Today marked the start of the Development Partners Retreat (DPR) - a two-day event in which senior government officials and key institutional partners come together to discuss strategies for improving development programmes in Rwanda.

This year’s event, which takes place in Rubavu, is the 18^th Annual DPR, and will take place around the theme: “From Response to a Resilient Recovery to Covid-19". Accordingly, participants will review Rwanda’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and discuss the efforts currently underway to emerge stronger in the post-pandemic world.

The retreat brings together officials from across government, as well as from other stakeholders in Rwanda’s economic development, including multilateral institutions, international NGOs, and private sector representatives.

It presents an opportunity to address issues that may have not been tackled at quarterly Development Partners Coordination Group meetings, and to foster open dialogue and collaboration between the Government of Rwanda and these important partners.

A strong recovery from the global economic downturn created by Covid-19 is extremely important to Rwanda’s development, and the lives and livelihoods of the Rwandan population. Strong collaboration and partnership will be crucial in ensuring that the country builds back better from the pandemic, and stays on track to the ambitious goals set out by Vision 2050 and the National Strategy for Transformation.

Opening the retreat, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana, who is chairing the DPR, remarked: “Today, we are meeting physically for the first time since the start of the pandemic, to discuss how we can work with our partners to recover stronger from the hardships of Covid-19. The return to a physical setting is a reminder that, if we work together, we can overcome any obstacle – and that is the spirit which will guide our discussions over the next two days.”

The Minister also took the opportunity to thank all the partners for their unwavering support, solidarity, and commitment throughout the most challenging periods of the pandemic.

Dr. Fode Ndiaye, the UN Resident Coordinator and DPR co-chair congratulated the Government of Rwanda for its strong leadership throughout the pandemic, and looked forward with optimism to working closely on Rwanda’s continued development.

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If you have any questions, kindly contact the DPCG Secretariat:

MINECOFIN/External Finance Directorate: efd@minecofin.gov.rw