07/07/2007

Italian NGO rewards Rwanda for good governance

The President of Saint�Egidio, an Italian humanitarian organisation, Marco Impagliazzo has described Rwanda as exemplary in regard to good governance in the Great Lakes region. Impagliazzo met President Paul Kagame at Village Urugwiro yesterday.

�Impagliazzo said that the fact that Rwanda was proved exemplary regarding good governance, made his organization set up its regional offices in Rwanda,� Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama, who accompanied the President, said.

The Great Lakes chapter of Saint�Egidio was opened here on Thursday.

�Now all activities of the organization are to be coordinated from Rwanda and President Kagame promised all the support they want in their endeavors,� Karugarama added.

He said that among other developments, the removal of death penalty raised Rwanda�s profile Rwanda both in Italy and the rest of Europe.

The government is pushing to repeal the death penalty from Rwandan legal books. The bill, which has been approved in the lower chamber of parliament, is before the Senate where it will be forwarded to the President�s office for promulgation if adopted.

Saint�Egidio has been operating in Rwanda in promoting unity and reconciliation and training street children in income-generating activities.

�They have pledged to help in the fight against Aids, where they will be helping in the provision of anti-retroviral drugs to the sick,� Karugarama said.

Felly Kimenyi