UN pledges support to KICD initiative

IGP Emmanuel K. Gasana [middle] shares a light moment with KICD chairman CPP Andre Ndayambaje [left] and UN Resident Coordinator.

ONE UN Rwanda has pledged support to the Kigali International Conference Declaration (KICD) initiatives, which include the construction of the permanent secretariat facility in Kigali.

KICD is noble campaign that brings together African countries to combat violence against women and girls particularly in conflict situations.

The UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Lamin M. Manneh, who doubles as the United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Rwanda, announced the support on March 22, during a one-day KICD conference held at the Rwanda National Police headquarters in Kacyiru.

The conference was also attended by the Chairman of KICD, CPP Andre Ndayambaje, the Inspector General Rwanda National Police (IGP) Emmanuel K. Gasana as well as officials from UN family Rwanda and senior officer of Rwanda National Police.

CPP Ndayambaje is also the Director General of Burundi National Police Force.

“You know this is a very serious crime as lives of young women and girls are destroyed.

It is very important as we discuss KICD that this is the ultimate objective to end violence against women and girls in conflict situations.”

“I think it deserves the full support of every rationale human being and this why UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon launched the initiative in 2008 called ‘Unite’.”

“We will be supporting KICD not only in organising events but in ensuring that it mobilizes all the Africans around the continent own this important campaign. Though many African countries have signed up, there are still a few that still need to join the initiative. UN support will also aim at mobilization of all the African countries and we will also support capacity building initiatives like CPX as well as other broad range of activities as much as we could,”

Manneh further added, “We are very pleased with the work done so far, the collective work has been captured very well. There is also a lot of professionalism in the work that has been done in as far as KICD is concerned,”

“We should commend all the countries that are part of it and Rwanda in particular. Again, it is another area where the country has shown its commitment through the visionary leadership of President Paul Kagame and under the direct coordination of the IGP Emmanuel K. Gasana,” Manneh noted.

The KICD chairman Ndayambaje said that his mission to Rwanda was to help him interact, consult, access  the work done by the Secretariat as well as discuss how to engage the member states in participating in the activities of KICD.

“I am also requesting partners to support KICD planned activities such that we can jointly end violence against women and girls. As a chairman, I will ensure that KICD becomes a success in addressing Gender-Based Violence against women and girls,”

“All countries have the responsibility of curbing GBV against women and girls and more especially, every country should come on board such that by 2015, we can completely end this crime as requested by UN Security Council,” added Ndayambaje.

The conference participants were given a status on the Kigali International Conference Declaration which was inaugurated in 2010. The laying of a foundation stone for its headquarters will be done in May and a month later, the Africa Command Post Exercise [CPX] will be held.

Rwanda Police Chief IGP Gasana said in his remarks that, “We are planning a very important event that attempts to reshape policing in a sense that we are looking at a bigger picture of pursuing collective security. We are trying to partner with all Africans and beyond to ensure that we end violence against women and girls,”

“We want to establish a center of excellence in Africa with a permanent secretariat based in Rwanda. We are trying to see if the UN Secretary General can lay a foundation stone for the KICD during his visit to Rwanda in May,” added IGP Gasana.

They were plans to hold both events in the same month but the CPX was shifted to ensure that better planning and organisation is done to ensure that Rwanda hosts a bigger and successful exercise play that will attract African security officers.

The activities that have been realised by the secretariat based in Kigali include;  a regional capacity workshop held in 2011, developed training manual on role of security in ending violence against women and girls, hosted an African security organs annual review meeting, developed a KICD website which has been operational since 2010, held a second annual general meeting in November last year in Burundi as well as ensuring that that KICD secretariat office is functional.