Being a signatory of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Rwanda had committed to address issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights. Since then, Rwanda has developed and implemented several health policies and strategies towards universal sexual reproductive health. Over the past two decades, Rwanda has made tremendous progress in implementing innovative, high impact health programmes to improve the health of women and children.  This was due to strong commitment from the country’s leadership from the highest level of government down to community level, political stability & security in the region coupled with innovative and effective interventions.

Although progress is remarkable, there is still work to be done to ensure the population's sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“ICPD vision is still far from reality, and the journey that began 25 years ago in Cairo is far from over. It’s time now to finish that unfinished business. We have come to Nairobi because we refuse to accept good progress as good enough; we insist that a promise made must be a promise kept to girls and women, boys and men, to everyone” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, at the opening of the Nairobi Summit.

164 member states attended, and the Nairobi summit mobilized more than 1250 commitments from around the world, and many more pledges from public and private sector. Rwanda is one  of the countries that renewed its commitments to transform the world by ending all maternal deaths and all unmet needs for family planning, gender based violence and harmful practices against women and girls by 2030. Rwanda commitments were presented, at the summit, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Dr Vincent Biruta.

“To attain zero unmet need for family planning, zero maternal deaths and zero violence and harmful practices against women and girls, including child marriage and female genital mutilation, we must work toward a mindset shift about women’s rights over their own bodies, and their future,” said H.E First Lady Jeannette Kagame during the high-level dialogue on women leadership at NairobiSummit.

The Nairobi summit on ICPD25 was convened by the governments of Kenya and Denmark and UNFPA to mobilize the political will and financial commitments to finally and fully implement the ICPD Programme of Action. Rwanda was represented by over 20 delegates including H.E the First Lady Mrs Jeanette Kagame, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of State/Health, UNFPA Rwanda, Media, Youth, and CSOs. 

Rwanda, as the current chair, also delivered EAC commitments presented by the State Minister in the Ministry of Health Dr Patrick Ndimubanzi who also participated in different sessions of the summit as the key speaker.

UNFPA Rwanda together with partners will continue to popularize and promote Rwanda commitments at all levels and encourage their implementation.

Find Rwanda commitments here http://www.nairobisummiticpd.org/commitments