By Evans Dakwa, News Editor
Kigali, Rwanda – The Rwandan government has formally expressed its interest in hosting United Nations (UN) functions, agencies, and programs as part of the organization’s relocation efforts under the UN80 Initiative.
Kigali is positioning and offering itself to the UN and has written a letter informing the Secretary General of the UN of its desire citing a plethora of reasons which position Rwanda as the ideal place in Africa.
Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente highlighted Rwanda’s competitive advantages which positions as the prime destination for hosting the UN Agencies.
“Rwanda has positioned itself as a competitive destination for multilateral institutions, offering a cost-effective, secure, reliable and enabling environment for their operations.Kigali’s location provides direct air connectivity to key regional and global hubs. Our strong record of political stability, institutional efficiency, and safety ensures continuity of mission and staff well-being, ” wrote Dr Ngirente.
He also said the Government of Rwanda is prepared to offer office facilities and essential services, while actively partnering on the development of a long-term UN campus in the heart of the City of Kigali. Kigali’s proposal also includes the full package of privileges, immunities, and tax exemptions in accordance with UN standards.
The Prime Minister also dangled the stability carrot to the Secretary General saying ” Rwanda has astrong record of political stability, institutional efficiency, and safety is a key factor in ensuring continuity of programs.”
Rwanda’s proposal signals the country’s desire to position itself towards playing a leading role in the geopolitics of the world. It remains to be seen if the UN will warm up to Kigali given earlier indications had pointed to Nairobi and Pretoria as the preferred choices hosting some UN agency offices.