Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi
On Friday February 28, 2025, the Government of Burundi organized a strategic retreat for development partners to prepare for the launch of the activities of the Joint Coordination Committee (CCC) as part of the operationalization of the National Strategy for Development Cooperation (SNCD) at Kiriri Garden Hotel.
The retreat was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, His Excellency Ambassador Albert Shingiro, in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of the Interministerial National Steering Committee for the National Development Cooperation Strategy, and by the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System, Madam Violet KAKYOMYA. Other participants in the retreat included the Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, the Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, the Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines, the Minister of Justice, and senior government officials from the Presidency of the Republic of Burundi, including those from the Strategic Studies and Development Office (BESD). Other ministries represented included the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry of National Solidarity, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Human Rights and Gender, and a number of ambassadors from the European Union, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, China and Switzerland.
In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, His Excellency Ambassador Albert Shingiro, spoke about the importance of the retreat, which serves as a reference framework for development cooperation and is in line with the revised National Development Plan, and, more generally, with the vision of ‘’Burundi as an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060’’, more precisely in its fifth pillar dedicated to fruitful partnership. He did not forget to mention the new administrative division, he announced that the number of provinces had been reduced from 18 to 5, while the number of communes had been reduced from 118 to 42.
Following the speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, the first presentation was made by Ambassador Gaudence Sindayigaya, Director General in charge of Multilateral Relations. He spoke about the National Strategy for Development Cooperation (SNCD) 2023-2027, a dynamic, high-performance cooperation system.
The second presentation was given by Liliane Cishahayo, representative of the Strategic Studies and Development Office (BESD). She spoke about the Project and Program Monitoring
System Supported by Development Partners (SYSPAP), a new centralized, coherent and digitalized system providing real-time information on development cooperation.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Nestor Ntahontuye, in his turn, spoke about the revised National Development Plan 2018-2027 and its Priority Action Plan 2023-2027, in line with the vision of ‘’Burundi as an emerging country by 2040 and developed by 2060’’, while the representative of the Minister of the Interior, Community Development and Public Safety spoke of the new administrative division.
In her speech, the European Union Ambassador to Burundi, Madam Wolfram, welcomed the organization of the retreat, pointing out that international cooperation consultations promote the efficient management of strategic resources. She also congratulated the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, the government authorities, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system, the ministers and government representatives for the success of the meeting.
The activities of the retreat were characterized by intense and fruitful discussions on various important themes, with a view to operationalizing the Development Cooperation Strategy and taking the first steps towards realizing the Vision of Burundi as an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060.
Before closing the retreat, a number of recommendations were made. These included strengthening the consultation mechanisms provided for in the national development strategy (SNCD), reinforcing the tools or information systems for partner commitments, including the Project and Program Monitoring
System Supported by Development Partners (SYSPAP), to improve synergy and coherence between interventions and their impact, the effective operationalization of sectoral and consultation groups to strengthen sectoral dialogue, the reinforcement of cooperation units at ministry level, the strengthening of the role of and collaboration with decentralized and deconcentrated entities.
In closing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, His Excellency Ambassador Albert Shingiro, thanked the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System and all her teams for all the arrangements that had been made to make this event possible, enjoyable and fruitful, and to all those who, from near and far, had made their invaluable contribution to this work.
