Rwanda has promised to successfully and safely host the 145th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU) due in Kigali in October 2022. This was announced at the end of 144th IPU Assembly that took place in Indonesia from March 20-24, 2022. Esperance Nyirasafari, the Senate Vice President in charge of Parliamentary Affairs attended the event. It is expected that at least 178 parliament speakers, and about 1,000 delegates will attend the Assembly in Kigali. On behalf of Rwanda, Nyirasafari welcomed Speakers and heads of parliaments to the assembly and related meetings to be held in Rwanda in October. She said Rwanda was supposed to host the IPU Assembly in 2020, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Therefore, it is a great joy to host the assembly when the world is recovering from the Covid-19,” she said. Currently, she said, 61 percent of Rwandan population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. “The target is that 86 percent of the population will be vaccinated very soon,” she said. “The Parliament of Rwanda reaffirms its commitment to organise in collaboration with IPU leadership a successful and enjoyable assembly in the City of Kigali in Rwanda,” she observed. IPU is the global organisation of national parliaments, with 178 member parliaments from 193 countries. This global entity is committed to the promotion of democracy, equality, human rights, development and peace. Its Members work together to achieve positive change, both in their own countries and internationally. Talking about the 144th IPU Assembly that concluded in Indonesia, it was held under the theme “Getting to Zero: Mobilising Parliaments to act on climate change”. During the event, Nyirasafari said, they discussed important issues, one of them being climate change which is one of the greatest threats to global prosperity and development. She delivered her remarks to the Plenary Assembly on Rwandas measures on climate change. “Rwanda is committed to be a country that has a clean and healthy environment with resilience to climate variability in order to support a high quality of life for its citizens, she said. The Assembly, she said, also debated an emergency item related to the war in Ukraine, a proposal submitted by the delegation of New Zealand. “By attending the 145th Assembly in Rwanda, as parliamentarians, we will continue to express our views on different issues that the world is facing and we will take resolutions for action,” she said. At the occasion, she also showed delegates a video about Rwanda including its touristic attractions and what it has to offer in the hospitality industry. They include the Kigali Convention Centre as the country’s major conference venue, RwandAir as the national carrier, Kigali Arena for indoor sports facility, exhibition facilities, and mountain gorillas, among others.
