Why Burundi needs more than a new President to break cycle of violence?
RegionWeek Newsletter Vol III, Issue #106 | Monday, July 13, 2020
This is a new version of RegionWeek Newsletter for the 3rd season( July-December 2020). The content targets Business leaders, Decision-makers, and Young professionals with interests in Burundi and East Africa. Subscribe to stay productive, and competitive in a pandemic and disrupted season.
Dear Readers,
I hope you are having a wonderful week staying safe and healthy, wearing a mask when out of the house! Welcome to another RegionWeek Newsletter edition, where we share some great reads and some strategic pieces of information. But first, let’s get to the news.
KEY HEADLINES
The international community must not relax the pressure on Burundi
“The international community must not relax the pressure it is exerting on the Burundian government”, the UN Commission of Inquiry into Burundi pleaded Tuesday when it presented its report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. According to UN investigators led by Doudou Diene, "it takes more than a new president to break the cycle of violence in Burundi."
They, therefore, warn the international community against "a premature release" and a will "to turn the page", "as if ... an election and a political transition were enough to automatically guarantee the improvement of the human rights situation in the future
" If the international community is really concerned to see the human rights situation evolve positively in the coming months and years, it must remain vigilant because "the system of governance put in place for the benefit of the CNDD-FDD party remains in place",
insisted Doudou Diene.
You can access here the statement made by Amb. TabuRenovat, the Permanent Representative of Burundi in Geneva, during the interactive dialogue with the commission of inquiry on Burundi during the presentation of its second oral report.
Anti-Corruption Observatory Asks political agents to declare their assets
Mr. Gabriel Rufyiri, Head of Olucome asks the President of the Republic of Burundi to comply in particular with the Burundian Constitution and the anti-corruption law. The latter has an obligation on political representatives and state officials to make declarations of property at the beginning and at the end of their mandate.
Illicit enrichment, trading in influence, money laundering, favoritism, etc. Among other offenses identified by the Anti-Corruption Observatory due to the failure to declare the assets of political agents and state officials.
The president of Olucome underlines the existence of these offenses in Burundi. "The suspected perpetrators are not at all worried by the Burundian justice", maintains Gabriel Rufyiri, hoping that "these offenses are reprimanded so that the embezzled funds are returned to the public treasury,” Writes Iwacu.
Burundi is ready to pay its debt
The Ministry of East African Community Affairs, Youth, Sports, and Culture denies the information circulated on social networks, and articles in The EastAfrican newspaper about a resolution on the exclusion of the Republic of Burundi from EAC which would have been taken by the Legislative Assembly of the EAC.
“Burundi ready to pay arrears promptly” announced Minister Ezechiel Nibigira in a press conference this Monday.
Amb. Ezéchiel Nibigira said that Burundi has one-year arrears (2019-2020), which he says it cannot push EAC to exclude Burundi. The delay in payment is due to the preparation period and the holding of general elections on the one hand which were financed by the Burundians themselves.
“Burundi is committed to honoring the commitments signed since its integration, including the payment of the statutory contributions which are specified by the provisions of the Treaty establishing the EAC” he concluded.
The world Investment report is here
The 30th-anniversary edition of our annual World Investment Report – WIR2020: International Production Beyond the Pandemic, is just launched.
The Report provides the latest trends and prospects for global and regional investment flows and it documents recent national policy changes and developments around international investment agreements. It includes a detailed assessment of the impact of the crisis caused by COVID-19 on both trends and policies.
This year’s report contains a new chapter on Investment in the SDGs, with an assessment of progress made on mobilizing and channeling investment to SDG during the first 5 years after the adoption of the SDGs.
The international production system is entering a decade of transformation. This transformation will bring both challenges and opportunities for investment and development policymakers: Challenges include increased divestment, relocation and investment diversion, and a shrinking pool of efficiency-seeking investment, implying tougher competition for FDI. Opportunities arising from the transformation include attracting investors looking to diversify supply bases and building redundancy and resilience.
BUSINESS TALK
As we mentioned in Yesterday's issue, the RegionWeek team will now focus more on helping business leaders and decision-makers to adapt and explore new possibilities that come with the COVID-19 partial reopening.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, quoted by CNN said that “There will be no return to the old normal for the forsseable future.”
According to him, we need to reach a sustainable situation where we do have adequate control of this virus without shutting down our lives entirely or lurching from lockdown to lockdown.
To help RegionWeek Readers to adapt and thrive in their businesses, from this Wednesday we will share a series of strategies titled: “ 5 things you Can do for your Business to stay effective during and after the COVID-19”. Each edition of RegionWeek Newsletter we will share in this new segment called “Business Talk” actions you need to take to stay relevant and keep a competitive edge.
That’s all for today!
Thank you for reading, please let us know what you think. If we judge that our readers will enjoy your views we will share the note here. Send a message at editor@regionweek.com
Your servant,
Fabrice Iranzi, RegionWeek.com
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