{In celebration of International Human Rights Day, the United States for International Development (USAID) and Never Again Rwanda organized a National Human Rights Conference, which took place in Kigali. }
The conference was organized through the USAID-supported Youth for Human Rights project (Y4HR) under the theme of “Building a Sustainable Human Rights Culture in Rwanda”. The full-day conference welcomed over 130 young people and representatives of civil society organizations and government bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission and National Unity and Reconciliation Commission. United States Ambassador to Rwanda Donald Koran opened the conference.
In his speech, Ambassador Koran highlighted the journey the United States has made – and is still making – to uphold human rights, and the lessons Rwanda may be able to take from that experience.
“The fight to recognize, respect, and defend equality and human rights continues today. In the United States, we still wrestle with the legacy of racism, and in recent years we have recognized the terrible discrimination faced by marginalized groups,“ he said. “Here in Rwanda, I know that reconciliation continues to be important. Reorganizing the fundamental human rights of all groups, no matter how marginalized, is key to fostering a culture of human rights. To promote such a culture, people and organizations need the courage to speak openly to address human rights challenges and opportunities. We are in this journey together, and we can learn much from each other.”
During the conference, participants had the chance to discuss, debate and share ideas about how to inclusively promote human rights. The solutions generated through the discussion will be shared widely with all stakeholders, in order to spark further consideration and implementation. Awards were also presented to the winners of Never Again Rwanda’s human rights essay competition.
USAID’s Youth for Human Rights program seeks to build a unified voice for human rights promotion and protection in Rwanda through the engagement and empowerment of youth to understand and support human rights.
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