long‑term collaboration focused on resilience, innovation and inclusive industrial growth.

The two-day meeting is taking place under the theme “Leverage on Digital Innovation and Regional Collaboration to Facilitate Trade and Optimize Revenue Mobilisation.”

While opening the meeting, the Minister of State in Charge of National Treasury, Godfrey Kabera, highlighted the remarkable progress made across the region, largely due to closer policy coordination and administrative collaboration.

The GDP growth across the region averaged 5.8% in 2024/25, and nearly all revenue administrations exceeded their collection targets, achieving an average annual revenue growth rate of 16%, significantly outpacing GDP growth.

Despite this, Kabera said, informality continues to limit the efficiency and scale of tax collection, while compliance challenges, including smuggling, under-declaration, and slow adoption of e-invoicing, persist. Geopolitical tensions and inflation spikes also disrupt revenue mobilization.

“This gap highlights the need for continued improvement in both policy and administration to optimize domestic resource mobilization,” he said. “It also underscores the value of regional collaboration, where shared experiences, harmonized practices, and coordinated enforcement can help countries respond more effectively to uncertainty.”

He cautioned against policy approaches that work against regional goals. “When countries compete through uncoordinated tax benefits, it may offer short-term gains but can erode the collective revenue base. Greater alignment and harmonization of tax policies would reduce harmful competition, simplify compliance for cross-border businesses, and strengthen the integrity of the regional market.”

Kabera encouraged the Commissioners General to engage actively, not only to review progress but also to explore practical solutions at both national and regional levels.

Other participants include experts from the Research and Planning, Customs, Domestic Taxes, ICT, Investigations, Legal Affairs, Integrity, Policy, and Human Capital departments.

In his welcoming remarks, Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Commissioner General, Ronald Niwenshuti, noted that since the first meeting in 1999, member countries have steadily strengthened domestic resource mobilization, reduced reliance on external financing, and built fiscal sustainability through robust national revenue systems. This progress, he said, has resulted from collective efforts across the region, though challenges remain.

The region’s average tax-to-GDP ratio remains below the 15% threshold, tax expenditures account for around 2.5% of GDP (2022/23), while illicit trade and smuggling continue to undermine gains. According to the AU High-Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows, Africa loses USD 88 billion annually to illicit financial flows, up from USD 50 billion in 2015.

Over the next two days of deliberations, key focus will be on continued digital transformation, smarter enforcement, simplifying taxpayer experiences, and harmonizing approaches across the region. Two other important topics include the digitalization of tax administration and combating illicit financial flows.

“This is especially important given the continued challenges posed by illicit financial flows, which deprive our countries of critical resources,” CG Niwenshuti said.

He emphasized the need for regional collaboration in the harmonization of tax policies and systems, improved cross-border surveillance and enforcement, enhanced digitalization and data exchange, more strategic tax reforms, better management of tax expenditures, and continued knowledge-sharing and peer learning.

“Our progress moves faster when we learn from each other’s experiences,” he said.

Technical teams are expected to present progress in areas such as customs management, the use of data and technology, informal sector taxation, institutional capacity building, and the development of shared protocols and data exchange frameworks.

The DRC remains one of the countries most affected by food insecurity, with the situation particularly severe in the east, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, the number is projected to rise to nearly 27 million people in the first half of 2026, he said.

Dujarric said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) remains deeply concerned about continued attacks against civilians in Beni and Lubero territories in North Kivu and also in Ituri province, with more than 1,000 people reportedly killed in the two provinces since the beginning of this year.

The impact on health services has been devastating, with at least six facilities attacked since the beginning of 2025 and a total of at least 28 health sites affected by armed attacks since 2024, said the spokesperson.

He said OCHA reiterated its call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Since January, the security situation in eastern DRC has worsened sharply amid renewed fighting involving the March 23 Movement rebel group, which seized several key towns, including Goma and Bukavu.

Humanitarian agencies say the escalating violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, deepening an already dire crisis.

These include Ghada Waly, Director General of UNOV; Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); and Dr. Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

On November 11, 2025, during her meeting with Director General Waly, Amb. Bakuramutsa commended UNOV’s role as a coordination platform for Vienna-based UN entities and emphasized Rwanda’s collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in areas such as anti-corruption and crime prevention.

At the IAEA, discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in nuclear science and technology, underscoring its potential to drive socio-economic development in Rwanda.

Amb. Bakuramutsa emphasized Rwanda’s continued collaboration through the IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Programme and other IAEA flagship initiatives.

Amb. Bakuramutsa also paid a courtesy call to Dr. Driss El Hadani, Deputy Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), where discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in space science to support sustainable development.

On November 12, 2025, at UNIDO, Amb. Bakuramutsa met with Director General Gerd Müller.

The two officials discussed industrial cooperation for sustainable economic development and signed the project “Strengthening Rwanda’s capacities to respond to industrial and natural hazards,” implemented by UNIDO in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and the Fire and Rescue Brigade of the Rwanda National Police.

Also present during the ceremony was Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, Permanent Representative of Poland to UNIDO. The project is funded by Poland.

Amb. Bakuramutsa also presented her Letters of Credence to Dr. Robert Floyd, Executive Secretary of the CTBTO. Discussions focused on the role of the CTBTO in fostering global peace and security, and the scientific and research benefits of CTBTO data centers.

In addition to the credentials presentation, Amb. Bakuramutsa held several side meetings with senior IAEA officials to discuss ongoing technical cooperation and strategic partnerships.

These included exchanges with Dongxin Feng, Director of the FAO-IAEA Joint Center for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture; Peri Lynne Johnson, IAEA Assistant Director General and Legal Advisor; Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Technical Cooperation Department; and Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General for Nuclear Sciences and Applications.

She also met with Victor C. Diwandja Djemba, Chief, UNIDO Regional Bureau for Africa, and engaged with representatives of the Rwandan community living in Austria.

karirima@igihe.com

The markers, damaged last year, are intended to prevent misunderstandings, accidental crossings, and help maintain stability in the area, Pokharel said in a statement.

The Blue Line, established by the UN in 2000 to confirm Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, was further formalized with marker installations agreed to by Lebanon, Israel, and the UN in 2007.

Meanwhile, according to UNIFIL sources, Lebanese army intelligence, and local witnesses, the Israeli army has begun building a concrete wall at Jal al-Deir, behind a newly established military post in Mount al-Bat, about one kilometer inside Lebanese territory.

A Lebanese intelligence source said Israeli forces, backed by tanks, have completed roughly 35 meters of a six-meter-high wall.

However, the Israeli military told the Jewish News Syndicate that the barrier lies fully within Israeli territory, rejecting “unverified reports” of extensions beyond the Blue Line into southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that Beirut has yet to receive an official Israeli response to proposals for negotiations to reclaim occupied territory. “Talks have only addressed the principle of negotiation, not the details,” he said.

A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, brokered by the United States and France, has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024, largely ending the clashes triggered by the war in Gaza.

Despite the agreement, Israel continues occasional strikes in Lebanon, citing threats from Hezbollah, and maintains forces at five key points along the border after a Feb. 18 deadline for full withdrawal passed.

Okowa will serve the remainder of Yusuf’s term, which runs until Feb. 5, 2027.

She is a Kenyan lawyer and professor of public international law at Queen Mary University of London and has served as a member of the UN International Law Commission since 2023.

Under the ICJ’s Statute, judges are elected by secret ballot in both the Security Council and the General Assembly.

To be elected, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority in both chambers, which vote concurrently but separately.

There were four candidates for the post. Okowa won after three rounds of voting in the Security Council and four rounds of voting in the General Assembly.

The Hague-based ICJ has 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office. Judges are eligible for re-election. Should a judge die or resign during his or her term of office, a special election will be held to choose a judge to fill the unexpired part of the term.

The 15 judges must come from 15 different countries. The court as a whole must represent the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the world.

António Guterres was speaking at UN Headquarters in New York following the ninth conference between the global body and the African Union (AU).

The high-level talks focused on progress in implementing cooperation frameworks but also on joint action and challenges in the areas of peace, security, development, human rights and climate action.

“Cooperation between our organizations has never been stronger — or more necessary,” the Secretary-General said at a press briefing alongside the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

“Our world is in turmoil, rocked by deadly conflicts, widening inequalities, climate chaos and runaway technologies. The impacts are felt deeply on the African continent.”

Youssouf said the partners have aligned their respective development agendas.

They also are working closely on flagship peace programmes, including the AU’s efforts to ‘Silence the Guns’ by 2030, and are now “very much involved” in advancing climate justice and energy transition.

He also highlighted commitment to work with all parties and stakeholders at the UN on Security Council reform.

“These reforms are indeed of paramount importance and would ultimately consolidate the multilateral system,” he said.

The two organizations also face financial strains and “need to adapt our actions and programmes to the new realities.” They also must continue to support peace operations, the fight against terrorism, conflict prevention and resolution, and focus most of their efforts on humanitarian affairs.

The Secretary-General outlined three areas where decisive action is needed, starting with simply prioritizing Africa.

He noted that the Pact for the Future, adopted last year by Member States, also called for Africa to have permanent seats on the Security Council, “correcting once and for all an intolerable injustice faced by the African continent.”

His second point concerned financing for development and innovation. Although Africa has vast resources, “its progress is held back by an outdated and unfair global financial system,” he said.

“The time has come to reform this financial architecture – so it reflects the world of today and better serves the needs of developing countries, particularly in Africa.”

He recalled that “African leadership helped secure the Sevilla Commitment,” an agreement reached by Member States this year, which includes steps to advance issues such as easing debt burdens and lowering borrowing costs.

The Secretary-General will urge the G20 group of industrialized nations “to lead on these long-overdue reforms” when he attends their summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, later this month.

Finally, turning to investing in peace, the UN chief reaffirmed his full support for the Silencing the Guns initiative.

“And its time is now,” he added. “Today, Africa is home to too many conflicts and too much suffering.”

On Sudan, he expressed grave concern over recent reports of mass atrocities and gross human rights violations in El Fasher and worsening violence in the Kordofans.

He also voiced alarm over rising insecurity in the Sahel, and highlighted other situations across the continent, including in Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

“The world must not turn its back on Africa, home to nearly one-fifth of humanity,” the UN chief underlined, warning that “the stakes are too high. And the potential is too great.”