Author: b_igi_adm1n

Rwandans living in Australia have welcomed Rwanda’s new high commission in Australia now headed by Amb. Dr. Charles Murigande.

The Rwandans expressed their excitement while meeting Minister of Foreign affairs Louise Mushikiwabo last Sunday.

“We are very happy that we now have a High Commissioner here, what we are asking is for him to be close to us because we are not organized back here, we haven’t got time to get closer and socialize ,” One Rwandan living in Australia said in the time of questions and answers.

Over 50 Rwandans living in Australia turned up for the meeting that also attracted Rwanda’s high commissioner to Australia who seat is Tokyo, Japan, Amb. Dr. Charles Murigande, Prof. Anastase Shyaka of Rwanda Governance Advisory Council and Rwanda Development Board CEO John Gara.

Speaking to over 50 Rwandan community members in Australia, Mushikiwabo said, “We were told that we cannot find more than 20 Rwandans attending the event, but we can even meet you when you are only two, discus about the profitability of our nation and leave the place satisfied.”

Present were also friends of Rwanda from different countries like DR Congo, Zimbabwe and Australia itself.

The Minister also assured them of any support needed from Rwandan government in case of any problem incurred in such foreign countries.

Prof. Anastase Shyaka of Rwanda Governance Advisory Council present at the event explained to the participants about the efforts and developments reached in Rwanda’s good governance while John Gara, RDB’s CEO lectured them about doing business in Rwanda.

Rwandans in Australia welcomed John Gara’s presentation showing interest of being part of the country development and asking how they can be involved.

It is the first time Rwandan government officials met the Rwandan community in Australia.

A negotiating team, known as the High Level Task Force (HLTF) on the Monetary Union, will meet in Uganda at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel from 31 October to 9 November to negotiate various articles of the Protocol.

This will be the fifth round of negotiations by the East African Community on a march towards a single currency.

Dr. Enos Bukuku, EAC’s Deputy Secretary General (Planning and Infrastructure), confirmed that among the draft provisions to be negotiated over a ten-day period are articles on the harmonization and coordination of fiscal policies; taxation and customs; national Budget formulation processes; domestic and external debt management frameworks; joint financing of projects; and macroeconomic convergence.

Experts from the Partner States will also negotiate provisions on coordination of monetary policy and fiscal policies; restrictions on Central Bank lending to public entities; restrictions on privileged access to financial institutions; conditions for bail-outs; conduct of foreign exchange transactions by Partner States; management of foreign exchange reserves as well as liberalization of current account and capital accounts of the Partner States.

Crucially too, the HLTF will discuss a framework for building resilience and managing economic shocks as well as safeguard measures; the conditions for the application of these safeguard measures plus surveillance and compliance mechanisms to be embedded in the Protocol.

The Task Force will also negotiate provisions on the name and status of the single currency envisaged for the EAC, as well as provisions on the determination of conversion rates, conversion and redenomination of existing legal instruments and bank notes and coins to be issued by the proposed East African Central Bank (EACB).

After the Customs Union and the Common Market, the Monetary Union is the third stage in the integration process of the EAC bloc, which ultimately aspires to a Political Federation.

The EAC Summit of Heads of State has set a 2012 deadline for the achievement of the Monetary Union, and EAC Secretary General Amb. Richard Sezibera has on different occasions reiterated EAC’s commitment to have the Monetary Union Protocol concluded within the set timeline.

Dr. Bukuku on his part notes that the Monetary Union will help mitigate price instability and exchange rate volatility in the region, which would be a boon for businesses and ultimately promote investment and spur development.

To enrich the negotiations, the EAC has commissioned various studies, which include among others a study on the review of the EAC macroeconomic convergence criteria; and one on a harmonized monetary policy framework for the region both of which are being done jointly by the EAC and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Another study on a common exchange rate mechanism is being undertaken jointly with the International Growth Centre (IGC).

Previous rounds of negotiations deliberated on provisions touching on, among others, the scope of the Monetary Union; macroeconomic policy framework; monetary policy framework, exchange rate policy and exchange rate mechanism; and instruments of monetary control.

The negotiations commenced in January this year and are targeted to be concluded by early 2012.

Friday, October 28, 2011: the three days Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was officially opened in Perth. The opening ceremony was marked by beautiful dances and music that portray the culture of the hosting country Australia.

The opening ceremony was attended by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who is also head of the Commonwealth, Heads of states and Governments, President Paul Kagame inclusive and also official diplomats from commonwealth member countries.

In the speech he delivered during the first Executive session, President Kagame thanked governments and officials who facilitated the admission of Rwanda to the Commonwealth.

His special thanks were addressed to Trinidad and Tobago as well as the commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma.

He added that Rwanda is contented to be part of the commonwealth and thus embraces the Commonwealth aspirations of mutual respect and understanding that supports cooperation and partnership framed by fair rules equally applicable to all.

“When we work together, we win together” says President Kagame.

President Kagame, affirmed this fact by elucidating how the economic and political crisis the world has been facing, cast light on the interdependence of the global community.

Kagame, stated that peace, security and equal opportunities, including gender equality are the keystones of good governance and socio-economic development.

Her Majest Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating her 60th anniversary as the Head of the

Commonwealth, said : “Almost a decade later, we find ourselves confronting new and fresh challenges: insecurity and uncertainty in finance, food supply, climate change, and trade and development.”

“This Commonwealth meeting is, for its part, the perfect opportunity to address these issues and find responses to today’s crises and challenges” .

She said that the theme of the year being “Women as Agents of Change”, calls everyone to determine ways of allowing girls and women to play their full part, and also sustain the theme beyond the year 2011 in their respective country as well as across the commonwealth.

Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard pointed out that unlike other global bodies united by practical aspects such as commerce or trade, the commonwealth is joined by a different motivation which is “values”.
Shared Values of peace, democracy, racial equality, the rule of law and a commitment to social and economic progress.

“So as the Commonwealth journeys towards its centenary, it is time for renewal.

To answer the question posed of our organisation – how do we best pursue our timeless values in a world of change?

Let us make CHOGM 2011 memorable for answering this question.
Memorable for being the Meeting that gave the Commonwealth the direction it needed at a time of global uncertainty and risk” says Gillard

Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth said, “CHOGMs are an occasion to take the pulse of the Commonwealth, to check that we continue in good health, to review how far we have come in the last two years, and to set signposts for the future”.

“CHOGMs have also become the occasion to bring together in celebration the full breadth of our Commonwealth community. All can serve our three aspirations of Democracy, Development and Diversity.”

“In offering global wisdom and value, we must continue to strive for equity, especially for the rights and causes of the small and the vulnerable, and in the service of our people”. Says Kamalesh Sharma.

Australia has a remarkable record of serving the Commonwealth. No other country has hosted three CHOGMs. Previous CHOGMS were held in Melbourne 1981 and Coolum in 2002.

President Paul Kagame today said that Rwanda is pleased to be part of the Commonwealth and to contribute to the organisation as it adapts to new global challenges.

Speaking at opening ceremony of the 21stCommonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, where Rwanda was officially welcomed as the newest member, President Kagame thanked Commonwealth members for the support extended to Rwanda during its admission in 2009.

President Kagame noted that Rwandans shared the values and principles that have shaped the Commonwealth and pledged Rwanda’s support to collective efforts to make the organisation stronger and more dynamic;

“Our citizens know from experience that peace, security, and equal opportunities for all –including gender equality – are important pillars of good governance and a strong basis for socio-economic development.”

“We also believe that when we work together, we win together. The economic and political challenges that the global community has witnessed recently provide more than enough evidence regarding the degree of our interdependence.”

President Kagame also pointed out that Rwanda was happy to associate with the Commonwealth aspirations of mutual respect and understanding which supports cooperation and partnership framed by fair rules that are equally applicable to all.

Queen Elizabeth, celebrating her 60th anniversary as the Head of the Commonwealth, said that almost a decade after the last CHOGM was held in Australia, new challenges exist and member states must remain steadfast and rise to the occasion in order to provide long lasting solutions to these common challenges.

“The theme this year is, ‘Women as Agents of Change’. It reminds us of the potential in our societies that is yet to be fully unlocked, and it encourages us to find ways to allow all girls and women to play their full part.”

“We must continue to strive in our own countries and across the Commonwealth together to promote that theme in a lasting way beyond this year”.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia said that the meeting was a fitting moment for reflection and renewal as it marks the 80th anniversary of the Commonwealth and urged fellow CHOGM members to consider it a call to action;

“How do we best pursue our timeless values in a world of change? Let us make CHOGM 2011 memorable for answering this question. Memorable for being the Meeting that gave the Commonwealth the direction it needed at a time of global uncertainty and risk. In so doing, we will be faithful to our values, and faithful to the people who have sent us here. “

Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, described the importance of CHOGM to its citizens;

“CHOGMs have also become the occasion to bring together in celebration the full breadth of our Commonwealth community. All can serve our three aspirations of Democracy, Development and Diversity.”

“And in offering global wisdom and value, we must continue to strive for equity, especially for the rights and causes of the small and the vulnerable, and in the service of our people”.

Over the next two days President Kagame will take part in closed working sessions with other Heads of Government during which they will deliberate over the CHOGM agenda.

The reading of the final communiqué this Sunday will mark the end of the 2011 CHOGM meeting.

An online website that publishes Rwandan based information has won United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards.

The judges said the website placed the Rwandan genocide into both historical and contemporary contexts, and was an excellent example of an interactive, educational site.

“We’re very honoured by the award I wasn’t expecting to win. The other finalists were large media organisations, but all the work for rwandanstories.org incorporating the writing, film editing, web design and so on, was basically just me working in a spare room, or in the local cafe. So it’s very exciting,” said Dave Fullerton, the film-maker and web developer.

RwandanStories.org is a close-up look at genocide and recovery in Rwanda. In 1996 John Steward, an Australian from Melbourne, took a job with World Vision Rwanda.

In 2007, on one of his last visits, he introduced Fullerton to some of his Rwandan friends. Fullerton fell in love with the place and www.rwandanstories.org is the result.

The website was written primarily for Australian students. It includes about twenty short films and look at ‘big-picture’ questions like, What happens in a society to make something like a Genocide possible?, What happens when the media attention has long gone – how can you possibly recover from something like that?

“I thought, if I can talk with young Rwandans about what happened, and about what life has been like for them since 1994, some big conversations could come out of that. Perhaps this ‘out-there’ African story could get kids in Australian schools talking about our own society, about our inclination towards prejudice, and along the way maybe we could learn something about tolerance, resilience and the nuts and bolts of building a peaceful society.” Said Fullerton.

“In testing, it’s clear that Australian students have a high level of engagement with the films. The fact that these are ‘real people’ and not actors is very important. It’s exciting to see students engaging with the shared human issues that apply in their own classrooms and communities, as much as they apply in Rwanda,” Said Sally Morgan, the curriculum developer.

Fullerton said that he sometimes wonders what Rwandans think about the way he has portrayed their country. He is very aware that this was just a tiny part of Rwanda’s story.

There are many important events, experiences and viewpoints not included, but he hopes the website will continue to grow since Rwandans are doing interesting work in so many areas; healthcare, education, conservation, sustainable energy.

“ I’d love to come back and film more stories about those things,” he added.

“It’s easy for Australians to like Rwanda. The big skies, the light, the eucalypts – it can feel so much like home that sometimes you almost forget you’re in Africa. And the friendly people – their warmth, intelligence and grace regularly made me feel very uncivilised so now, when I talk to people I say, go to Rwanda – you’ll love it!” Says Fullerton

The United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards were established in 1979, and recognises media efforts oriented in the realms of Humanitarian, social justice, and promoting Peace.