BUJUMBURA March 15th (ABP) – The National Assembly of Burundi welcomed at the Best Outlook Hotel on Thursday March 14, 2019 the delegations of parliaments members of the Forum of Parliaments of the member countries of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (FP-ICGLR) attending the third statutory meeting of the FP-ICGLR Economic Development, Regional Integration and Natural Resources Commission. In her opening address, the second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms. Jocky Chantal Nkurunziza, wished those delegations welcome to Burundi. She then indicated that this third meeting is the continuation of the two previous meetings and offers a new opportunity to discuss key issues of regional integration and the realization of the content of the pact on security, stability and development in the Great Lakes region and its protocols.
Ms. Nkurunziza pointed out that the meeting is an opportunity to share the lived experiences of member countries and their respective parliaments, adding that the exchange of best practices, challenges encountered and lessons learned will improve the role of parliaments in promoting economic integration in the Great Lakes region.
The second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly said that parliaments must equip themselves with effective mechanisms to deal with the effects of this reality, including regional integration and its assets by using their prerogatives to promote regional integration beneficial to the States.
She said that this meeting takes place while Burundi has just approved the National Development Plan 2018-2027, in a global context of integration for sustainable growth, with the ambition of forging a strong partnership with private sector, neighboring countries, countries of the African continent and other traditional and non-traditional partners of the rest of the world.
She ended her remarks by thanking the Secretary-General of the FP-ICGLR Onyango Kakoba for accepting that the 10th session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the FP-ICGLR be held in Bujumbura in December of this year, emphasizing that the parliament of Burundi is preparing to organize this session well.
