Swiss, Rwandan parliaments share experiences

A delegation of seven lawmakers from Switzerland that was in Rwanda recently expressed interested in learning from the Rwandan Parliament on how they can increase the number of women in their House. Currently, Rwanda leads the world in having the biggest number of women parliamentarians with 56.3% of its 80 MPs. According to Inter-parliamentary Union, Switzerland is ranked 26 with 29% of its 200 MPs being women. A statement from the Rwandan parliament indicates that; “regarding women in decision making positions, the Swiss Parliament is still ranked lower compared to Rwanda and in this case has a lot to learn from the Rwandan parliament.” The Swiss delegation headed by lawmaker, Brigit Wyss, also held talks with the Rwanda Women Parliamentarians and exchanged views on the current achievements of both Houses in empowering women. During their visit to Kigali, the delegation expressed shock at the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and called on the entire world to never to allow Genocide to happen anywhere. They also visited Kibuye Hospital, which receives support from a public health programme funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Ends

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Swiss, Rwandan parliaments share experiences