Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi
On Friday, November 28, 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration, and Development Cooperation, His Excellency Ambassador Eduard BIZIMANA, presented the report on activities carried out over 100 days from August to November 2025.
In his speech, Ambassador Eduard BIZIMANA reminded that the objective of this exercise is to present to both national and international opinion what the Ministry accomplishes on a daily basis. His presentation was structured around three programs: defending Burundi’s interests internationally, regional integration and international cooperation, and general administration. The Ministry highlighted bilateral cooperation while maintaining and developing cooperative ties with Burundi and many other partner countries.
As part of strengthening bilateral cooperation and achieving political-diplomatic gains, the Ministry participated in the adoption sessions of agreements such as the Framework Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Burundi and the Government of the Principality of Monaco, and three agreements were signed between the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Serbia. Laws and conventions were ratified, and in this case, seven draft laws ratifying seven bilateral agreements signed by Burundi with partner countries were approved by the Council of Ministers and adopted by the National Assembly and the Senate. In this same context, other activities with the character of bilateral cooperation were carried out, including work missions in partner countries.
As part of strengthening and promoting multilateral cooperation, Burundi has participated in several bilateral meetings and international forums, all aimed at enhancing cooperation with the rest of the world on issues of common interest. Specifically, Burundi presented and supported the candidacy of Ambassador Ezéchiel NIBIGIRA for the position of President of the ECCAS Commission. There was a handover of the Presidency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) between His Excellency Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE, President of the Republic of Burundi, and His Excellency William RUTO, President of the Republic of Kenya. Burundi also participated in the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, organized training sessions for senior government officials on Burundi’s presidency of the African Union starting in February 2026, participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Kampala from October 13 to 16, 2025, and took part in the 2nd Global Summit on Social Development.
In the context of promoting the employment of migrants, significant actions have been undertaken: several agreements have been signed between the Government of Burundi and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Gabon regarding migrant labor. Six new agencies have been authorized, and licenses have been granted to these agencies. Work visits have also been conducted to certain recruitment agencies. Regarding support for humanitarian efforts, four approvals have been granted to NGO personnel, and fifteen extensions of approval have been granted to other organizations.
Regarding the defense of legal interests and the sovereignty of the country at the international level, several concrete actions have been taken in this regard. As for international cooperation and the development of cooperative ties with foreign NGOs and non-profit organizations, His Excellency the Minister indicated that collaboration between the Ministry and NGOs is effective. In the context of diplomatic communication, several key activities have been implemented to enhance the visibility and commitment of the Ministry. He mentioned, among other things: the development and dissemination of quarterly bulletins, the publication of magazines in French and English, the preparation of a semi-annual briefing session for diplomats on the geopolitical situation in Burundi, and a press conference for the media on the Ministry’s major achievements, the preparation of a radio and television program (Umugambi w’Iterambere), and the establishment of a geomatics unit.
The Minister emphasized that in order to implement the vision of Burundi as an emerging country by 2040 and a developed country by 2060, the Ministry has faced some challenges in certain areas, such as the lack of financial resources for physical participation in meetings, which has led to online participation that does not yield good results due to insufficient internet connectivity. The lack of a building to accommodate all the Ministry’s staff according to its new structure is also a hindrance to the implementation of the Ministry’s missions. He concluded by citing the future perspectives of the Ministry, which include promoting multilateral cooperation, restoring Burundi’s image abroad through cultural diplomacy and tourism, continuing the implementation of economic diplomacy policy, supporting the diaspora and promoting the employment of migrants, pursuing a foreign policy focused on economic diplomacy, ensuring an increased presence of Burundi and Burundians in regional and international organizations, acquiring diplomatic buildings, and constructing new strategic infrastructures.
