UNFPA Rwanda Holds Annual Planning Retreat

The highlight of the retreat was how to strengthen UNFPA’s presence in the five districts (Karongi, Nyamasheke, Rubavu, Rusizi and Ngororero) in which UNFPA operates and to consolidate UNFPA’s support to the district development plans and priorities.

While opening the retreat, the UNFPA Country Representative, Ms Victoria Akyeampong urged staff to work hard to achieve the Rwanda Country Office targets. “At the end of the day what matters is that we function as a team. Our mandate remains the same, which is to promote the right of every man, woman and child to enjoy  a life of health and equal opportunity,” she said.

Commenting about UNFPA priorities, Ms Akyeampong said: “We are looking more and more at how we can support the youth because they are the majority. In Rwanda the youth are 67% of the population and it is pertinent to reach out to them so that we can make a positive change in their lives.”

The Resident Representative welcomed new staff who include five UNFPA District Programme Coordinators (UNVs) and other programme staff. She reminded UNVs of the importance of their work. “You are the ears and eyes of UNFPA in the districts. You are very key to the success of UNFPA operations in Rwanda, therefore you should work closely with other programme staff at the Country Office,” she said.

The Deputy Country Representative, Mr. Cheikh Fall, briefed the new staff about the evolution of UNFPA as a global organization and presented the way forward regarding the new strategic direction of UNFPA as articulated by the Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Ostimehin.

Each Head of Unit outlined activities they carried out during the 2011 financial year, challenges they faced and suggested priorities for 2012. Staff also put in place strategies for strengthening UNFPA’s district operations and proposed UNFPA’s possible key areas of intervention for the next United Nations Development Action Plan (UNDAP) cycle.