Tag: HomeNews

{{As the international climate negotiations are moving at a slow pace, developing countries are creating new policies to deal with climate change; a new report by a coalition of NGOs demonstrates that civil society is critical to policy processes that aim to tackle climate change and protect the poorest and most vulnerable communities from its impacts.}}

Civil society plays key roles in pushing for new laws, programmes, policies or strategies on climate change, in holding governments to account on their commitments; in identifying the lack of joined-up government responses to climate change; and in ensuring that national policy making does not forget the poor and vulnerable.

These are the findings of a report launched at the UN climate talks in Bonn by a coalition of more than 20 civil society networks in developing countries, with support from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and CARE through the Climate Capacity Consortium.

“Many of even the world’s poorest countries now have active civil society coalitions that work on climate change, and they are increasingly influential,” says the report’s editor Dr Hannah Reid of IIED.

“These coalitions can play an important role as bridges between vulnerable communities and those with the power to enact policies that can protect people from the impacts of climate change. This report will help these coalitions learn from each other as many operate in isolation.”

William Chadza from the Civil Society Network on Climate Change in Malawi says: “It is interesting for us to see how colleagues in countries as distant as Vietnam work with vulnerable communities as they adapt to climate change and strive to ensure their government can address these people’s concerns.”

“While some governments in industrialised nations seem to ignore climate change, this report shows how in the global Southern civil society organisations are working hard to promote solutions and climate justice for those affected.”

The report also describes some of the challenges experienced by these coalitions. Many acknowledge that they lack the skills and resources they need to meet their advocacy objectives. And where relations between government and civil society are weak, civil society involvement in key policy making arenas has not been adequate.

The report includes contributions from more than 20 climate networks and their member organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific.

The networks work together in the Southern Voices on Climate Change programme, which is funded by the Government of Denmark through the Climate Capacity Consortium, comprised of four Danish NGOs, Climate Action Network International and IIED, with CARE Danmark as the lead agency.

The report is to be launched today at a press conference at the intergovernmental negotiations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The press conference will be broadcast live on the Internet.

{{President Kagame today at Urugwiro Village received senior DRC officials participating in the ongoing 5th Rwanda-DRC Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) where he reasserted the importance of continued engagement between Rwandan and Congolese officials on issues of mutual interest.}}

“This engagement is critical for our two countries and the region. There is a lot more within our means that we can make use of. Looking at our situation in the wider context of our continent, where Africa needs to be, it is clear that we all need peace and stability in order to turn our focus fully on business, trade and the kind of cooperation that will bring wealth and prosperity for Africans who have been poor for far too long. It is important to keep working together to get there. It is never too late.”

President Kagame emphasised the importance of joint work in overcoming common problems by the people of the region pointing out that those affected had clearer insights into the challenges, were better equipped to find durable solutions and had the most interest in achieving tangible results.

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Louise Mushikiwabo briefed President Kagame on the bilateral discussions held which included development of infrastructure with a focus on energy and air transport; as well as the current security and refugee situation.

Minister Mushikiwabo also pointed out that an agreement had been reached to advance cooperation on border management, trade and joint economic projects.

Minister of International and Regional Cooperation and Francophonie, Raymond Tshibanda N’Tunga Mulongo who led the DRC delegation conveyed greetings from President Joseph Kabila and noted that relations between Rwanda and DRC were excellent and cooperation was developing.

Minister N’Tunga Mulongo noted that the DRC remained committed to fighting all negative forces operating in their country, including the FDLR, and was pleased to see the same determination by Rwandan authorities.

He also emphasised the need to overcome the challenge of establishing stability in order to move faster in economic cooperation and better lives for the citizens of the region, saying that the two teams were bound by a joint obligation to be efficient and produce results.

The 11-member DRC delegation also included the Ministers responsible for Internal Security, Energy, and Justice; the Prosecutor General, the head of Intelligence Services, the Governors of North Kivu and South Kivu, and the Ambassador of DRC to Rwanda.

{{On Thursday 17th May, Huye district gave to genocide vulnerable survivors 64 cows in order to continue helping them overcome consequences of the 1994 genocide and emphasize Girinka Program launched by President Paul Kagame.}}

Those cows were donated in partnership with FARG and it is the last step for those who were selected to be given cows. Stakeholders of this program were happy with it saying that it will improve their living conditions.

Those genocide survivors said that now all the problems that they faced are going to be handled and even their lives will be better.

At least seven people in each sector were helped, 110 cows were donated and all of them are from the District of Huye.

They were promised to be helped to look after them and were also given drugs to protect the cows from diseases.

{{Karongi district delegation composed of district councilors and staff have completed, a two day study tour in various government institutions aimed at developing an integrated client charter for their district.}}

The visit followed a Council’s decision to set up an ad hoc commission to look into customer care, in a bid to improve service delivery in their district.

The delegation was led by Twagirayezu Emmanuel. He heads the ad hoc commission whose mandate is to develop an appropriate client charter for the District.

During a press conference that was held at the Local Government Ministry in Kacyiru –Kigali- today, the officials said that, during their study tour, they visited the Ministry of Local Government and that of Public
Service and Labor, among others.

Also visited are Gasabo District One Stop Centre, in the City of Kigali; and some of the respected public institutions including the General Directorate of Immigration and Emigration as well as Rwanda Governance and Rwanda Development Boards.

The Migration Department is known in service delivery for having scooped various international cups of excellence in service delivery, especially for their customer care and online services.

Other visited institutions are mainly regulators and mentors, and the visit aimed at buying advice, ideas and learning best practices from others.

“We are delighted that our visit was successful, and we learned a lot that we are going to share with others. As councilors, we want our district to be among the best in service delivery through a comprehensive and exhaustive client charter, which will be followed thereafter”,Twagirayezu said.

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Cyrille Turatsinze, commended Karongi district Council for its good step towards enhancing service delivery, adding that this initiative was the first ever he experienced in local governments, since he joined the Ministry, one year ago.

Police in Kicukiro district is holding a medical doctor and a nurse for unethical behaviour.

Police Sources have reported that Dr. Bonaventure Hishamunda, a medical doctor in Byumba is charged with leaving surgical material in the womb of Zawadi Murekatete, a Congolese refugee from Gihembe refugee camp in 2008.

The story first broke in media after doctors at Kigali Central Hospital removed surgical materials from Murekatete following a medical transfer from Byumba hospital.

According to police investigations, Dr. Hishamunda left three pairs of surgical gloves, a syringe and cotton in Murekatete’s womb after operating on her while giving birth.

Since then Murekatete, a 17 year old then, started developing stomach complications. For three years Dr. Hishamunda operated on Murekatete on three separate occasion but each time failed to diagnose the cause of the stomach pains. During one of Hishamunda operations Murekatete spent two months in a coma.

However Dr. Hishamunda refutes the allegation saying that it was practically impossible for a doctor to leave a lot of material in a patient’s body.

“I regard the accusations as a smear campaign aimed at tarnishing my reputation. To say that I left all that material that was displayed on TV in her body is impossible because she could not have survived,” Dr. Hishamunda said.

Despite Hishamunda claims, Police investigations further unearthed a string of his past operations where he had also left surgical materials in their bodies.

Investigations indicate that Dr. Hishamunda had operated on five women from 2004 to 2007 all of whom developed stomach complications where one of them died and the rest disabled.

As for Perpetue Mbabazi, the head nurse at the Kigali Central Hospital, she is charged with destroying evidence after she ordered the surgical items retrieved from Murekatete womb to be destroyed.

She claimed to have done nothing out of the line because all surgical materials are disposed off after the surgery.

Asked whether it didn’t seem odd to her that surgical materials were being removed from a human body, she conceded that she might have committed a mistake by not realizing that it could later become a problem.

Police spokesperson superintendent Theos Badege pointed out that the two were charged with attempted bodily harm.

“The issue here is that why were the surgical material from Murekatete’s womb quickly disposed while the incident should have created curiosity? That is why the case took long and become complicated,” Superintendent Badege noted.

Badege wondered why as professionals they didn’t realize that the material was evidence that could have aided investigations.

He noted that the revelations will make people become more careful especially the medical fraternity.

The case is set to be transferred to Prosecution.

{{MTN Foundation has today inaugurated another ‘ICT School Connect Project’ in Gihundwe, Rusizi district, Western Province.}}

Gihundwe high school was facilitated today with a fully connected ICT laboratory of 36 computers under the MTN Rwanda ‘ICT School Connect Project’ a brainchild of MTN Foundation, the company’s corporate social responsibility program.

The ‘ICT School Connect Project’ has already facilitated seven Rwandan schools across the country. So far over 200 computers have been given out under this projects.

A delegation of MTN Foundation officials including Alphonse Byusa, the Chairman of the board and Zulfat Mukarubega, a board member of the foundation visited GS Gigundwe, a high school where they officially opened the lab.

Alphonse Byusa, the Chairman of MTN Foundation said the inauguration is a continued process intended to support education and ICT as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

“Within education this project termed as ‘ICT Schools Connect Project’, is designed to enable teachers and pupils in secondary schools gain practical skills on the usage and understanding of ICT and how it can add value to their lives,” Byusa said.

“This project was inaugurated in 2010. With it students can have access to Internet in their own locality and premises. This is a way of MTN Rwanda empowering young people so that in the future they can become of economic relevance to the country,” he added.

Already 6 high schools from different provinces have benefited from the project. They include Essa High School in Musanze, Ste Bernadette in Huye, Kabarondo High School, Kanombe High School, Rusumo High School and ESG Rubavu.

Overall MTN Foundation has donated over 200 computers in these schools, across the country with more 5,500 students and 300 teachers benefiting from the project to leverage ICT in education in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC).

During the year 2010/11 about Rwf150 million has been spent on ‘ICT Connect School’ projects. In 2012 two more schools are scheduled to benefit from the same project.

{{Rwanda Peace Academy in collaboration with the United Nations Integrated Training Service and the Government of Australia will conduct a United Nations Senior Mission Leaders Course at the Lemigo Hotel, Kigali City from 21 May to 1 June 2012.}}

The Senior Mission Leaders (SML) course is the highest UN course and aims at developing candidates for UN mission leadership.

The aim of the SML course is to prepare participants for Senior Leadership assignments in multidimensional peacekeeping operations.

Forty five participants are expected to attend the course from across the world. Some United Nations senior staff members have also been selected to attend the course.

The course will be officially opened on 21 May 2012 at Lemigo Hotel and the Media is invited during the opening and closing ceremonies.