BUJUMBURA December 5th (ABP) – The joint technical committee in charge of drawing up the new cooperation framework plan, led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Mr. Albert Shingiro and the Resident Coordinator of the of the United Nations in Burundi, Mr. Damien Mama, met on Friday, December 2, 2022, in Bujumbura, to assess the step taken in that work and then proceed to its validation.
Indeed, the process of developing the cooperation framework plan began with its official launch on April 11, 2022. It was developed by a joint technical committee composed of executives from the various sectoral ministries and those of the United Nations. The Joint Committee has worked hard throughout this period in close collaboration with various partners and all stakeholders in a spirit of inclusiveness, openness and mutual awareness, noted Minister Shingiro.
He added that the technical committee worked in permanent consultation with several socio-professional categories to collect first-hand information from them, which consequently led it to formulate a theory of change that reveals the real needs of the Burundian populations with a visible and measurable impact, in order to achieve the objective of having, by 2027, a more prosperous, inclusive and resilient Burundian society.
That minister revealed that at the current stage, the role of the joint steering committee is to validate the different stages of the development of the framework cooperation plan between Burundi and the United Nations. In the near future, it will be a question of ensuring, step by step, the follow-up of its implementation at the political and strategic level. He stressed that we must play the role of watchdog so that this long-awaited instrument is effectively implemented with respect for the national population at all levels and brings real change in their lives.
According to Minister Shingiro, it is a question of ensuring the alignment of this cooperation framework plan with the priorities of the government of Burundi, the relevance of the response that will be provided to the various challenges, in particular the modernization of the agriculture, energy, education, health, shocks due to climate and human changes, capacity building of national institutions, youth entrepreneurship, support to the private sector, while taking into account the priorities of the President of the Republic, Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Through this cooperation framework plan, the concept of assistance has given way to mutually respectful and advantageous cooperation, a concept that fits well with the attachment of Burundians to national sovereignty, dignity and other intrinsic values dear to Burundians, indicated Minister Shingiro before wishing that the monitoring-evaluation mechanism be put in place at all levels, from the hill to the national level, through the sectoral ministries concerned.
He also pleaded for the cooperation framework plan to be accessible and popularized to have a common understanding. “I have no doubt that the UN and its branches can provide considerable, multifaceted and multidimensional support with a positive impact on the various programs of the government of Burundi and on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said. -he thinks.
The resident coordinator of the United Nations system in Burundi, Mr. Damien Mama congratulated the government of Burundi for the progress made in terms of peace, explaining that Burundi is no longer on the agenda of the commission for the consolidation of the peace. He reassured that the United Nations will be part of the new dynamic launched by the government of Burundi through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation.
Note that the solemn signing of that new cooperation framework plan is scheduled for December 3, 2022 by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Burundi, the Burundian Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, the resident coordinator of the system of United Nations in Burundi and the various representatives of United Nations agencies in Burundi.