UN Rwanda Annual Report 2012

United Nations Rwanda Delivering as One Annual Report 2012

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UNITED NATIONS RWANDA Office of the UN Resident Coordinator PO Box 445 - Kigali - Rwanda Tel: (+250) 252 590 403 Fax: (+250) 252 578 439 E-mail: rcoffice.rw@one.un.org www.rw.one.un.org

Foreword By the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Chair of the One UN Steering Committee ..... iii

2012

Table of contents

Executive Summary ............................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 Overview of Rwanda’s development progress and policy trends 2008-2012 ......... 1 Chapter 2 UNDAF Results and Part 1: UNDAF Part 2a: UNDAF Part 2b: UNDAF Part 3: UNDAF Part 4: UNDAF Part 5a: UNDAF Part 5b: UNDAF

Achievements .................................................................... 13 Result on Gover nance .......................................................... 13 Result on HIV and AIDS ........................................................ 21 Result on Health, Population and Nutrition ............................. 26 Result on Education ............................................................. 30 Result on Environment .......................................................... 35 Result on Sustainable Growth ................................................ 43 Result on Social Protection .................................................... 49

Chapter 3 Progress in Delivering as One .......................................................................... 57 Part A: Gover nance and Coordination Structure ............................................ 57 Part B: The four Pillars of Delivering as One ................................................. 61 Chapter 4 Conclusion and a way forward ......................................................................... 67 Annexes Annex Annex Annex Annex Annex

1: 2: 3: 4: 5:

MDGs Progresses ............................................................................ 71 Financial Reporting ......................................................................... 75 Chronological overview of the DaO Reform Process in Rwanda in 2012 .. 79 Abbreviations ................................................................................ 81 UNCT Members .............................................................................. 83

One UN Rwanda

By The UN Resident Coordinator ...................................................................................................... v

Annual Report

Introductory Remarks

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2012 Annual Report

The President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon

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here there has been real partnership, the results speak for themselves.

Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

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hat is partly why I have pushed so hard for UN reform - to make the UN faster, more effective, and more results-oriented. To make it more transparent, accountable, and efficient. To make a better UN that delivers on our most critical missions including development.

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

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Dear Reader,

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s the Chair of the One UN Steering Committee, it is my pleasure to present to you the One UN Rwanda Annual Report for 2012. The year was an important one for the Delivering as One (DaO) globally as it was the last for the pilot phase since the initiative was launched in 2007 within the wider context of deeper and broader UN reforms. The High-Level Intergovernmental Conference on Delivering as One which was held in Tirana/Albania in June 2012 and the UN General Assembly’s Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) of December 2012 reaffirmed that DaO is the way to go in the future.

The Government of Rwanda considers the DaO as an important reform initiative aimed at achieving efficiency and effectiveness of the UN Development Cooperation globally and particularly in Rwanda in order to make significant impacts on the livelihood of the people.

The experience gained from implementing the DaO during the pilot phase has shown that it has contributed to improving the coherence and effectiveness of the UN support to Rwanda’s efforts towards sustainable development and meaningful poverty reduction. This report presents key achievements and progress accomplished in 2012 in the implementation of the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) as well as the progress made on the DaO reform agenda in general.

In early 2012, the Government of Rwanda revised the targets of the Vision 2020. It set a higher average annual growth rate of 11.5% from 8.2%. This is aimed at accelerating economic transformation and deeper poverty reduction in order to bring about inclusive growth to meet the ultimate goal of Rwanda becoming a middle-income country by 2020. These revised goals were based on the remarkable progress the country has made as evident in the third Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV) and the fourth Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), including a double digit reduction in poverty (11.8%) between 2005 and 2011; substantial reduction of maternal mortality; halving the under-five mortality; measurable increase in primary school enrollment and doubling net secondary school attendance. The review of the first Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) implementation also revealed that over 95% of the targets were on track. Based on these achievements, the Government of Rwanda embarked on the formulation of the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II), which aims at ensuring a better quality of life for all Rwandans through rapid economic growth and accelerated poverty reduction.

2012 Annual Report

By the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Chair of the One UN Steering Committee

One UN Rwanda

Foreword

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda iv

The Government considers the process of EDPRS II formulation as having a critical importance to deepening national ownership over Rwanda’s future , particularly with regard to national development and poverty reduction efforts.

The process is important to our inclusive development partnership within the context of the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.

The Busan Partnership reaffirms the national ownership of development priorities as one of the key foundation stones for effective development cooperation. To this end, the Government of Rwanda and its Development Partners engaged actively in constructive policy dialogue on the strategic orientation of the EDPRS II. This was done through the Development Partners Retreat (DPR), the Strategic Joint Planning Retreat, the Development Partners Coordination Group (DPCG), and the Sector Working Groups. The UN System, through the Delivering as One, has made important contribution to all those processes.

Built on the principle of national ownership and leadership, the Delivering as One has strengthened the UN alignment to the national priorities. Indeed, the One UN Steering Committee plays a critical role in enabling a more effective Government involvement in setting strategic direction and contribution to the UN support. The Government and the UN System had jointly worked in 2012 to re-establish and reinvigorate the One UN Steering Committee with a view to enhancing the decision-making role of the Committee over the strategic directions of the Delivering as One. The role of the One UN Steering Committee became even more critical as the UN System in Rwanda formulated the new United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) in line with the Government’s development priorities as elaborated in the EDPRS II. The Government of Rwanda looks forward to further engagement during the implementation of the UNDAP so as to further strengthen the UN support to Rwanda and ensure that it has significant impact on the quality of life of Rwandans.

As Chair of the One UN Steering Committee, I would like to reiterate our commitment to continue leading in providing strategic guidance and oversight over the effective implementation of the Delivering as One. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the UN Resident Coordinator, who assumed his function in September 2012, for his dynamic leadership in reinforcing the DaO and to the members of the UN Country Team for the strong support provided.

Ambassador Claver Gatete Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Chair of the One UN Steering Committee

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he year 2012 marked a significant milestone for the UN System -Wide Coherence agenda as it was the last year of the pilot phase for the Delivering as One (DaO).

Globally, the strong commitment to Delivering as One was maintained as reflected in the significant increase in the number of countries adopting the DaO approach, thus, resulting in the strengthening of national leadership and ownership of the UN reform process. The independent evaluation of lessons learned from Delivering as One indicated that the reform agenda has indeed enabled the UN to strategically shift towards: (i) a more coherent programming process for enhanced results; (ii) increased coordination among UN Agencies and programmes and their utilization of the resources at their disposal; (iii) improved coherence of UN communications; and (iv) strengthened leadership of the Resident Coordinator position. In addition to strengthening the leadership and ownership of the host governments over the UN programmes, the report also observed that further progress on business harmonization is needed to bring about more reduction of operational costs. Above all, the QCPR of December 2012 confirmed that the DaO is the optimal way forward for all programme countries.

The Government of Rwanda continued to demonstrate strong leadership and ownership of the UN processes. It has implemented several mechanisms to enhance aid effectiveness and coordination among development partners as well as facilitating a favorable environment for effective development cooperation. Indeed the Delivering as One reform efforts in Rwanda have enjoyed tremendous support from the Government since its inception in 2007. The Government is setting the tone for effective economic transformation through its exemplary model of visionary, innovative and transformational leadership. The remarkable socio-economic changes that have been experienced in Rwanda over the past few years is in fact a testimony of how people’s lives can be changed through visionary leadership and are mobilizing the whole population around a national vision for sustainable development.

2012 Annual Report

By The UN Resident Coordinator

One UN Rwanda

Introductory Remarks

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

Undoubtedly, the UN system in Rwanda has made remarkable progress towards achieving the objectives of Delivering as One. In collaboration with the Government and other development partners, significant progress was recorded in all UNDAF result areas and the work of the UNDAF theme groups have seen marked improvements, coherent coordination for joint planning and implementation under the technical and advisory guidance of the Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC). For instance, through the participatory programming process, duplication has been reduced and synergies between agencies increased, resulting in a better division of labor through which agencies can focus on the activities where they have the comparative advantage.

Rwanda’s approach to development and poverty reduction, that fosters innovations, citizen-centered and homegrown solutions, has led to impressive achievements over the last decade. Dynamic and innovative initiatives, such as Imihigo, Gacaca, Umuganda, National Dialogue, and most recently, the Agaciro Development Fund, are leading ways for shifting the mind-set of Rwandans and transforming people’s lives. The Government’s strong commitment to policy implementation is reflected in the impressive development results that have led to measurable increase in economic growth and significant poverty reduction and notable progress towards achieving MDGS, particularly over the past five years.

Building on the achievements made thus far, the Government of Rwanda is launching yet another ground-breaking segment of its ambitious journey towards the realization of the Vision 2020 goals and full economic, social and political transformation, as encapsulated in its second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The EDPRS II emphases the creation of transformational capacity in productive sectors and employment creation through dramatically shifting from factor-driven growth to efficiency and innovation -driven growth.

The UN, using the strengthened Delivering as One Framework, strives to contribute even more effectively and efficiently to development planning processes of the country. In 2012, the UNCT accelerated its efforts to provide relevant and strategic support in a number of sectors, such as education, social protection, HIV/AIDS, governance, environment and natural resources management, health and population, private sector development, nutrition, gender mainstreaming, among others. Indeed, the UNCT demonstrated strong commitment to ensuring that the next UNDAP (2013-2018) is fully aligned to the national priorities set out in the EDPRS II. The year 2012 also presented Rwanda with a number of significant challenges resulting from natural disasters, increased international competition and regional insecurity due to the war in the Eastern DRC. Through the Delivering as One, the UN family successfully responded to the Government’s request to provide humanitarian support as well as capacity strengthening for disaster management. The successful and timely response demonstrated that the UN agencies can indeed maximize their impact by working jointly, building on the comparative advantage and technical expertise of each agency, and by facilitating national ownership and government leadership.

The five years of implementation of the DaO has changed the way the UN works in Rwanda. The UN Country Team has built a strong sense of “One UN” and strengthened the spirit of joint collaboration and teamwork. In its final year of implementation, the DaO will continue to be the major focus of the UN system in delivering development assistance. Significant lessons have been learned over the years and the UNCT is ever committed to improving effectiveness and system-wide coherence through the Musanze Compact in support of the next United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP).

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government and people of Rwanda, in particular to the President of the Republic of Rwanda for his wise and visionary leadership and his unrelenting commitment to development efforts of this country in general and to the continuing UN Reforms for more coherence and greater

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Last but not the least, I wish to acknowledge and commend my colleagues in the UN Country Team and all other UN colleagues in Rwanda for their continuous dedication to the goals of the United Nations and for their selfless hard work in support of the Government and people of Rwanda in their endeavors to achieve the MDGs and the aspirations of Vision 2020 and beyond.

As the UN Resident Coordinator, I wish to reaffirm the commitment of the United Nations in Rwanda and my personal commitment to continue supporting the government and the people of Rwanda in their development and transformational endeavors. I am convinced that together, and with the support and partnership with the friends of Rwanda, we will be able to consolidate the gains in making this land of a “thousand hills” into a more prosperous land of a “thousand possibilities”. I am excited about my humble role during this important journey together with the government and people of Rwanda and the other development partners.

2012 Annual Report

results-orientation. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning as Chair of the One UN Steering Committee, for his guidance and strategic oversight over the DaO in Rwanda as well as his support to the UNCT in Rwanda. My sincere thanks also go to our Development Partners, both multilateral and bilateral organizations, civil society, private sector, academic institutions and the media for their commitment, support, and effective partnership.

One UN Rwanda

Mr Lamin Manneh UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative

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wanda has made great strides in addressing its development challenges in recent years. It has accelerated the implementation of its Vision 2020, which aims at achieving middle-income status by 2020. It has also vigorously pursued efforts aimed at attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The country continued to own and lead its development process in a particularly innovative and committed way, as underscored by notable policy innovation and high and consistent programme implementation rates as well as aid effectiveness.

The achievement of the MDGs remained central to the Government’s development strategy. Three years ahead of 2015, the country was on track to achieve all the MDGs, with the exception of MDG1. The poverty rate was reduced by an unprecedented 11 percentage points between 2005/6 and 2010/11, implying that 1 million people were pulled out of poverty, with the sharpest declines registered in the rural areas.

In the period 2008-2012, GDP growth averaged 8.3% annually, which translated into an annual GDP per capita growth of 5.7%, both of which were much higher than the averages for Sub-Saharan Africa and the East Africa Region. Income per capita reached US$ 580 in 2012, the second highest in East Africa.

Broad macro-economic reforms were also reinforced by sustained improvements in the business environment. This performance was reflected in a dramatically improved ranking of Rwanda in the World Bank’s 2012 “Doing Business” Report, from 150th in 2008 to 45th position in 2012, making the country the second most reforming in the world.

Challenges

2012 Annual Report

Rwanda’s Development Progress

One UN Rwanda

Executive Summary

Notwithstanding the Rwanda’s rapid economic growth during the past five years, its productive base remained narrow. The economic structure was dominated by agriculture (approximately 32% of GDP in 2011) and the services sector (approximately 47%). The industrial sector accounted for only 15% of GDP formation. The high rates (7-8%) of economic growth registered in the past few years continued to depend heavily on agricultural activity and large public investments, financed by substantial foreign aid flows.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

Access to productive land is a problem, with some 60% of farming households cultivating plots smaller than half a hectare. Households in the two lowest income quintiles account for 73% of food insecure households in the country.

Another significant development challenge that Rwanda is faced with is the high population density.

At about 416 people per km2, Rwanda has the highest population density in Africa. Population growth (2.6%) and total fertility (4.6 children per woman) still remained high, constraining poverty reduction efforts.

The high level of youth unemployment, which is strongly linked to the high population growth, its youthful nature, skills mismatch and a job creation rate that lags behind that of new entries into the labor market, is another important challenge for the country.

Opportunities There is a remarkable commitment of the Government of Rwanda to meet the MDGs by 2015. The following constitute some opportunities for achieving the MDGs: A Government with a strong visionary leadership and ownership of the development processes as well as an outstanding dedication to ensuring aid effectiveness and coordination among development partners.

A new Economic and Development Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II) for 2013-2018 which intends to achieve inclusive economic transformation focusing more on the diversification of the economic base and relying on strong private sector development and urbanization as key drivers of economic growth.

The envisaged economic transformation will go hand in hand with the development of rural areas from subsistence agriculture to knowledge –based, value creating sector, with the agriculture value chains playing a key role in transforming Rwanda’s economy.

The potentials of Regional Integration should also be considered as an important driver for economic growth and development. Rwanda is already benefiting from the positive growth momentum in East Africa.

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Delivering as One in Rwanda The Delivering as One by the UN System in Rwanda was launched at the beginning of 2007 with the broad objective of improving the UN’s impact, coherence and efficiency.

Four pillars are central to the Delivering as One initiative, namely: One Programme, One Budgetary Framework, One Leader and One Voice as well as One Office.

The year 2012 was the final year of the DaO pilot initiative. It provided an opportunity for deeper reflection on achievements, progress made and the remaining challenges in the implementation of the DaO. The five years of the implementation of DaO have resulted in a much strengthened UN internal coordination structure, thereby facilitating the UN Agencies to work much more closely together. Through joint planning, duplications were reduced and there was increase in synergies leading to measurable gains. In a number of sectors, the UN played an important role in policy dialogue and formulation, research and analytical studies and capacity strengthening.

Chaired by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, the One UN Steering Committee is responsible for the overall strategic orientation and management of the UN DaO reform process. An independent countryled evaluation of DaO recommended that the roles and functions of the One UN Steering Committee needed to be strengthened to provide strategic guidance to the development and implementation of the UNDAP as well as the DaO agenda in Rwanda.

The UN Country Team is the main decision making body within the One UN governance structures. Under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, the UNCT is responsible for the overall management and implementation of the One Programme and ultimately accountable for the UN’s work at the country level.

Determined to carry out effectively its responsibility, the UNCT adopted in May 2012 the Musanze Compact for Renewed Commitment to Effective and Efficient Implementation of Delivering as One in Rwanda. The UNCT also intensified the planning for the next UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) 2013-2018.

The elaboration of the EDPRS II has provided an important opportunity for ensuring full alignment of the next UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) 20132018 to national priorities. The UNDAP speaks directly to the national priorities as articulated in the EDPRS II. It will focus on key strategic result areas in which the UN Rwanda could contribute effectively based on comparative advantages of the individual UN Agencies and the UN System as whole.

The One Budgetary Framework increased the overall coherence and efficiency of resource planning and funding, and enhanced the transparency and accountability of the UN system in Rwanda. In 2012, the UN Rwanda allocated USD 112.8 million USD to 7 UNDAF results areas. About 44% of UN resources allocated to 2012 interventions were core fund, 39% vertical fund, and 17% One UN Fund. The One UN Fund was mainly used to support joint interventions, providing incentive mechanism for more coordinated and coherent joint actions. In 2012, 91% of One UN Fund was allocated to joint interventions. Despite the intention for the One UN Fund to be catalytic and strategic in facilitating coherent, relevant, and effective UN programming, it is still insignificant and used as gap filler. Its allocation is considered too scattered across many joint interventions, with limited impact.

The One Office Pillar was further enhanced by putting in place the Business Operations Strategy (BoS) containing tools and procedures to collect information and data required to report systematically on transaction costs.

The One Leader & One Voice is a fundamental element of the DaO and it focuses on the strategic importance of the empowered role of senior management structures linked with a joint communication approach. In 2012, the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team provided effective leadership and management of the DaO processes as well as the development of the UNDAP. The UN Resident Coordinator also intensified strategic engagement with the Government, Development Partners, and national stakeholders on DaO and on re -positioning and enhancing the relevance of the UN in Rwanda’s development efforts.

Summary of 2012 Key Achievements in One Programme The Rwandan economy maintained its good performance in 2012. The overall annual growth was estimated to have reached 8.3 percent against 7.7 percent earlier projected. Poverty reduction and sustainable development continued to lead the priorities of the Government of Rwanda during the reporting period. Specifically, efforts were made to address some key development concerns, including: increasing personal income, accelerating progress towards MDGS, expanded social protection, gender equity, youth participation, regional integration and access to financing as well as strengthened disaster preparedness and sustained humanitarian response.

2012 Annual Report

During the period under review, substantial achievements were recorded with regard to the four pillars of Delivering as One. Under the One Program, following an in -depth analysis of the Consolidated Annual Planning (CAP) process, a decision was taken to undertake a 3-year rolling planning process, aligned to the Government’s Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Year (July - June).

The establishment of common services on the basis of long -term agreement has resulted in reduction in transaction costs. A good example is the case of procurement processes which might have saved around US$ 1.5 Million from avoidance of duplicative procurement operations. Other important on-going initiatives aimed at reducing transaction costs include: UN Rwanda consolidated ICT project, harmonized HR, HACT, pooling of vehicles and the revitalization and implementation of the One UN House Project.

One UN Rwanda

The Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) performed a fundamental role in supporting the UN Resident Coordinator as well as the UN Country Team in the overall coordination of the One UN system in the country.

During this period, the UN sought to reinforce its support to Rwanda towards achieving the targets set in the EDPRS II and the Vision 2020. Notable results were registered in key development areas. The following are some of the achievements to which the UN significantly contributed.

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One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

2012

UNDAF Result 1: Governance In 2012, the UN support to Rwanda in the Governance sector, focused mainly on the further development of Government institutions as well as civil society in the areas of the rule of law, access to justice and peace consolidation, evidence-based policy making, accountability, decentralization and enhanced citizen participation as well as gender equality. In the area of justice, support was provided to MINIJUST to develop a policy on justice for children, which focused on prevention of delinquency and the rehabilitation of the child offender within the community. In this connection, the UN contributed to the transformation of the Nyagatare juvenile prison into a rehabilitation centre.

The centre will, in the next 12 years, be converted into a basic education school, offering vocational training.

Mobile legal aid clinics were organized at community level to raise awareness about laws related to GBV prevention and representation of the child offender within the community. Through these legal aid clinics, 1,407 beneficiaries were reached.

In partnership with the Ministry of Justice, the UN provided legal aid and referral services to community members in Rwanda. This was aimed at facilitating dispute resolution and access to justice. In this regard, the UN supported capacity strengthening of the government to fully develop the community mediators (abunzi) system.

During the year under review, crime rate was reduced from 13,463 in 2011 to 11,998 in 2012 (11.88% reduction).

Gender-based Violence (GBV) cases were reduced from 3,585 to 3,444 (4% reduction). The One UN contributed to this achievement through support to the Rwanda National Police in crime prevention and investigation.

The support went towards training of police officers and community policing committees, in a bid to enhance their capacities to implement the community policing strategy and acquire skills for criminal investigations, especially in the area of gender-based violence.

In addition, the UN supported the construction of facilities for the Rwanda Peace Academy and contributed to the organization of peacekeeping training sessions.

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The One UN also supported the successful census enumeration for the 2012 Population and Housing Census. Staff from NISR and enumerators underwent several training exercises aimed at capacitating them to conduct the census.

With regard to decentralization and enhanced participation, in 2012, the UN launched an assistance programme for inclusive participation in governance through Rwanda Governance Board, the Media High Council, the Parliament, the National Forum of Political Organizations, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission and the National Electoral Commission, with the aim to promote citizen’s participation in democratic processes at all levels. The program contributed substantially to the media reform by supporting the review of the legal framework whereby the law regulating the Media High Council, the media bill and the access to information law were promulgated in December 2012.

Ahead of the 2013 parliamentary elections, the UN supported the BRIDGE certification for 17 permanent staff members of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).

Through nation-wide consultations, the National Youth Policy was revised and validated. Also, technical and financial assistance was given to 7 Youth Centres across the country. The centres have a multipurpose mission to deliver to the youth key messages on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) , to help mobilize and sensitize youth on social and civic issues and to facilitate vocational and leadership training activities.

In an effort to address the capacity gaps in gender analysis, mainstreaming gender in planning and programming process, the One UN in partnership with the European Commission, MINECOFIN, and the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) developed the “Gender and Economic Policy Management Training Manual” that is adapted to Rwanda’s experience and needs.

Other initiatives were also supported to economically empower women such donation to “the One Cow per Family Programme” and contribution to the business development Fund (BDF) as a guarantee fund to facilitate women and youth’s access to credit etc.

The UN contributed to these achievements through its support to the RBC/ IHDPC, focusing on the provision of technical assistance to RBC/IHDPC during the midterm review of the current National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS. Tools for collecting Mid-Term Review of NSP data at national and district levels were developed.

Training and sensitization activities were carried out in various aspects of the response to the HIV. Among other contributions made in this area was the financial and technical support to Kigali City Council to develop a 4 year plan for HIV response.

On the prevention of HIV, the UN has focused attention on the segments of the population who were most at risk, particularly sex workers, with a view to ensuring that they received adequate HIV prevention services. In response to Government’s concern for evidence-based programming, coordination and advocacy around adolescents, the UN gave assistance to the development of the national capacity in innovative ways of delivering services with special focus on adolescent’s access to sexual information. Condoms, HTC and post-test services have been the mainstay of primary prevention of HIV/AIDS. Additionally, the UN supported the finalization of the national Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (EPMTCT) Strategy and its roll out to the 30 districts. District level operational plans were developed and implementation will be supported in the coming years.

In a further effort to improve nutrition and boost immunity, within the context of the UN’s work in this thematic area, the UN gave food allowances to 673 pregnant women, 576 lactating mothers and 707

2012

UNDAF Result 2b: Health, Population and Nutrition The UN contributed to the attainment of the set results for this outcome by supporting the development of relevant policies, strategic plans and the planning process at both national and decentralized levels. They included: the Family Planning Policy and Strategic Plan; NCD Policy and Strategy; the water and sanitation policy and related strategic plan; the Health Sector Strategic Plan and the new born National Action Plan.

Other long term planning processes that were supported included: the Malaria Strategic Plan 20132017, National Health Promotion Strategic Plan 20132017, National Strategic Plan for environmental health, and the mainstreaming of the ASRH in the National Youth Policy. The UN also supported the district health planning process, which mainstreams bottleneck analysis as part of improving focus, prioritization and targeting in district health management. Modelling of District Plans to Eliminate Malnutrition in 3 districts was supported. Other service areas saw plans and guidelines developed to improve delivery.

Management tools such as quality standards for pharmaceutical products within the framework of the EAC harmonization of rules and regulations and updated MDR -TB, HIV/TB training manuals were finalized during the same period. The roadmap for the attainment of the MNCH Accountability framework was developed.

High-level Advocacy activities on various health issues including malaria and childhood diseases were carried out.

Annual Report

The year 2012 was a good one for Rwanda with regard to the HIV/AIDS response. There was a reduction of new HIV infections by 50 per cent; 94 per cent of HIV positive people eligible to be treated were on treatment, an increase from 89 per cent in 2011. More people were being tested for HIV, and improved coverage and utilization of PMTCT services resulted in reduction in the rates of new HIV infections in infants to 1.36%.

children between 6 and 23moths, all of whom were HIV positive. Support was also given to infant and young children feeding programme, to vulnerable groups and people living with HIV, especially women and people in the refugee camps.

One UN Rwanda

UNDAF Result 2a: HIV and AIDS

Efforts were sustained to support the GoR to ensure consolidation of achievements in the health sector. In this connection, technical and financial support was given to communities in the Northern-Central part of Rwanda for accessing safe water and improved sanitation facilities.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

Children lining up for hand washing, Photo by WHO

In response to the refugee influx, the UN assistance to Rwanda was comprehensive and it included food, logistics, medical and nutrition supplies, human resources (assignment of doctors and nurses in the camp), and response to GBV and WASH facilities (water supply, latrines and hand washing facilities in camps).

UNDAF Result 3: Education At the government’s request, the UN assisted in formulating an investment case for school feeding in Rwanda as well as a cost-benefit analysis of on-going government and UN-assisted school feeding initiatives in the country.

The UN supported the Ministry of Education to develop the Learning Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS) assessment. The LARS helped to develop for the first

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time a baseline and system to set and track learning achievement in numeracy and literacy at the primary level and will inform policy developments and classroom practices over the coming years.

The National School Based Mentoring (SBM) programme was initiated in 2012. The national Teacher Licensing and Registration System prototype was developed and it is being used to support the overall management of recruitment, deployment & training and promotion of teachers.

The UN finalized the construction of 4 schools, taking the total number of Child Friendly Schools supported with infrastructure (class rooms, latrines, playgrounds and installation of water systems in the 4 schools) to 80 during the UNDAF cycle. Approximately 120,000 children have benefited from these facilities. In addition

Air pollution is responsible for the big burden of noncommunicable diseases, including pneumonia and heart diseases. In response to this, the UN supported the Ministry of Health for the development of a policy and strategic plan for indoor/outdoor quality management and health.

UNDAF Result 4: Environment The UN supported the establishment of FONERWA (Fund for Environment and Climate change), the integration of environment and climate change in all development decision making processes as a crosscutting issue.

In 2012, with the assistance from UN, Rwanda Environmental and Climate Change Information System (RENVIS) was created as a website based databank and operationalized.

With support from the UN, the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) continued to train staff from key government ministries and institutions to ensure that environmental sustainability targets are integrated into policies, plans, budgets and monitoring systems.

The law makes it compulsory for development projects, which are likely to affect the environment, to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). In line with this requirement, a training workshop was held on 2729 March 2012 at the Nyakinama Military Academy in Musanze, within the framework of the second phase of the joint One UN funded project on Mainstreaming Environmental Assessments and Environmental Policy Knowledge that was developed and implemented by the UN. Upon request from REMA and MINEDUC, technical assistance was provided towards a legal framework for Bio prospection and Research policy in Rwanda. Based on documentation and field research, an analysis of the current legal and policy framework for Access and Benefit Sharing in Rwanda was carried out.

Through the Africa Adaptation Fund (AAF) and the Least Country Developed Fund (LCDF), the UN has closely worked with REMA to strengthen national capacities to adapt to climate change.

In a situation where extreme events of recurrent droughts and torrential rains are regularly claiming loss of lives and properties, an early warning system is an effective way to adapt or mitigate climate change related adverse events. In collaboration with REMA and METEO Rwanda, the UN contributed to the establishment of an early warning system for Rwanda. This activity was also implemented in collaboration with the LDCF Project.

Among other environment related initiatives to which the UN contributed during the period under review, were improvement of urban infrastructures and basic equipment for poverty alleviation, environmental protection and durable socio-economic growth of the population of the two slum zones of Kamembe in Rusizi District and Kiniha in Karongi District of the Western Province.

UNDAF Result 5a: Sustainable Growth

2012

In partnership with FAWE and Imbuto Foundation, a number of advocacy activities were carried out in favor of girl’s empowerment, achievement and participation.

Annual Report

The UN is an important player in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project development which supports the Government’s objective to assist and guide investors through national regulation and policies for CDM investment in particular and other business investment in general.

One UN Rwanda

to that, 22 Child Friendly Schools were also provided with furniture (2,699 pupil desks, 303 teacher desks and 604 chairs).The UN also supported the retention of children through the provision of food commodities to nearly 350,000 children in 308 schools in the Eastern and Southern Provinces.

The Rwandan economy continued its steady growth in 2012. Throughout the year 2012, the UN provided financial and technical support worth US$ 17 million to Rwanda Integrated Development Initiative aimed at strengthening the National Human Settlement Policy and Strategy in aspects related to environment management, local governance enhancement and technology-driven local productivity.

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Support to the City of Kigali was maintained through the ongoing flagship program (Agaseke) that aims to improve the livelihoods of women in the City of Kigali through improved basket weaving and marketing. For instance, the City was assisted to organize Agaseke Week Trade Fair that brought together women and men weavers from over 58 cooperatives. A five-year Agaseke strategic plan has been developed and it puts more emphasis on key areas of intervention for a more productive and profitable business.

Technical and financial assistance was given to the Ministry of Health in support of various activities including: the development of the Community Based Health Insurance (Mutuelles de Santé or CBHI), defining priorities and strategies for the next 5 years, based on the principle of “Universal Health Coverage”, the introduction of Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) in CBHI as a provider payment mechanism, the preparation and facilitation of the EAC Ministerial conference on Social Health Protection.

Under the Livestock Resources Value Chain Development project, a donation of 900 heifer crossbreeds with kits of artificial insemination was made to Kirehe district within the framework of the Government’s One Cow Programme to poor families (Girinka Programme).

During the year 2012, important achievements were made in the area of protection against Gender- Based Violence (GBV) and child abuse. In this regard, the National Scaleup Strategy for One Stop Centers (OSC) was finalized, and as a result four OSC are currently operational and 5 more were planned to be opened in 2013/2014.

The UN valuably contributed to the development of SME through support to some Government’s initiatives such as: the establishment of the Masaka Incubation Centre, carrying out a gap analysis of National Proximity business advisory service providers, entrepreneurship and business management, and the organization of two rounds of trainings for rural-proximity business advisors (PROBAs) in entrepreneurship and business management skills.

Furthermore, the UN support to Building an Inclusive Financial Sector in Rwanda (BIFSIR), contributed to improving access to finance by low income groups and therefore to poverty reduction and achievement of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG1).

In the area of institutional and regulatory framework for food safety control, industrial governance and competitiveness, important initiatives were undertaken to enhance capacities of some industries through training in auditing food safety management system.

Assistance was also availed to the Rwanda Bureau of Standards to develop its capacities in the related areas.

UNDAF Result 5b: Social Protection The UN strategic contribution to quality assurance and to the drafting of the new social protection strategy influenced national decision making about future priorities of social protection.

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With the UN support, the Government and Civil Society were capacitated to engage men and boys in the prevention of gender-based violence.

In 2012, one of the major achievements of the UN was its contribution to the revolutionary shift from institutional/ residential to family and community-based care for children with appropriate care.

Working in close collaboration with the National Commission for Children, the UN’s role was critical in the adoption of two legal and policy milestones, namely: the Strategy for National Child Care Reform adopted on 16 March 2012 and the Law 54/2011 on the Rights and the Protection of children published in June 2012.

Through the Social Protection Working Group, the UN contributed both technically and financially, to the government’s efforts to ensure safety and dignified return of 10,230 Rwandan refugees to their home country and their reintegration after decades in exile.

During the recent refugee influx from the Eastern DRC, the UN worked very closely with the government and other stakeholders to provide technical and financial assistance through its emergency preparedness and response supplies. The timely and well-coordinated interventions made it possible to effectively attend to survival needs of refugees. This support from the UN

The five years of the pilot phase of the Delivering as One in Rwanda clearly showed that this way of working has contributed to improved coherence of the UN system support to Rwanda’s efforts for development and poverty reduction. Built on the principle of national ownership and leadership, the Delivering as One has also strengthened the UN alignment to the national priorities.

The DaO has changed the way the UN works in Rwanda.

It has helped build a strong sense of “One UN” and strengthened the spirit of joint collaboration and teamwork. The DaO will continue to be the major focus of the UN system in delivering development assistance.

Significant lessons have been learned over the years and through the Musanze Compact for the UN renewed commitment to effective and efficient implementation of the DaO in Rwanda, the UN Country Team is committed even more to improving the effectiveness and systemwide coherence in support of the next United Nations Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP).

The UNDAP that has replaced the UNDAF, represents the UN Rwanda’s common programme that has been jointly developed and endorsed by the Government and its development partners. The elaboration of the UNDAP is in complete alignment with the EDPRS II, both in terms of time coverage (2013-2018) and established national development priorities. The One Budget Framework will also provide a clear overview of resource gaps, which will be a basis for the UN joint resource mobilization efforts.

As stated in the Musanze Compact, the UN Rwanda will strive to enhance effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance of UN in support of national development and poverty reduction efforts. Efforts will be sustained to reduce transaction costs for Governments as well as decrease overhead costs for the UN system and its partners.

The UN Country Team through analysis of external transaction costs and other change management initiatives aims to further enhance efficiency of the UN operations in Rwanda. Further progress on the One UN House is also contributing to this.

In line with the development priorities contained in the EDPRS II and within the framework of MDGs, the UN Rwanda will continue to support the GoR in those development areas in which the UN has a clear comparative advantage and in conformity with the programmatic objectives set out in the UNDAP. Among the many development activities to which the UN intends to contribute in the future, Governance remains paramount. There is still a need to address a capacity gaps in gender analysis within government institutions to effectively mainstream gender in planning and programming processes.

The UN support to good governance and gender equality is relevant as reflected in EDPRS II. It will continue to work closely with the Government institutions and national stakeholders in strategic planning, capacity strengthening, assessment and monitoring in the areas of justice, peace reconsolidation, evidence-based policy making and accountability, decentralization and participation as well as gender equality.

2012 Annual Report

Looking Ahead

In order to effectively provide strategic guidance for the development and implementation of the UNDAP as well as DaO reform agenda in Rwanda, the One UN Steering Committee has been revived and strengthened in its roles and functions.

One UN Rwanda

has been expanded to include other services such as training programmes for NGOs working in the refugee camps on various health issues, water and sanitation, education and social protection etc. Early in 2012, the UN response to the refugee influxes was commendable, owing to a One UN approach and an excellent collaboration with NGO partners. This collaboration helped in defining roles and strategies, mobilizing resources and commitments, and ensuring a coordinated approach with a view to effectively achieving the intended goals and objectives.

Furthermore, the UN intends to accompany the GoR in addressing the needs of youth by empowering them through participation in development efforts, use of innovative approaches for the creation of employment opportunities and skills development.

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The sustained fight against HIV and AIDS remains a commitment of the UN in Rwanda. Inadequate knowledge about positive behavioural change and inadequate skills to reduce the risk of HIV infection, especially among young people, is a serious challenge to overcome. Limited access to PMTCT services to all HIV infected pregnant women/mothers at every step in the continuum of care requires further attention as well.

The EDPRS II provides a very good opportunity for the UN to sharpen its approach and strategic support to the Health sector. In this connection, the UN Rwanda will continue to work with the MoH in support of the objectives of the HSSPIII. Some of the key priority areas highlighted during the development of the HSSP III include, completing the ‘unfinished job� towards the attainment of the MDGs, specifically those related to maternal and new born mortality reduction, addressing subnational disparities in access and utilization of services, strengthening quality assurance as part of the health systems, as well as developing national tracking systems that will span the maternal and child health care continuum.

During the EDPRS II period, progress in providing universal access to fee-free and compulsory primary and lower secondary education (9YBE) for all children will be consolidated, whilst access to upper secondary schooling will be significantly expanded (12YBE). At primary level, the sector target is to increase the primary net enrolment rate from 96.5 per cent to 100 per cent to fully achieve the second Millennium Development Goal. There will be a significant expansion of the secondary education system to meet the goals of EDPRS 2. Early Childhood Development is recognized as a vital foundation for learning, particularly for children from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The ESSP will also increase the provision of adult basic education programmes to meet the EDPRS II target of increased adult literacy.

At primary level, a continued focus will be placed on the acquisition of basic numeracy and literacy in the early grades. Given limited financial resources to realize the ESSP, immediate attention will be given to improving the efficiency of the education system, by reducing

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repetition and drop-out rates. Other key indicators of quality education include an increase in the pupil textbook ratio to reach 1 to 1 at primary and secondary levels. Attention will also be given to increasing the percentage of teachers able to teach effectively in the language of instruction (English and Kinyarwanda). A competency based curriculum and assessment system will be developed, focus on developing core skills required to respond to Rwanda’s labor market and social development needs.

In the area of environment protection and climate change, the UN will continue to work closely with REMA and other national and international stakeholders in support of and management of natural resources, ecosystem rehabilitation activities and climate change related initiatives. The imperative to sustain results through mobilization and sensitization of community leaders, youth and other stakeholders at various national levels need to be emphasized.

Pertaining to the Sustainable Growth Result, the UN Rwanda intends to focus its contribution on providing policy, technical and financial as well as innovative solutions support to pro-poor and economic transformation interventions leading to a reinforced inclusive economic development and poverty reduction.

Support to development and expansion of agriculture value chains for increased competitiveness in international, regional, and local markets, will be given attention.

Depending on the comparative advantage with the UN family, transformational and innovative capacity development will be a prerequisite and a crosscutting theme over all key support areas. The mainstreaming of other crosscutting issues such as environment and gender will be kept high on the UN agenda.

With regard to the Social Protection Result, working collaboratively with all interested partners, the UN will maintain its support to the GoR in addressing the recurring problem of influx of refugees particularly from the eastern DRC. The UN support to other on-going programmes in the social sector, such as GBV, childcare and child protection and capacitation of national institutions will continue and be expanded.

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and international NGOs, Civil Society, private sector and local communities will be sought at all levels. In so doing, the UN intends to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of its operations.

One UN Rwanda

The Delivering as One is built on the principle of national ownership and leadership. Consequently, all UN supported activities will be carried out in close partnership with the Government. Proactive collaboration with other stakeholders including national

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wanda has made measurable progress toward addressing its development challenges in recent years, particularly between 2008 and 2012 by accelerating the implementation of its Vision 2020, which aims at achieving middle-income status by 2020, while maintaining its strong commitment to attaining the MDGs. The country continued to own and lead its development process in a particularly innovative and committed way, as underscored by consistent strong policy innovation and implementation as well as aid effectiveness. As a result, very positive development outcomes were registered during this period. These are reflected in the high levels of inclusive economic growth, significant poverty reduction, the notable expansion of health and education services, gender empowerment and measurable progress towards the MDGs. The Government made the achievement of the MDGs central to its development strategy, and, three years ahead of 2015, the country achieved or was on track to achieving all the MDGs, with the exception of MDG1 which is related to the eradication of extreme hunger and poverty. The poverty rate was reduced by an unprecedented 11 percentage points between 2005/6 and 2010/11, resulting in 1 million people being pulled out of poverty, with the sharpest declines registered in the rural areas. With 44.9% of the population living under the poverty line in 2011, the EDPRS I target of reducing the proportion of people living in poverty from 56.9% in 2005/2006 to 46% in 2012/2013 was met. Furthermore, in terms of the human development index (HDI) ranking, Rwanda moved up 7 incremental points between 2008 and 2011, placing it among the ten countries that registered the fastest rate of improvements in human development.

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Overview of Rwanda’s development progress and policy trends 2008-2012

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Chapter 1

In the period 2008-2012, GDP growth averaged 8.3% annually, which translated

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into an annual GDP per capita growth of 5.7%, both of which were much higher than the averages for Sub –Saharan and East Africa. Income per capita reached US$580 in 2012, the second highest in East Africa.

While Rwanda sustained a prudent macro-economic management regime, which kept inflation within the single-digit limit and the exchange rate relatively stable during the review period, it actively utilized the fiscal space approach in its growth and poverty reduction strategies.

Broad macro-economic reforms were also reinforced by sustained improvements in the business environment, which were reflected in a dramatically improved ranking of Rwanda in the World Bank’s 2012 “Doing Business” Report, from 150th (2008) to 45th position (2012), making the country the 2nd most reforming economy in the world and stimulating a budding entrepreneurial revolution, including in the ICT sector.

Notwithstanding the country’s rapid economic growth during the past five years, its productive base remained narrow. The economic structure was dominated by agriculture (approximately 32% of GDP in 2012) and the services sector (approximately 47%). The industrial sector accounted for only 15% of GDP formation. The competitiveness of the country’s industrial exports continued to be challenged by its narrow domestic market and land-locked position, which renders transportation costs high. Despite gains in agricultural output, a 2012 study found that 21% of Rwandan households were food insecure, with the highest prevalence (42%) in the Western Province. Low -income agriculturalists, farm workers, and unskilled daily laborers are most prominently food insecure. For many of the agriculturalists, who account for 85% of the population, access to productive land is a problem, with some 60% of farming households cultivating plots smaller than half an h e c t a re . Households i n the two lowest income quintiles account for 73% of food insecure households in the country.

A significant development challenge that Rwanda is faced with is its high population density. At about 416 people per km2, Rwanda has the highest population density in Africa. Population growth (2.6%) and total

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fertility (4.6 children per woman) still remain high, constraining poverty reduction efforts. Moreover, the contraceptives prevalence rate among married women, at 45%, remains considerably low. The unmet need for family planning, at 19%, is still high.

Another major development challenge for the country is the high level of youth unemployment which is strongly linked to the high population growth, its youthful nature, skills mismatch and a job creation rate that lags behind that of new entries into the labor market. The current annual job creation rate of 105,000 is substantially lower than Vision 2020’s target of 200,000. With an average skills deficit of 40%, and limited job expansion, over 42% of young people are either unemployed, or underemployed in subsistence agriculture. Whereas well-formulated employment policies exist, more needs to be done, in particular in coordination, to translate them into tangible impacts.

To address these challenges, and in line with the Vision 2020, the Government, has formulated in a very participatory manner, a comprehensive poverty reduction and transformational agenda, which is set out in the EDPRS II (2013 – 2018). In the context of this strategy, the Government’s plan is to move the economy over the next five years, from an agrarian economy to a knowledge -based economy, underpinned by an annual growth rate of 11.5%. It also aims at a muchtransformed economy, based on increased industrial production and exports and expanded services and tourism sectors. Investments into all these sectors are intended to be considerably increased and important skills gaps filled. Another important element of this strategy is the leveraging of the increasing integration in the East African Community as well as the broader regional and global markets in order to overcome the constraints related to the country’s small market size and land -locked position.

Economic trends Rwanda’s economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience in times of regional and global turbulence but some risks remain. In 2012 growth was estimated to have reached 8.3 % against 7.7% growth earlier projected. Despite the impact of the recent global

Rwanda has been ranked first among 48 African countries that have registered substantial progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to ONE’s 2013 continental Data report.

ONE is a campaign and advocacy organization of more than three million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease. The survey was released yesterday at the sidelines of the 48th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) currently underway in Marrakech, Morocco.

The five-day meeting dubbed: “Africa’s structural Transformation” focuses on the need for Africa to turn economic growth into shared and sustainable economic transformation within the next half century. It opened on Monday.

According to the report, Rwanda and Mali top the list with 6.0 MDGs progress score, a track record that has been achieved in the last three years. “Sub -Saharan African countries are showing excellent progress on average, among them are top performers such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Ghana, Uganda, Benin and Burkina Faso,” reads part of

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the study. Since 2007, the Government of Rwanda has made achieving the MDGs fundamental to its policy framework. When the poverty eradication programme (EDPRS 2008 2012) came to an end, in February 2012; the government launched EDPRS II, which runs from 2013 to 2017. Within in the last five years Rwanda poverty reduced by 13 percent with one million Rwandans were lifted out of poverty.

According to government officials, the progress was attainable partly because the government empowers every citizen to take the lead in their own community’s development.

Optimistic The Government is very optimistic that by 2015, more MDG targets will be met. Net primary school attendance has gone up from 86.6 per cent in 20052006 to 91.7 per cent in 2010-2011, boosted by the nine year free basic education implemented by the Government since 2010, according to UNDP MDGs Progress and the macroeconomic state of Rwanda, 2012.On realizing this progress, the government launched the 12-year basic education programme in February 2012, to enhance net secondary school attendance. Maternal health has also considerably improved.

The Data report titled “financing the Fight for Africa’s Transformation” states that despite the fact that regional countries are taking great strides in achieving the MDGs, large economies like Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are failing in many areas and slowing down regional progress.

The report adds: “30 countries in Africa have accelerated progress in the last three years on reaching the MDGs and 16 are on track to halve extreme poverty by 2015, but further momentum is at risk due to laggard countries where progress has stalled or gone into reverse.”

According to the report Rwanda and Mali are followed by the Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda and Malawi in the second position with 5.5 MDGs progress

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Rwanda ranks top in the MDGs Progress

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Rwanda ranks top in the MDGs Progress (continued) score, while Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Gambia occupy third position with 5.0 score. The survey ran ked Zimbabwe and DRC as straggler countries where MDGs progress has stalled with 0.5 score.

Speaking to The New Times shortly after the launch of the report, Ambassador Claver Gatete, the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning said Rwanda’s visionary leadership vision and commitment has indeed spearheaded the country’s progress in attaining the MDGs. “When you have a country that has a vision and a long term strategy that implements the vision as well as a clear leadership, things happen. The leadership is the most crucial because it ensures that whatever has been decided is implemented,” Minister Gatete said.

The ONE report campaign that tracks progress on MDGs and development financing in Africa shows wide inequalities in the continent’s anti -poverty goal progress. The survey that assesses the capacity of 48 nations states that extreme poverty has already been cut in half and can be virtually be eradicated by 2030. Never the less, the report finds a clear link between African country investments in health, education, agriculture and improved MDG progress in those areas.

economic crisis, the average growth rate since 2008 is estimated at 8.3 percent annually, poverty headcount was 44.9% and extreme poverty headcount was 24.1% (EICV 3). However, this growth continued to depend heavily on agricultural activity and large public investments, financed by substantial foreign aid flows. Existing sources of growth therefore need to be broadened to a more diverse and sustainable set of growth drivers.

Among the challenges to overcome, is increasing the role of the private sector in the economy and its contribution to development and sustained growth.

The private sector still remains young and plays a limited role in the economic activity. In addition, despite Rwanda’s success in establishing a sound investment

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According to Ben Leo, the ONE’s global policy director, the data is the only major study to rank countries on their overall progress on the MDGs and also assess the contribution that African countries’ own spending is having on their performance. “The report examines the recent progress of individual countries against eight targets using MDG progress index,” he said.

Dr. Sipho Moyo, ONE Africa Director said: “The progress we are seeing in these countries shows the multiplier effect that takes place when African countries go all out to invest significantly towards improving health, education and agriculture, resulting in considerable breakthroughs in the fight to end preventable diseases, ignorance and hunger. “What is even more exciting is the fact that 10 of the 30 countries have been rated among the world’s best performing countries. This, obviously, makes the Africa Union, which has just turned 50 years, very proud.”

Rwanda last year hit the MDG target on child mortality, where the country reduced the death of children under the age of five, from 156 deaths per 1,000 children to 54 deaths per 1,000 children born annually, according to a report by UNICEF.

climate, foreign direct investment remained low.

Another challenge is the low levels of energy access and the still very limited generation capacity of electricity in particular.

In order to address effectively these challenges, Rwanda through EDPRS 2 envisages achieving an inclusive economic transformation focusing more on the diversification of economic base and relying on the strong private sector development and urbanization as key drivers of economic growth. The envisaged economic transformation will go hand in hand with the development of rural areas from subsistence agriculture to knowledge – based, value creating sector and that is where agriculture value chains will have a key role in transforming Rwanda’s economy.

The Government of Rwanda accords high importance to increased regional integration and the country is already benefitting from the positive growth momentum in East Africa. In comparison to its East African peers, Rwanda is doing well and confidently leads in growth terms. But

Social trends The results of the third Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV 3) ICV3 data confirmed substantial reductions in poverty between 2005/6 and 2010/11; and there were indications that the VUP

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Also progress has been made in deepening access to finance. According to the 2012 Finscop Survey report, financial exclusion in Rwanda has dropped by 46% since 2008. It is estimated that the banked population increased from 14% of adults in 2008 to 23% in 2012. The establishment of Umurenge SACCOs has significantly changed the landscape of formal access to financial services in Rwanda and proved to be successful in providing formal financial services to Rwandans who would otherwise not use.

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Rwanda’s overall ranking in the Global Competitiveness Report 2011-12 improved by 10 places to 70 out of 142 countries and third in sub-Saharan Africa. Strong and well -functioning institutions and efficient labour markets were cited among the chief drivers of Rwanda’s superior ranking of 8 out of 142 countries surveyed compared with 9th in 2010-2011.

large growth potentials remain to be exploited, such as these provided by the regional power trade and the planned rail way connections.

One UN Rwanda

Accelerating youth employment and productivity is one of the prerequisites for attaining an inclusive economic transformation. In this area, emphasis will be put on education, skills development and creation of jobs for a large number of young people. As the overall objective to be achieved by 2012, Rwandan economy plans to generate 200,000 off-farm jobs on an annual basis.

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social protection programme had made substantial contributions to this. The VUP is scaled up to 30 new sectors every year. Substantial progress was made in the area of Universal Social Protection coverage, particularly with respect to social security and health insurance.

sector reforms, decentralization and anti -corruption measures.

Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Rwanda 49 out of 180 countries surveyed, a gain of 40 positions from 2009.

In spite of its focus on the productive sectors, the EDPRS I also showed good progress in improving the social sector indicators. In education, Rwanda was on track to achieve universal access to primary school by 2015.

There has been sustained progress in access to education with the Primary Net Enrolment Rate (NER) increasing to 95.4% in 2011. Primary school completion rates for 2010/11 also reached 79% for boys and 82% for girls compared to the overall targets of 59% and 58% in 2011 respectively according to the EDPRS assessment report produced in 2012. Pupil per qualified teacher ratio reached 58:1 compare to the target of 64:1. The number of students at secondary level also continued to increase as a result of 12YBE. Secondary schools net enrolment rate stood at 28% (30% for girls) in 2012, up from 26% in 2011.

Despite the gains in democratic governance, important challenges remain, including the need to: reinforce inclusive participation and for strengthening the political processes by addressing the issue of political space, the weaknesses in the capacities of civil society and the need to accelerate media sector reforms. In the area of public administration, significant improvements are required in inter -sectorial policy and programme coordination, more use of evidence–based planning and closing important capacity gaps in the middle level categories. With regard to the rule of law, there is scope for more judicial reforms that will strengthen access to quality justice, ensure reduction in backlog cases, and improve the quality of prosecution. Crime rates have been reduced significantly, with about 12% between 2011 and 2012 alone. However, further progress can be achieved through strengthening the prevention and response capacity of the Rwanda National Police and further expansion of community policing.

In the last two decades, Rwanda has kept momentum in the reduction of the mortality rate for children, with the under-5 mortality reduced from 156 deaths per 1,000 children to 54 deaths per 1,000 children born annually, reflecting a two-thirds reduction from 1990 to 2011. The decline implies that Rwanda is on course to achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing child mortality rates by two - thirds by 2015.

The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has also been reduced from 86/1000 live births in 2005 to 50/1000 live births in 2010/11 meeting the Vision 2020 target of 50/1000.

In the water and sanitation sector, progress was made in accessing safe water and hygienic sanitation. Access to water increased from 64% in 2006 to an estimated 74.2% in 2011.

Governance trends In the area of governance, Rwanda has made significant advances in national reconciliation, law and order, accountability as well as in rebuilding and strengthening national capacity for good governance through home-grown initiatives such as Gacaca.

Notable advances have also been made in public

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The Decentralization Implementation Plan (2011-2015) was successfully developed and continues to act as a guiding tool for decentralization. According to recent surveys there is good indication of citizens’ confidence in government, with 74.2% feeling that they participate actively in local decision-making. The Government has established the Rwanda Governance Board, which acts as a one-stop centre dealing with a vast array of governance issues. Its mission is to promote the principles of good governance and decentralization, monitor the practices of good governance in public and private institutions and conduct research related to governance for achieving good service delivery.

Policy responses in selected sectors Education: Three goals were identified in EDPRS II for the Education Sector to achieve its mission of facilitating the development of human capital for the socio -economic development of Rwanda. These goals are: promoting access to education at all levels, improving

At primary level, a continued focus was placed on the acquisition of basic numeracy and literacy in the early grades. Given limited financial resources to realize the ESSP, immediate attention was to be given to improving the efficiency of the education system, by reducing repetition and dropout rates. Other key indicators of quality include an increase in the pupil textbook ratio to reach 1 to 1 at primary and secondary levels.

Attention would be given to increasing the percentage of teachers able to teach effectively in the language of instruction (English and Kinyarwanda). A competency based curriculum and assessment system was developed, focusing on developing core skills required to respond to Rwanda’s labour market and social development needs.

Energy: Energy continued to be the key strategic sector for Rwanda as a basic requirement for the development and transformation of the national economy. The provision of adequate infrastructure was seen essential for the development of industries and businesses especially for the development of energy intensive industries. In the period from 2008 to 2012 covering EDPRS I, a set of

The targets in the energy sector were set very high with the aim of delivering 1000 MW and connecting 50% of the population by 2017. This jump in generation capacity was expected to be achieved through the development and implementation of an electricity generation program including a mix of hydro, peat and methane gas to power, geothermal, diesel, solar, biogas and waste to energy projects. A draft electricity development strategy was developed and it indicated a total cost of around $ 4.5 billion, of which two thirds were to come from the private sector. The Government put in place an Electricity Task Force to oversee the implementation of on -going and new energy projects.

Environment and Climate change: The cabinet approved the National Strategy on Climate Change and Low Carbon Development in October 2011. The strategy is expected to guide the pursuit of carbon -friendly infrastructure - development, in particular the use of renewable energy sources. It will also complement on-going reforestation efforts and programmes aimed at reducing dependence on wood for fuel. In 2012, the Government formally launched the national fund for the environment (FONERWA) also known as the first green fund. The fund serves as the primary mechanism through which the country intends to mobilize resources for environment protection and natural resources management.

For the coming five years, there are key issues and areas of intervention with regard to natural resources, environment management and climate change requiring government’s attention in line with the revised Vision 2020. The National Environment Policy is predicated on the principles of sustainable growth, participation, decentralization, intergenerational equity and fairness, with emphasis on prevention, polluter pays, and recognition of regional and international environmental inter- connectedness. To this end, the focus will be on

2012 Annual Report

During the EDPRS I period, progress in providing universal access to fee -free and compulsory primary and lower secondary education (9YBE) for all children was intended to be consolidated, whilst access to upper secondary schooling was planned to be significantly expanded (12YBE). At primary level, the sector target was to increase the primary net enrolment rate from 96.5 per cent to 100 per cent to achieve the second Millennium Development Goal. There would be a significant expansion of the secondary education system to meet the goals of EDPRS II. Early Childhood Development was recognized as a vital foundation for learning, particularly for children from more disadvantaged backgrounds. The Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) would also increase the provision of adult basic education programmes to meet the EDPRS II target of increased adult literacy.

clear objectives was formulated for the development of the energy sector. These included: increasing access to energy, introduction of cost reflective tariffs and revision of tariff structure, diversification of energy sources and ensuring energy security, establishment of a favorable institutional, legal and regulatory framework and building of local capacity.

One UN Rwanda

the quality of education and training, and strengthening the relevance of education and training to meet labour market demands. Equity in education was integrated across all the three goals to ensure improved access to learning for disadvantaged students, including girls, the rural and urban poor, and children with disabilities.

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key specific objectives namely: Improvement of health and quality of life for every citizen and promotion of sustainable socio-economic development through rational management and utilization of resources and environment; Integration of environmental aspects into all the development policies, planning and in all activities carried out at the national, provincial and local level, with the full participation of the population; Conservation, preservation and restoration of ecosystems and maintenance of ecological systems, particularly the conservation of national biological diversity; Optimal utilization of resources for sustainable production and consumption patterns; Creation of awareness among the public of the c l o s e relationship between environment and development; Active participation of individuals and communities in activities to improve the environment with special attention to women and youth; Ensuring that the basic needs of today’s population are met without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Water and sanitation: The overall objective of water and sanitation sector is to ensure sustainable and affordable access to safe water supply, sanitation and waste management services for all Rwandans, as an important contribution to poverty reduction, public health, economic development and environmental protection.

In 2012, an estimated 74% of the 10,537,222 million Rwandans had access to safe water supply and 75% of the population had access to hygienic sanitation.

On the basis of an estimated total population of 11.3 million people in 2015, to achieve the MDG target additional, 3,502,456 million Rwandans would need to have access to water supply and additional 4 million people would need access to hygienic sanitation.

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The set targets to be achieved in the water and sanitation sector included: access to drinking water starting from 44% in 2005 to 85% by 2015 and access to adequate sanitation services from 38% in 2005 to 90% in 2015.

However, the fast pace of growth of urban centers, especially Kigali, remains a serious challenge for the sector.

The water resources master plan was initiated and its phase one consisted in assessing both the water quantity and quality in all the catchments. The progress made by the end June 2012 was 30% and the assessment was completed by mid-2013. About 262 km new water supply systems were constructed accounting for 137%, while about 293 km water supply systems, which accounted for 7% were rehabilitated. For water springs, only 400 were protected, equaling 57% of the planned number of spring water.

2) the use of community health workers in charge of maternal and neonatal heath (now implemented in all villages since 2009); 3) Community-Based Health Insurance (CHBI) scheme, which was introduced in 1999 and has contributed to increased access to health services; 4) the implementation of District Plans to Eliminate Malnutrition in 24 districts (DPEMs); and 5) Community Based Nutrition Programme in the whole country.

Access to basic health services was near universal target, due to increased health insurance coverage (91%), and community-based healthcare. Rwanda is steadily reducing child mortality, with the highest reduction in East Africa. The Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation projected a decline in infant and child mortality from 86/1000 and 152/1000 respectively in

Substantial progress was also recorded in the reduction of maternal mortality rate, which decreased from 750 to 487 per 100,000 live births between 2005 and 2010.

However, this level is still high especially among young mothers between 15-24 years old who constitute 47% of maternal deaths in an environment exacerbated by teenage pregnancy. Inequalities in access to health services persisted between the rich and the poor as it was between the urban and the rural areas.

There were still challenges to overcome especially the inadequate quality of services, availability of emergency obstetric and new-born care services, shortage of skilled health providers, insufficient equipment and supplies, and harmful cultural beliefs and practices.

Social Protection: At about 45%, the poverty rate is still high. Additionally, in spite of gains made towards the reduction of inequalities, the Gini co-efficient, at 0.49, remains high. Rwanda had promoted social protection in its poverty reduction strategy, focusing mainly on cash transfers to extremely poor households, paid labour intensive works and credit access for the rural poor. Nonetheless, adequate coverage remained a major challenge. During the EDPRS II period, a major objective would be to attain full coverage of the potential beneficiaries and improve its implementation and monitoring. In the area of child protection, the GoR intended to prioritize implementation of a

2012 Annual Report

1) community-integrated management of childhood illnesses (an approach developed by WHO to provide holistic child health care);

2005 to 38/1000 and 54/1000 respectively in 2011.

Immunization coverage was above 95% of underfive years old children and during the review period, Rwanda pioneered new vaccines, including against HPV, Rotavirus, and Pneumonia.

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Health: To ensure a healthy population, the GoR continued to prioritize the health sector spending with the share of public expenditure on health (including donor support) increasing from 10.2% in 2009/10 to 16.1% in 2010/11. In addition, there were a number of health related initiatives implemented especially at decentralized levels, to address among other things, challenges of human resources and financing for the health sector. These include:

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

comprehensive strategy to reform the childcare system, starting with a focus on children currently living in institutional care.

Agriculture: Agriculture contributed to development as an economic activity, a livelihood, and a provider of environmental services, making the sector a major driver for growth and poverty reduction. In Rwanda, 73% percent of the population depends on rain fed agriculture for their livelihood. Agriculture remained the main sector making up 32% of GDP. However, rural poverty was also high, measured at 48.7%, in comparison to the urban level of 22.1%. Rural development and the role of agriculture were therefore key focus for domestically and externally financed projects which aimed at increasing incomes, alleviate poverty, improve food security, combat malnutrition and drive growth to reach the ambitious targets outlined in Vision 2020 and EDPRS I. Some of the challenges faced by the Agriculture Sector included the following: About 73% of the population depended on rain fed agriculture for their livelihoods; High population density leading to land scarcity; Small scale farmers dominated production with low productivity; High transport costs; Climate change, soil erosion and land degradation; and Weak investments in the sector.

In order to overcome these challenges, Rwanda had put in place a series of strategies and interventions focusing on crop production, animal production, irrigation land husbandry and mechanization, postharvest handling and storage as well as export promotion. So far, the percentage of land protected from soil erosion is estimated at 78%, while vision 2020 sets a goal of 80%. Irrigation did not appear to be a widespread practice; only around 3% of cultivated

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land is irrigated nationally. In 2012 MINAGRI led the construction of irrigation schemes across the country to avoid rainfall dependence. In an effort to increase agricultural mechanization, in 2012 MINAGRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Korean company Tong Yang Moolsan (TYM) Tractors Corporation to technically support mechanization in the establishment of a Power Tiller Assembly Plant in Rwanda. The manufacturing of the power tillers, the newly assembled Rwanda brand (RPT), was due to start by the end of 2013.

The Crop Intensification Program continued to be the main driver of crop production for the sector. Nationally, 46,000 MT of fertilizer was used in Season A and Season B in 2012. In terms of application, maize, irish potato, climbing beans, tomatoes, rice and ordinary (bush) beans received the highest usage, according to the Crop Assessment. Maize and Irish potato received the highest volume of fertilizers by a large margin. Rwanda also put emphasis on post-harvest handling and storage. As a result, in 2012 post-harvest losses were reduced from 23% to 15% especially for maize, rice and beans.

In animal production, in 2012 Rwanda continued to lead important livestock intensification programs, including disease control, artificial insemination, and hatchery development, One Cow per Poor Family, fish farming and small -ruminant distribution. This generated significant increases in the animal population in Rwanda.

2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

To sustain the achieved results, Rwanda started in 2012 the elaboration of the Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation (SPAT III 2013-2017) with the overall goal to move Rwandan agriculture from a largely subsistence sector to a modernized and knowledge-intensive sector with more emphasis on diversification, agro-processing and transformation, and capacity development.

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The Rwanda National Assembly in Session...

Part 1:

UNDAF Result on Governance

Summary of Significant National Achievements

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uring 2012, Rwanda continued to advance and consolidate its achievements in the realm of governance.

Efforts were sustained in strengthening the judicial system by making it more efficient in the delivery of justice. To this end, an automated case management system was established in 20 courts and more courts were expected to benefit from this important capacitation. Furthermore, key justice implementers were enabled to acquire technical skills for quality access to justice, both through courts and community based mechanisms.

With regard to the social sector, the Government of Rwanda promulgated a new law giving more protection to children, launched the development of a restorative justice for children policy, and established the National Commission for Children (NCC).

Additionally in this sector, a strategic approach was initiated to combat crime and ensure safety and security of the population through the establishment and strengthening of community policing committees in partnership between communities and national police.

2012 Annual Report

UNDAF Results and Achievements

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Chapter 2

In the judiciary area, the transitional justice mechanism (Gacaca) was concluded in 2012 demonstrating government’s capacity to plan and implement innovative initiatives within the set framework and to draw lessons for the future.

Another important achievement in the governance area was the completion of some

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2012

strategic planning tools and instruments, including: preparation of EDPRS II, the 2012 Population and Housing Census enumeration and the launching of the Gender Statistics Framework (GSF).

On the International scene, Rwanda was elected as a member of the UN Security Council.

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Annual Report

UN Specific Contributions The One UN in Rwanda contributed to supporting Rwanda’s efforts to strengthen national capacity for good governance and gender equality. The main strategy for UN contribution was capacity development of Government institutions as well as civil society in the areas of rule of law, access to justice and peace consolidation, evidence-based policy making and accountability, decentralization and enhanced citizen participation as well as gender equality.

Outcome 1.1. Rule of Law, Access to Justice & Peace Consolidation During 2012, the UN supported the strengthening of the justice sector. A notable contribution was the promotion of access to justice for all, especially for children. The UN assisted MINIJUST to conduct the baseline survey on juvenile justice and develop the Justice for Children Policy, which aims at providing guidance on alternatives to the current juvenile justice system, with focus on prevention of delinquency and the rehabilitation of the child offender within the community. Furthermore, the UN also contributed to the establishment of a digital case filing system, which is implemented at the primary court level by the Supreme Court for easy and efficient case management. Court judges were trained in the efficient use of digital case management systems. This system will contribute to the reduction of case backlogs as court cases can now be processed more easily at different levels and the Supreme Court is able to monitor progress.

The UN also contributed to enhancing the provision of legal assistance to all, especially to children, GBV victims and vulnerable women. To this end, “mobile legal aid clinics� were organized at the community level for raising awareness on laws related to GBV prevention

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and representation. Through these legal aid clinics, 1,407 beneficiaries were reached. Legal representation and assistance to children, women victims of violence as well as vulnerable women were also provided. In partnership with the Ministry of Justice, legal aid and referral were made available to community members with the aim of facilitating dispute resolution and access to justice. Indeed, the MAJ project has been lauded by local leaders at district and sector levels as a very appropriate mechanism for settling conflicts peacefully and amicably at community level, and at the same time helping to avoid the backlog of pending cases in courts and administrative instances.

Furthermore, the UN supported capacity strengthening of the government to fully develop the community mediators (abunzi) system. Thirty six weekly emissions on access to justice were aired to sensitize the MAJ activities. In addition, 1,027 cases from the population were received in MAJ offices and resolved. The MAJ played a crucial role in promoting proximity justice. They contributed to the education of citizens about their rights and obligations. They also helped the mediator committees to apply laws properly and contributed to the reduction of cases brought to courts. Throughout the 30 districts of the country, 484 executive secretaries of cells, notaries and professional bailiffs in 416 sectors were trained on execution of judgments. The abunzi were empowered through training on relevant laws to ensure adequate conflict resolution at community level.

Gacaca Court Session

In partnership with the Rwanda National Police, the UN supported capacity strengthening for crime prevention and investigation. According to the Police Report for 2012, crimes reduced in general from 3,463 in 2011 to 11,998 in 2012 (a reduction of11.88%) as a result of this intervention. For the same period, Gender-based Violence (GBV) cases were reduced from 3,585 to 3,444 (4% reduction). Through training of police officers and community policing committees, their capacities to implement the community policing strategy and acquire skills in criminal investigation, especially in the area of gender- based violence, were enhanced.

In close collaboration with NGOs operating in legal and human rights areas, the UN assisted in the compilation of a gender–sensitive and sex -disaggregated database on GBV cases pending before the courts, which would facilitate the handling and prosecution of related cases.

A training manual on Gender Based Violence was also developed for personnel of the criminal justice agencies (judges, prosecutors and judicial police officers). There

Through the support of Legal officers placed at the Isange and Gihundwe one-stop centres, about 560 women, victims of GBV have benefitted from legal advice to help them access justice. As a continuation of the work started in 2011, mobile legal aid clinics were conducted in collaboration with anti GBV Committees/ EDV associations to offer grass root legal aid in 8 districts in the Eastern, Western and Southern provinces. About 450 legal conclusions were drafted for GBV victims (women) and over 1,895 beneficiaries had enhanced knowledge on human rights and legal issues.

In addition, the UN assisted the NURC in promoting community dialogue on unity and reconciliation and conducting the qualitative study on the Rwanda reconciliation barometer which emerged from the need for a quantitative monitoring tool that would allow key government institutions to access the most current public opinion on the progress and pitfalls of the country’s national reconciliation programme.

2012 Annual Report

The UN also contributed to the transformation of the Nyagatare juvenile prison into a rehabilitation centre.

The second phase of this transformation, which aimed to transform the prison’s premises into a 12 year basic education school, offering workshops for vocational training, is to be completed by the end of 2013. UN worked with the Rwandan Correctional Services (RCS) in the development of guidelines and procedures manual for the management of the rehabilitation centers in accordance with international standards. Additionally, support was given in the provision of psycho-social care for under-three children with detained mothers.

Nutrition, health care and emotional stimulation were provided to about 300 under-three children with detained mothers in all prisons and an early childhood development (ECD) centre was piloted in the Muhanga prison. The RCS is committed to take over these activities and scale up the ECD centre in all new prisons under the current prison reform. The ECD centres had already been established in 2 other prisons by the RCS.

was an increased awareness and knowledge of the criminal justice agencies about gender based principles, concepts and practices as they apply to legal cases, in addition to increased knowledge of the criminal justice agencies about the national law on gender-based violence and its applicability.

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A total of 26,790 abunzi were trained in 30 districts of the country.

Visit of the Peace Academy Construction Site, Photo by UNDP Communications.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 16

Furthermore, the UN supported the construction of facilities for the Rwanda Peace Academy and contributed to the organization of peacekeeping training sessions.

The UN also supported Parliamentary Commissions oversight missions to ensure evidence -based and citizen centered legislation. The UN also assisted the building of the national parliament’s capacities in research to facilitate the work of parliamentary commissions and to ensure that the oversight role is based on verified facts and justified recommendations. Thanks to the UN support, the parliamentary radio “Radio Inteko” was launched to facilitate enhanced communication between MPs and their constituencies.

In the realm of International Treaties and Conventions, the UN gave support to the Treaty Body Task Force to strengthen national capacities for timely and substantive reporting on treaties bodies and implementation of the UPR roadmap in collaboration with MINIJUST. With the UN support, the Government of Rwanda cleared its backlog in reporting on Treaty Bodies in 2012.

The support increased the Government ’’capacities in reporting on Treaty Bodies and other international conventions and as a result, the Government owns and drives the reporting process. The Ministry of Justice is now facilitating treaty body reporting and the implementation of the UPR roadmap”.

2 on “Access to Finance”. In addition, the capacity of NISR staff and government ministries was strengthened to collect sex disaggregated data, undertake data analysis and dissemination. These efforts will lead to increased production and dissemination of qualitydisaggregated data to inform policy making process.

The One UN also supported the successful conduct of census enumeration for the 2012 Population and Housing Census. Staff from NISR and enumerators (832 trainers of enumerators and 24,716 enumerators) underwent several training sessions aimed at capacitating them to conduct the census. As a result, the enumeration concluded successfully in August 2012 and provisional results were made available on time.

Additionally, the UN assisted the NISR in the publication of several surveys and reports, such as: District profiles and thematic publications (on poverty, education and health) based on recent EICV data; post enumeration survey; training manuals for sampling, population projection and demographic indicators; Devinfo/ IMIS Rwanda updated with EICV thematic reports; manpower survey data analysis and inception report.

Outcome 1.2 Evidence based policy making & accountability

Furthermore, technical and financial support was provided to NISR in managing and disseminating information using DevInfo. With support from the One UN, NISR is designing a new SMS system to collect and disseminate data. NISR benefited from institutional development support in the form of longer-term

The One UN support in 2012 contributed to enhancing national capacity for evidence -based policy making and planning. This was achieved using quality and disaggregated data through capacity strengthening of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) to generate and disseminate demographic and socioeconomic data. Technical and financial support was provided to NISR to also launch the Gender Statistics Framework (GSF). This was done through provision of a technical advisor on gender statistics; capacity building support to central and district statisticians; M&E officers and gender focal points with regard to the utilization of the GSF. Assistance was also provided for the production and dissemination of Gender Statistics publications Volume 1 on the “Public Sector in Rwanda” and Volume

Enumeration in Progress in Greater Kigali Area, Photo by UNFPA

Ahead of the 2013 parliamentary elections, the UN supported the BRIDGE certification for 17 permanent staff members of the National Electoral Commission (NEC). This training equipped them with internationally certified professional skills in electoral administration and management. On top of that, 2022 polling site supervisors and all the NEC staff at district level were trained on laws relating to legislative elections.

Outcome 1.3 Decentralization & Participation In 2012, the UN launched an assistance program on inclusive participation in governance through support to the Rwanda Governance Board, the Media High Council, the parliament, the national forum of political organizations, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission and the National Electoral Commission, with the aim to promote citizen’s participation in democratic processes at all levels. This program contributed substantially to the media reform process by supporting the review of the legal framework whereby the law regulating the Media High Council, the media bill and the access to information law were promulgated in December 2012 while the remaining bill on Rwanda Broadcasting Agency will be adopted in 2013. In addition, a five year capacity building plan for the media was elaborated and a gender audit for the sector was conducted to ensure that capacity support provided over the coming years take fully into account all the necessary gender dimensions.

With support from the UN, the National Forum of Political Organizations was enabled to enhance political parties’ young members’ capacities in leadership and participation in political processes. To this effect, 227 young people graduated from this program called the

Furthermore, the Joint Youth Programme (JYP) between the One UN and the Ministry of Youth and ICT (MYICT) is an important contribution to increasing the participation of youth in the overall development of Rwanda. In 2012, the Joint Youth Programme contributed actively to the revision and validation of National Youth Policy.

This was achieved through a nation-wide consultative process with youth to ensure their participation in policy development and adequate integration of their needs and interests. Furthermore, technical and financial assistance was given to 7 Youth Centres (in Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Karongi Ngororero, Rutsiro, Nyagatare and Kimisagara). These youth centers delivered to youth key messages on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and on specific international days. It also organized various sporting events, civic education and volunteer activities. In addition, the youth centres also supported vocational and leadership trainings, provided access to financial services and cooperative creation. The same year, the youth centres initiated a radio programme to reach the youth in isolated areas. In addition to the Youth Centres, the UN also organized youth camps in 6 Districts, sensitizing the youth on SRH, voluntarism, and other relevant topics with an emphasis on behavior change and the role of the youth in the development of the country.

2012 Annual Report

Through MINECOFIN, UN provided support to the GoR for the elaboration of the national monitoring and evaluation policy; the principles of which are embedded in EDPRS 2. This specific contribution was also extended to local governments where UN gave technical assistance for the elaboration of evidence based district development plans for 2013-2018. UN also contributed to raising awareness on EDPRS 2 elaboration process and facilitating consultations at different levels.

“Youth Political Leadership Academy” and among the graduates, 50% were female members from all the registered parties. The UN promoted citizen participation in decision making processes through various policy dialogues on emerging issues, community dialogue session on the post Gacaca process, mobile school of governance in 18 districts and outreach visits by members of the parliament. These interventions aimed at maximizing citizen inputs in the management of public affairs and ensure that the decisions made are based on citizen’s priority needs.

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advisory services to the management and in the area of ICT to facilitate the collection and dissemination of data through online mechanisms and improve the use of technology in data management. NISR also got technical support for capacity development in synthetic areas and for rebasing national accounts. Technical support was also provided to conduct capacity needs assessment of NISR and develop a capacity building plan, which is in line with the institution’s mandate and vision.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 18

An important component of the JYP was the promotion of sexual and reproductive rights of adolescents and youth and ensuring their access to SRH services, such as HIV prevention services. This was pursued through implementation of various measures, including: BCC activities such as Interpersonal Communication (IPC) sessions, community dialogues, special events, Mobile Video Unit (MVU) sessions, service provision by Youth Centres, ARBEF clinics and Mobile VCT. About 240 trained volunteer peer educators conducted IPC sessions and community dialogues in their respective sectors and reached both in and out-of school youth with different messages. The JYP also contributed to youth employment creation and enhancing youth’s employability skills through entrepreneurship sessions for young men and women who completed secondary school and young graduates from universities using ILO’s Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) methodology. Two components have been fully covered: Generate Youth Business Idea (GYBI) which is intended for people without a business plan who would like to start a business, and Start Your Business (SYB), which is intended for potential entrepreneurs with a concrete business idea who want to start a

profitable and sustainable small business. The third one, which introduces managerial principles to young entrepreneurs business, will be provided when young entrepreneurs will be running their own businesses. In addition to eight existing SIYB trainers at country level, a second session had certified eleven new trainers and the intention was to upgrade this kind of training up to Master Trainers.

Outcome 1.4 Gender equality During the year under review, the UN contributed to the strengthening of the capacities of the national gender machinery and government institutions by facilitating the development of sector specific guidelines for gender mainstreaming that have been used to mainstream gender in sector strategies, district development plans and the EDPRS II. In an effort to address the capacity gaps in gender analysis, mainstreaming in the planning and programming process, the One UN in partnership with the European Commission, MINECOFIN, and the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) developed the “Gender

Furthermore, the UN contributed to the government’s one cow per poor family programme by providing cows to poor female headed households in Nyaruguru and Nyabihu districts, thereby enhancing their income levels and better nutrition.

To facilitate joint action by all actors to effectively prevent and respond to GBV among refugees, the UN in collaboration with the Rwanda National Police, Rwanda Defense Forces and NGOs, Standard Operating

Key Challenges and Opportunities In the course of 2012, the most important challenge that the UN encountered was the capacity gap in gender analysis and gender mainstreaming within government institutions to effectively mainstream gender in planning and programming processes.

Besides the strong political will to advance gender equality in the national development agenda, there are emerging opportunities that if effectively utilized, will contribute to the advancement of the gender equality agenda in a sustainable manner. For example, the partnership between the School of Finance and Banking as an Institution of Higher Learning and the One UN to implement the gender and economic policy initiative was an important opportunity that will go a long way in building the capacities in gender analysis and mainstreaming in policies, programmes, planning and budgeting within government institutions at both the central and local levels.

Support in the area of governance and gender equality has encountered some difficulty and slower implementation of the programme in 2012. This was due to the slow implementation capacity of certain key partnering national institutions due to limited financial and technical resources and high staff turnover and reduction. Limited funds compared to requirements for support coupled with delayed

2012

In an effort to mitigate poverty among vulnerable women living with HIV/AIDS, the UN strengthened the capacity of 300 vulnerable women living with HIV/AIDS who have in turn initiated income-generating activities in Muhanga and Ruhango districts.

Annual Report

With regard to the economic empowerment of women, the One UN supported the development of the “Women and Youth’s access to finance strategy” and provided financial support to the Business Development Fund (BDF) as a guarantee fund to facilitate women and youth’s access to credit especially the poorest.

The UN provided technical and financial support to the Agaseke women weavers to access local, regional and International markets (Italy). The main outcome of this exposure is to enable women to regularly and effectively participate in East African mini trade fairs on their own initiative and to build networks.

Procedures (SOPs) for prevention of/and response to Gender Based Violence (GBV) were developed and agreed upon and they are now being applied.

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and Economic Policy Management training manual that is contextualized to Rwanda’s experience and needs.

Following the official launch of this initiative, SFB plans to start a training programme for economists, planners and budget officers of different ministries, districts, CSOs and parliamentarians for more effective gender responsive programming and budgeting in the course of 2013.

disbursements of the One UN fund also constrained the One UN’s ability to achieve agreed outcomes and deliverables. Furthermore, the parallel funding modality poses a challenge for implementing partners in terms of burden in planning and reporting requirements.

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Annual Report

2012

Partnerships

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Key government partners of the UN in the area of governance include the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), the National Institute of Statistics in Rwanda (NISR), the National Parliament, the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Justice (MINIJUST), the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA), the Ministry of Youth and ICT (MYICT), the Ministry for Gender and Family Affairs (MIGEPROF), the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), the National Women’s Council (NWC), and the Rwanda Women Parliamentarian Forum (FFRP).

Furthermore, the UN worked with and supported international and local CSOs such as the Legal Aid Forum (LAF), Association des Jeunes pour la Promotion des Droits de l’Homme (AJPRODHO), Association Rwandaise pour le Bien-Etre Familial (ARBEF) and Population Services International (PSI).

UN support to good governance and gender equality remains relevant as reflected in EDPRS II. The fact that the Government is in the driving s eat and has strong political commitment to governance and gender equality issues provides good opportunities for the UN to make its relevant and strategic contribution. There has also been good cooperation with key government partners and the Government has appreciated the contribution of the UN. Indeed, UN technical expertise has been working closely with the Government institutions and national stakeholders in strategic planning, capacity strengthening, assessment and monitoring in the areas of justice, peace reconsolidation, evidence - based policy making and accountability, decentralization and participation as well as gender equality. Furthermore, there is strong political will to meet the needs of youth.

The Government recognizes the critical importance of youth empowerment in the national development efforts, as spelt out clearly in the EDPRS II. Youth organizations have also been established and well structured and are supporting a number of activities at the grassroots level.

In 2012, the UN provided support to the RBC/ IHDPC and other stakeholders to strengthen the collection and use of strategic information for plann ing, implementation and monitoring of the national HIV response. Strategic information on the status of the epidemic and the response is essential for guiding HIV programme planning and implementation, sustaining commitment, and ensuring accountability. The UN (WHO and UNAIDS) developed standards, guidelines and tools to improve HIV surveillance and generate the best estimates of the HIV epidemic in a country; using various sources of data, including HIV prevalence in different population groups and household surveys.

Rwanda is among the countries which have decided early to actively tackle HIV and AIDS pandemic not only as a health problem, but also as a serious development challenge. With the creation of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre/ Institute of HIV/AIDS Disease Prevention and Control (RBC/IHDPC), HIV prevention, treatment and care services are integrated firmly into health service provision as well as into other non- health development sectors. The year 2012 was a good year for Rwanda with regard to the AIDS response. The country is currently poised to achieve the targets set in the 2011 Political Declaration on HIV by 2015. This notable progress is reflected in a number of indicators including; the reduction of new HIV infections by 50 per cent; 94 per cent of HIV positive people eligible to be treated are on treatment, an increase from 89 per cent in 2011; increasing number of people tested for HIV, and improved coverage and utilization of PMTCT services have resulted in reduction in the rates of new HIV infections in infants to 1.36%. These successes can be attributed to a committed leadership and strong and accountable governance in the area of health and development.

UN Specific Contribution The UN HIV theme group coordinated the UN support to the national HIV response. The theme group brought together the 11 UNAIDS cosponsor agencies and is guided in its implementation of activities by the 20092013 National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS, which informed the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2009-2012. These in turn, were reflected in the Consolidated Annual Work plans (CAPs) that were developed in collaboration with the RBC/Institute for HIV Disease Prevention and Control, with the involvement of civil society organizations, to ensure national ownership of proposed interventions and alignment to national targets.

During the reporting period, the UN support in this area focused on the provision of technical assistance to RBC/IHDPC during the mid-term review of the current National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS. Through financial support from the UN, tools for collecting MTR of NSP data at national and district level (Musanze) were developed. The review was able to highlight the progress made in the implementation of the NSP and proposed recommendations for the development of the next NSP 2013-2017. In order to strengthen the national capacity for the generation of strategic information, UN supported the technical review of the protocols for the upcoming Behavioural and Surveillance Surveys on key populations (MSM & Sex Workers). Support was also provided to the organization and implementation of a research dissemination workshop at which new research and data on HIV in Rwanda were presented to over 120 stakeholders working in the area. Recommendations were made and data validated including the 2011 ante natal surveillance survey, the 2011 HIV estimates and projections. Through the support of the UN, the RBC staff and CSOs attended a number of capacity building sessions that will further impact the implementation of activities in the area of HIV. Sponsorship was given to 3 CSO representatives and 1 MP to attend the International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C., where Rwanda’s progress on EMTCT, ART and new research were shared.

2012

Summary of significant national achievements

Annual Report

Outcome 1: Coordination, planning, leadership and oversight

One UN Rwanda

Part 2a: UNDAF Result on HIV and AIDS

In order to support the development of Rwanda’s next National Strategic Plan on HIV /AIDS, the UN theme

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

group facilitated two staff members from the RBC to attend the new generation NSP development workshop in connection with the development of the 2013-2017 NSP. During this period, support was provided to the organization of a regional workshop on the ‘Use of Gender Data in Sub-national Decision Making with MEASURE Evaluation and RBC/IHDPC. The workshop built the capacity of 40 CDLS and other stakeholders working at the district level (e.g. District Health Officers, Gender & Child Protection Officers) to use disaggregated data to inform HIV program planning and implementation at the district level.

Financial and Technical assistance was also provided to Rwandan Network of Parliamentarians on population Support and Development and RBC/IHDPC to organize a one day meeting on HIV, which was attended by 90 per cent of MPs including other partners in HIV response in Rwanda. The session provided an opportunity for RPRPD members to present to MPs and other stakeholders, findings from a quality analysis of sex worker’s needs. In addition, the meeting provided an opportunity to RBC /IHDPC to present to MPs, the status of AIDS epidemic and challenges for sustaining gains in order to reach national and global targets in the area of HIV response.

UNAIDS and UNDP provided financial and technical support to Kigali City to develop a four year plan for HIV response. Using evidence that shows high HIV prevalence in Kigali city (7%) compared to national and other regions of Rwanda (DHS 2010), the plan engages stakeholders, including civil society to focus support on high risk segments of the population such as sex workers (HIV prevalence of 56% was observed among female sex workers), and accelerate prevention measures towards Zero new HIV infections by 2015.

In collaboration with the Private Sector Federation (PSF), a minimum package of HIV programs in the workplace was developed. The minimum package informs planning of PSF constituencies with particular attention on accelerating HIV prevention and availing services at the work place.

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Outcome 2: Prevention of HIV During the reporting period, the UN worked closely with the GoR and other partners in implementing national HIV prevention initiatives. Specifically, the following results were achieved with the UN assistance.

Apart from its general support to HIV prevention, the UN has focused efforts on high-risk groups with a view to ensure that incidence is reduced. With the highest prevalence amongst sex workers, the UN theme group targeted such population groups to ensure that they receive adequate HIV prevention services.

In this connection, support was provided to the RBC/ IHDPC exercise to generate estimates of the numbers of female sex workers in the country. These estimates were validated by the national HIV /TWG and will be helpful in the implementation of the national sex worker operational plan.

Additional intervention in the area of HIV prevention focused on the provision of condoms and sensitization on their use for HIV prevention. About 334 peer educators and 15 focal points and health facility staff participated in quarterly meeting to discuss condom use for couples living with HIV and acquire skills to implement the family package approach. Around 402 discordant couple s attended post-counseling sessions in 15 health centers. Draft HIV prevention PCC (parentschild communication) materials were developed and are under review with the Rwanda Health Communication Center.

The UN supported the finalization of the national Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (EPMTCT) strategy and its roll out to the 30 districts.

District level operational plans were developed and implementation was supported over 2013. Tools on Family Planning for HIV-positive pregnant women (fliers and posters) were produced and 800,000 copies were distributed for use at Health Facilities.

The UN supported the GoR through RBC-IHDPC to organize and coordinate an advocacy forum aiming at bringing different stakeholders to address children, women and HIV issues. In 2012, the theme for the

(ii) providing social support for families infected and affected by HIV; and (iii) reducing stigma and discrimination against PLWHIV. The keynote speakers from ESARO and from other international organizations shared global and local evidence. Recommendations for the conference were drawn from the technical presentations and from the children’s forum. Based on the main recommendations of the conference, a two-year Action Plan will be developed and approved by the steering committee and implemented under coordination of RBC/IHPDC. During the period under review, the UN also supported the Rwanda government’s response to HIV through evidence-based programming, coordination and advocacy around adolescent HIV prevention at national and sub-nation level. Assistance was provided in capacity building in innovative ways of delivering services with special focus on adolescent’s access to sexual information. Condoms, HTC and post-test services had been the mainstay of primary prevention of HIV. In 2012, comprehensive knowledge and access to services were identified as determining factors for a successful response. National counterparts were supported to develop behavioural changes through development of standard materials for parents-child communication in order to increase knowledge on sexuality, HIV prevention, importance of delaying sexual debut and reducing sexual risk behaviour. HIV prevention services (condoms distribution, HIV Testing and Counselling

In view of the global drive to eliminate new HIV infections in children and to keep their mothers alive, Rwanda identified equity, quality and evidence in implementing option B+ regimen as key determinants for the achievement of the targets for EMTCT. In 2012, the UN provided support to RBC to address these gaps and developed district EMTCT plans with a focus on equity and quality, expanded family PMTCT package from 12 to 22 facilities and supported the modeling of option B+ in four districts (Bugesera, Musanze, Nyarugenge and Kicukiro). The implementation of all the district plans will be monitored and lessons learnt documented within the first semester of 2013 and will be used to inform the scale-up of national PMTCT program in the new country program. Through UNICFE support, a maternity ward in Matyazo health center was constructed to improve overall health outcomes of the mother and new-born beyond the PMTCT family package.

The UN has continued to support the programme for adolescents living with HIV (ALWHIV). In 2012, the UN and RBC/IHDPC identified a host of constraints affecting ALWHIV programme, including: the lack of HIV care and treatment norms, poor retention and adherence to ART, complex psychosocial aspects and unmet sexual and reproductive health needs, and generally low quality of pediatrics AIDS services. These are considered to be the key determinants of a successful treatment programme, and therefore the need to address them, becomes imperative. Through UN technical and financial support, RBC selected two national referral hospitals (CHUK and Musanze district hospital), to model delivery of comprehensive adolescent friendly services for 600 ALHIV to conduct an evaluation. Progress reports from field monitoring indicate that the implementation of the model was addressing and meeting adolescents’ needs. Documentation of the model is in process and lessons learned will contribute to development of a

2012 Annual Report

(i) providing HIV prevention initiatives;

services and peer education) were provided in 3 Youth friendly settings located in 3 districts and five health facilities were supported to deliver medical male circumcision services and were used as referrals for Youth friendly centers. Approximately 40,000 young people received part, if not, the full package of HIV prevention interventions.

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pediatrics conference on children infected and affected

by HIV and AIDS was” Strengthening Community Ownership for a Sustainable Response to HIV among Children in Rwanda”. UNICEF, as co-chair of the steering community with RBC/IHDPC chair, collaborated with other developmental and implementing partners to provide technical support in the coordination of the preparation of the 2012 conference and in monitoring and evaluation of implementation of recommendations from the 2011 pediatrics conference. During the conference, high level advocacy was carried out on the role of the community in a number of areas, including:

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minimum package of care for ALHIV. This package will be integrated and scaled -up within the national ART program. In addition, the UN provided financial sponsorship to RBC/IHDPC to develop the capacity of health care workers to apply continuous quality improvement methodology to enhance the quality of pediatric ART services.

Other UN interventions in this area include capacity strengthening trough sensitization and training of different actors in the hotel sector in connection with HIV workplace programme’s minimum package. In addition, support was provided to strengthen the structure of the Ministry of Labour and Public Services in order to respond effectively to the implementation of the HIV -AIDS workplace programmes. About 60 HIV focal points from public and private sector including trade unions were trained to support HIV-AIDS workplace interventions.

Outcome 3: Impact mitigation: The UN support to the area of impact mitigation One of the overarching goals of Rwanda’s National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS 2009 -2012 is to ensure that people infected and affected by HIV have the same rights and opportunities as the rest of the population. The NSP recognizes the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS on the health, economic and social wellbeing of individuals and their families. People living with HIV often face challenges of unemployment and under-employment, malnutrition and food insecurity.

In pursuing the goals of this NSP result area, the UN supported government efforts to improve access to economic opportunities and increase food security, nutritional status, and psychosocial support for people living with HIV. Special attention was accorded to vulnerable populations, especially women and girls.

Assistance was also given to empower communities to promote human rights and gender equality in the context of HIV and to address stigma, discrimination, and gender-based violence.

In the reporting period the UN also contributed to the following achievements. Twenty farmers (60 per cent of whom were women) were trained as Field Life School facilitators and equipped with skills to implement

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activities that will contribute to increased agricultural output, nutritional status, and food security for people infected and affected by HIV in six priority districts.

In a further effort to improve nutrition and food security, WFP & UN Women gave food allowances to 673 pregnant women, 576 lactating mothers and 707 children between 6 and 23 months, all of who were HIV positive. Support was also given to infant and young child feeding, to vulnerable groups and people living with HIV, especially women and people in refugee camps.

Over 100 healthcare providers, police, GBV committees & CSOs were trained in prevention of GBV & HIV and skilled to establish referral networks. In addition, 10,000 community members were sensitized on GBV and HIV prevention in Bugesera & Nyagatare districts in an effort to increase the capacity of the communities (service providers, and civil society) to prevent and respond to stigma and discrimination with regard to HIV and gender-based violence.

With UNAIDS support to AJPRODHO, a situation analysis on discrimination and Human Rights violation among Vulnerable Youth living with HIV in three districts of Kigali City was conducted and the findings informed the planning. Representatives of human rights organizations and members of the justice sector in Rwanda were trained in mainstreaming HIV response in human rights protection plans.

A total number of 37 health care providers, 65 gender focal points from national police and 66 Community leaders from GBV committees at the sector level and community policing and associations of PLHIV in Bugesera and Nyagatare districts were trained on GBV and HIV prevention and supported to build partnerships to strengthen community prevention and response to GBV. 10 outreach sessions of community dialogue on HIV and GBV prevention were conducted in Bugesera and Nyagatare with approximately 5000 people reached with messages on GBV and HIV Prevention.

Technical and financial support was provided to the Association Rwandaise de Bien Etre Familial (ARBEF)

Partnerships In an effort to support the Government of Rwanda to tackle the national HIV and AIDS pandemic, the United Nations in Rwanda works closely with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre/ Institute of HIV/AIDS Disease Prevention and Control; Ministry of Health; Global Fund; PEPFAR; CDC; USAID.

Key Challenges and Opportunities

Preventing new HIV infections in children through PMTCT is the initial step and Rwanda is doing well.

However, the challenge to ensure that these children remain HIV free throughout their life cycle, with the adolescence period being the most critical, remains.

A supportive environment for adolescents and young people to access information and services for primary prevention of HIV is critical for Rwanda to become a nation free of new HIV infections.

2012 Annual Report

to conduct awareness raising and community dialogue sessions under the campaign’s theme “Know your rights and prevent yourself from HIV and GBV” in Kayonza and Kirehe districts of Eastern province. 26 peer educators selected from grassroots level were trained on strategies to accelerate communications on prevention of HIV and GBV, and about 3,000 people were reached and sensitized on HIV and GBV prevention, through community dialogue sessions during the monthly community work “Umuganda” and through targeted outreach sessions.

One other major area of challenge is inadequate knowledge about positive behaviour change and inadequate skills to reduce the risk of HIV infection, especially among young people. The limited access to PMTCT services by all HIV infected pregnant women/ mothers at every step in the continuum of care requires further attention as well. Also, there is still a wide gap between HIV testing for infants and initiation on ART. Treatment and support services were not accessible to the majority of infants tested HIV due to lack of policy, inadequate skills among the health care workers to deliver services for children, health system related challenges and lack of HIV sensitive social protection programmes to support HIV infected children to access treatment and care services.

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To this end, and in the context of the global aid landscape, one of the most pressing challenges is the need to diversify sources of funding to maintain the success achieved so far. In this regard, the implementation of the African Union (AU) roadmap provides an opportunity for increasing domestic resources for HIV in close collaboration with other countries.

While Rwanda has achieved remarkable progress in combating HIV&AIDS pandemic, the heavy reliance on external sources to fund the national HIV response, could constitute a serious handicap in the future. Indeed, about 86% of the funds allocated to Rwanda’s national HIV programme are externally sourced, a situation that puts the country into a vulnerable position vis-àvis donor predictions in its efforts to plan ahead and ensure sustainability of achievements.

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Part 2b: UNDAF Result on Health, Population and Nutrition Summary of significant national achievements The reporting period saw the government preparing to transit to a new phase of the Vision 2020 road map towards becoming a mid-income country. The Health Sector had been designated as one of the foundational sectors that would support the national socio -economic growth and development and poverty reduction objectives. The Health Sector contributed to the consolidation of progress made over the few past years and helped to refocus strategies and approaches towards narrowing subnational disparities among the vulnerable populations through accelerated national scale up of packages of interventions. A landmark event was the announcement of the successful attainment of the MDG 4 target by Rwanda, an accomplishment that illustrates the consistent progress made in the health sector. The government continued its drive to review and update relevant policy documents to enable the delivery of essential services. Significant among these were the Family Planning Policy, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy as well as the Non Communicable Disease s and Injuries Policy with the long-term implementation frameworks. The main national sector strategy document was also reviewed during the period and the Health Sector Strategic Plan III 2013-2018 developed to align with the EDPRS 2. The need for these re views also placed a corresponding demand on evidence generation including modeling and operational research to support evidence based policy dialogue.

Another significant landmark was the government’s launching of the Joint Action Plan for elimination of malnutrition in January 2012, thereby translating the already existing high political commitment to a national action plan and grass roots movement to combat malnutrition.

Emphasis on district health management was a significant milestone this year as the government developed the pro-equity district planning process to support effective health sector implementation at

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decentralized levels. In another related areas, the report from the 2012 census shows there was a marginal decrease in annual population growth rate from 2. 9% to 2.6% over a 10-year period.

UN specific contributions UNDAF Outcome 1: Effective Health system: Quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the national health system including nutrition, reproductive health, maternal and child health and family planning services improved.

UN contributed to the attainment of results for this outcome by supporting the development of 3 policies and 8 strategic plans with 1 Action plan. These are: the Family Planning Policy and Strategic Plan, NCD Policy and Strategy, the water and sanitation policy and related strategic plan, the Health Sector Strategic Plan and the Newborn National Action Plan. Other long term planning frameworks that were supported d include: the Malaria Strategic Plan 2013-2017, National Health Promotion Strategic Pl an 2013-2017, National Strategic Plan for Environmental Health, and the mainstreaming of the ASRH in the National Youth Policy. The UN also supported the district health planning processes, which mainstreamed bottleneck analysis as part of improving focus, prioritization and targeting in district health management.

Modeling of initiatives remained very relevant as an important source of evidence generation. The UN supported modelling of District Plans to Eliminate

Development of an innovative technology known as “m4RH” for young people to distribute RH messages by mobile telephony; Awareness on fistula prevention, treatment and socio -reintegration were raised through messages developed (leaflets, posters, picture box) ;

Various high-level advocacy activities, including CARMMA, Malaria Forum, and International Pediatric Conference focusing on major childhood diseases, including pediatric cancer were carried out. Thematic events in support of Tuberculosis, Health, Malaria, World AIDS day, and Global Hand Washing Day, World Water Day, amongst others, were organized and used to advocate for improved welfare of the Rwandan people.

UNDAF outcome 2: Health Practices and Quality of Health Services: Adoption of healthy practices and improved access to and use of quality health services.

Towards this outcome, the main significant developments were efforts by government and partners to ensure consolidation of achievements in health sector services by encouraging partners and stakeholders to improve implementation of agreed lifesaving intervention packages along the continuum of care and to widen the national geographic coverage. In this connection, the One UN provided technical and/or financial support to the following initiatives:

Awareness raising campaigns for refugee women and CHWs on promotion of breastfeeding practices and child care ; Dissemination of drinking water quality visual and audio messages through radio and TV; Strengthening EmONC and maternal, neonatal and infant deaths surveillance and review approach by the provision of tools and equipment; Capacity building supported on IDSR guidelines and e -IDSR (electronic reporting system); Promotion of ICATT; Promotion of universal coverage of health services (community based health insurance ‘CBHI’;

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Development of a four year action plan (2012-2015) for surveillance of drinking water quality; National preparedness plan for Ebola/Marburg fever outbreaks;

HPV Vaccination Campaign 2012, Photo by WHO Communications

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Increasing access to safe water to about 120,000 people in communities, 50 Primary schools and 10 Health Centers in the Northern Western parts of Rwanda. Sanitation facilities were also improved in the same area, with 59 schools and 8 health centers acquiring new gender sensitive sanitation facilities.

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Malnutrition in three districts. Other service areas also saw plans and guidelines developed to improve delivery.

They include guidelines for introduction of Rotavirus vaccine and the EPI Comprehensive Multiyear Plan; Quality standards for pharmaceutical products linked to the EAC harmonization of rules and regulations and updated MDR-TB, HIV/TB training manuals were finalized during the same period. The roadmap for the attainment of the MNCH Accountability framework was developed.

Equitable access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene and health services improved in districts, schools, health facilities; strengthening of EPI by campaign, equipment and supplies;

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2012

‰ Comprehensive response to refugee influx, including logistics, medical and nutrition supplies, human resources (assignment of doctors and nurses in the camp), and response to SGBV, including: WASH facilities (water supply, latrines and hand washing facilities in camps).

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Partnerships

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During the reporting period, the Health, Population and Nutrition Thematic Group of the One UN consolidated the gains in partnerships through forging new participatory strategic partnerships with bilateral donors in Rwanda. The government of Netherlands supported the WASH project in the districts of Burera, Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu. The KOICA group worked with the One UN to explore the feasibility of funding the use of innovative mobile technology to reduce maternal and new-born mortality. A dialogue with the Swiss Development Corporation on strategic support to Nutrition was initiated. In this connection, an integrated approach to food security and availability, as well as translating food to nutrition were the key components of the assistance to the country. Also, USAID provided strategic support to UN in combating malnutrition.

The One UN worked with GAVI to secure the funding the Measles/Rubella vaccination and the introduction of the vaccine into the country in the first quarter of 2012. While the Government of Netherlands continued its support to the One UN in the Water and Sanitation area, this strategic partnership has been extended to the area of Nutrition for the next 3 years. Other partnerships that played significant roles during the period under review were those of global health initiatives, financial institutions such as the World Bank and affected communities and populations. In most cases , the One UN used the opportunities to leverage resources, mobilize funds as well as collaborate on issues of evidence-based advocacy to support the government of Rwanda attain national development targets. In addition the UN played a pivotal role in the coordination through SWAPs, TWGs and DPGs meetings. Equally significant, was the UN technical assistance to MIDIMAR in mobilizing resources for emergency preparedness and response , following the influx of Congolese refugees.

Key Opportunities, Challenges and lessons learned HPN theme group remains very relevant as the country continuously transforms and progresses into a midincome country category in 2020. The EDPRS II provides a very good opportunity for the UN to look at its strategic support to the Health Sector through a middle-income lens. There is a need for UN to strategically position itself in supporting health sector priorities that will improve the health conditions of the Rwandan people and thereby contribute to the socio-economic transformation of the country. The high relevance of effective knowledge management as well as evidence generation including modeling of initiatives, have been the primary domain of the UN. These are now increasingly requested by government to support the development of new and effective policies, pro-poor and pro-equity approaches for improved welfare of the people. The use of innovative approaches, including community solidarity mechanisms, population based events, as channels for reducing g sub-national disparities among vulnerable population groups are good opportunities for the UN. The gains from the use of mobile technology to track pregnancy cycle are now being expanded along the continuity of care and together with maternal deaths surveillance at all levels, will certainly contribute to the further reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Resource constraints, both in terms of human and financial, continue to be one of the limiting factors for the government to effectively achieve its objectives of scaling up interventions nationwide. This concern is currently being addressed by the government through new initiatives in human resources development, such as the Clinton Foundation support to human resources for health.

The decentralization process has led to enormous responsibilities in the implementation of programmes to be domiciled in the districts and in sub district structures, which are generally characterized by weak management systems. However, the HPN Thematic Group has contributed to strengthening the district planning processes. During the reporting period, the HPN internal mechanisms also had its own challenges, including doing so many things in many places at the same time resulting in a multiplicity of activities which

As the One UN/DaO approach continues to be reinforced, the joint intervention planning process is being strengthened, increasing the potential for resource mobilization and constructive synergies between the UN agencies, thereby allowing each agency to best

With regard to future plans and priorities, UN agencies will continue to work with the MoH in support of the development goals of the GoR and the objectives of the HSSP III. Key priority areas have already been highlighted in joint planning meetings during the development of the HSSPIII. These include: completing the ‘Unfinished job� towards the attainment of the MDGs specifically those related to maternal and new born mortality reduction, addressing subnational disparities in access and utilization of services, strengthening quality assurance as part of the health systems , as well as developing national tracking systems that will span the maternal and child health care continuum during the first 1000 days for the reduction of mortalities and improving equity in health care and welfare.

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Finally, innovative technologies have consistently been shown to improve quality of care, strengthen the community health system link as well as support more proactive approach to health care services.

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During the reporting period, the HPN Thematic Group achieved commendable results in the areas of policy development, knowledge management, evidencebased advocacy, and capacity building and services delivery. This performance has been recognized and appreciated by the MoH. For example, the HPN theme group made valuable contribution, both technically and financially, to the HSSP III (2013-2017) formulation, thereby helping to highlight concrete priorities for the health sector. In addition, support to district planning processes based on bottom - up approach allowed districts to integrate HPN in puts in their IMIHIGO.

contribute its expertise and comparative advantage in the pursuit of the overall goals of the One UN.

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could not easily reflect significant impact brought about by the UN contribution. This is being addressed partly through the focused planning for 2013 through the new UNDAP where the UN will develop flagship projects.

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Part 3:

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UNDAF Result on Education

Summary of significant national achievements Rwanda was on track in 2012 to achieve universal access to primary school by 2015 for both boys and girls. There has been sustained progress in access to education with the primary net enrolment rate increasing to 95.4% in 2011 (the 2012 data has not yet been validated though the total number of pupils in primary education increased by 52,024 pupils (2%) in 2012). Gender parity at primary level has been achieved, with girls’ net enrolment rate at 97.5% which is higher than for boys (94.3%).

The number of students in secondary schools continued to increase: a further 48,055 enrolled in 2012 to give a total of 534,492. Secondary net enrolment rate in 2012 stood at 28% (30% for girls), up from 26% (27% for girls) in 2011. Girls made up 52% of students in secondary education. The net enrolment rate for preprimary education increased by 13,908 children to

reach 12.3% (Girls 12.8%) against a target of 15% for 2012.

Rwanda won the Commonwealth Education Good Practice Awards 2012, for the innovative fast -tracking strategies of the 9 Year Basic Education Programme. This is a recognition of the progress which Rwanda made in increasing access to nine years basic education and an acknowledgement of the innovative and successful approaches taken to ensure that all children can access and complete quality basic education in Rwanda. The 9 Year Basic Education Fast Tracking strategies were supported by several development partners, including the UN, which partnered with the Government to develop school infrastructure standards and guidelines to ensure the quality of construction and also provided funding through the One UN Fund. The ’Rwanda Reads’ initiative was also launched in 2012, aiming to support quality improvement by raising awareness of the importance of reading, increasing availability of reading materials for children, and through empowering teachers and parents to help children embrace and enjoy regular reading. Building upon the success of the 9-year

The UN finalized construction of 4 schools during 2012, taking the total number of Child Friendly Schools assisted with infrastructure support to 80 during the UNDAF cycle, benefitting approximately 120,000 children. 22 Child Friendly Schools were also provided with furniture (2,699 pupil desks, 303 teacher desks and 604 chairs) in 2012.

The UN supported the retention of children through the provision of food commodities to nearly 350,000

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The UN supporting Education and Early Childhood Development of Refugee Children The year 2012 saw renewed influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda.

Among these refugees, there were approximately 2,000 of pre -school age and 4,500 of school -going age, all now located in Kigeme refugee camp in Nyamagabe District.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been prepared between the Ministry of Disaster Management (MIDIMAR), Nyamagabe District authorities, schools and the UN, putting in place a strategy to Integrate 4,500 refugee children into two local schools. In preparation for the integration for the new school year, the UN built 62 new classrooms in the host schools and organized preparation and language course for the refugee children to ensure they are ready to start school in January 2013. The UN also initiated Early Childhood Development (ECD) services for approximately 1,500 refugee children between the ages of 3-6 within the camp.

The continued education of approximately 18,900

refugee children was also supported through the provision of uniforms and teaching and learning materials and through the management of three camps- based schools, in partnership with NGOs and MIDIMAR. Infrastructure support was provided to camp - based schools in order to construct and equip kitchens and food storage areas in preparation for the school feeding programme scheduled to start in camps by January 2013.

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Outcome 1: Increased enrolment and retention

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UN specific contribution - UNDAF outcome 3

children in 308 schools in the Eastern and Southern Provinces. No new schools were targeted as traditional WFP-assisted school feeding was scaling down. The strategy includes all children being fed three days a week with WFP food and two days with contributions provided by all parents. However, only 10 schools (3%) reported successful transition to the 3+2 feeding days’ strategy, causing the government to rethink the future of school feeding in Rwanda. To contribute to this, the UN supported an inter-ministerial government team for a study tour in Brazil focusing on hunger reduction strategies and inclusive school feeding programmes.

Based on the Brazilian experience, the Government requested the UN assistance in formulating an investment case for school feeding in Rwanda as well as a cost benefit analysis of on-going government and UN-assisted school feeding initiatives in the country.

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basic education programme, 2012 saw the first cohort entering the 12 year basic education programme.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

Outcome 2: Key learning outcomes for children including life skills and competencies for lifelong learning achieved The UN played a leading role in the Quality Implementation Working Group chaired by the Rwanda Education Board (REB), supporting REB to address several bottlenecks in the system including the equitable supply of teaching and learning materials and the development of a monitoring system of learning achievement to assess numeracy and literacy levels.

With the UN support, the Learning and Teaching Materials information system was established. 2012 saw the third cycle of the reforms; the final 6-month cycle for which outside consultancy support will be required. The capacity of REB was sufficient to manage the process from April 2013. The new system supported the implementation of a decentralized approach to textbook procurement and distribution, which provided more decision making responsibility to schools to choose the textbooks and reading materials they require, with publishers now tasked with delivering directly to schools. This reform has enabled all schools to receive quality relevant textbooks in a timely manner with an execution rate of 99% for the textbook budget in 2012, and an improvement in pupil-textbooks ratios.

The UN also contributed funding through the system to procure pre -primary and primary readers.

Teacher and student learning together, Photo by UNICEF

At the end of 2012, 11 teacher training colleges had been equipped with teacher resource centres which

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were being used by methodology tutors and pre-service teachers. Methodology tutors were also been engaged to demonstrate the effective use of the Teacher Resource Centre materials to pre -service students using a child-centered methodology, in partnership between the UN and VSO. This important initiative was expected to help transform the manner in which trainee teachers are trained to deliver their lessons in the classrooms.

The National School Based Mentoring (SBM) programme was initiated in 2012, drawing on the UN supported pilot SBM programmes. For the SBM programme, the UN and partner IEE were closely involved in developing the concept note, action plan and budget for the national SBM programme. UNICEF supported school based mentors were located in 40 schools and work with approximately 4 or 5 teachers every day, supporting their continuous professional development, teaching skills, English language proficiency, class and lesson planning and on development of low -cost teaching aids using local materials.

The National Teacher Licensing and Registration system prototype was developed with the UN support, and was ready to be used. The system will support overall management of teaching force – recruitment, deployment, development & training and promotion.

Advocacy resulted in pre -primary education/school readiness emerging as a greater priority for the new Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP). There is also increased understanding and awareness of ECD due to a Stakeholders’ meeting, the ECD action week and the dissemination of the ECD Policy. The ECD stakeholders meeting took place in April, during which the Action Week to disseminate the ECD Policy and Strategic Plan was officially launched by the First Lady of the Republic. This high level engagement with government partners sought to build a greater understanding of the integrated approach to ECD and to a commitment from various Ministries to coordinate together to implement the ECD Policy and Plan.

The UN supported the Ministry of Education to develop the Learning Achievement in Rwandan Schools (LARS) assessment. The LARS helped develop for the first time a baseline and system to set and track learning

This role in coordination with all partners, including the civil society, ensured that the planning and review processes were inclusive of all key stakeholders and reflected the concerns and inputs of partners in the areas of equity and inclusion, and quality education for all. The UN also continued its support to the NGO co- ordination mechanism (RENCP). This partnership helped strengthen the role played by civil society in the education sector and allowed NGOs to feed into policy and planning in key equity -related specialized areas such as special needs education and early childhood development.

Support was given to the Rwanda Education Board construction unit to strengthen the unit’s capacity to plan for, implement , and monitor large scale school construction programmes.

A TUSEME club festival brought together more than 700 children from children’s clubs all over Rwanda to celebrate girl’s empowerment, achievement and participation in August 2012, in partnership with FAWE. The festival of singing, dancing, poetry, plays, comedy, debates and discussions was based on themes that concern not only girls but all children in accessing school and achieving results. A Campaign rewarding the best-performing girls was held in Kayonza in March 2012 in partnership with the Imbuto Foundation. The event helped to raise awareness of parents, teachers, and authorities and empower them to support girls’ education. This was expected to contribute to an improvement in the performance of girls at all levels of the education system.

The Rwanda Innovation Endowment Fund was successfully launched in partnership with the Ministry of Education in April 2012. The Fund account had been opened with the initial capital of 390 million Rwf. Through the One UN Fund, UN has provided seed capital, which has been supplemented by government financing, for the first stage of the Fund. The call for proposals was launched in November 2012 and the technical committee made the decisions on the use of the Fund in March 2013.

As co-chair of the development partners group, the UN worked in close partnership with the Ministry of Education on the development of the new Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP 2013-2018), which provides greater priority and budget to key areas including preprimary education, special needs education, and quality improvement.

Challenges and Opportunities The EICV III household survey data revealed that there was still a disparity in terms of access to education between urban and rural and across income quintiles and this was even more pronounced at the secondary level. Part of the challenge revolves around children not starting school at the correct age, which was more common for children from poorer backgrounds, according to EICV. Linked to this was the absence of school readiness programme: the Enrolment Rate for Pre-Primary Education is only 12%, and most early learning opportunities were fee paying and based in urban areas. There are now opportunities to address these disparities, through a

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Outcome 3: Effective education management system established and operational

The UN continued to co-chair (with DFID) the Education Development Partner group, providing a very strategic position to influence policy dialogue within the sector.

While the nomination of co -chair rested with UNICEF, this allowed for the UN system as a whole, and the Education Theme Group in particular, to feed into and influence policy dialogue at the most appropriate and relevant level.

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Partnerships

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achievement in numeracy and literacy at the primary level and will inform policy development and classroom practices over the coming years. The results of the first assessment were contained in the final report, which was validated by joint Development Partner/ Ministry of Education working group in August 2012, with recommendations on how to further us e findings and agreement on the way forward, including on systematizing the measurements of learning achievement by conducting regular assessments.

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2012

feeding will revert to supplying food on all school days to ensure that the objectives of the assistance are met. Building on the government ’s study tour to Brazil and the analytical work supported by the UN, the opportunity now presents itself for the development of a nationally owned, home-grown school feeding programme in Rwanda. In partnership with the UN, the Government of Brazil supported a national stakeholder consultation on school feeding which took place in Kigali in February 2013, with the objective of developing a home -grown school feeding strategy.

With the renewed influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during 2012, the UN faced the challenge of developing a sustainable approach to refugee education. Working closely with the Ministry of Refugee Affairs and Disaster Management (MIDIMAR) and Nyamagabe District authorities, there are opportunities for addressing this challenge, through the integration of refugee children into the state school system and UN will continue to play its role in supporting government efforts in this regard.

greater emphasis on Early Childhood Development and pre -primary education. In developing the new ESSP (2013-2018) the Ministry of Education outlined an ambitious plan for expanding access to pre-school education, including greater budgetary allocation to this sub sector. The UN will support these initiatives in the area of Integrated Early Childhood Development and Pre -primary Services, especially for the most vulnerable children.

There are continuing challenges in supporting community ownership of school feeding, with only 3% of schools fully successful in feeding all children on the two ‘community feeding days’ per week.

From January 2013 onwards, the UN assisted school

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The second pillar of the Vision 2020 highlights that there is a general need to regularly examine curricula in terms of their relevance in the achievement of education and national development goals and objectives. There is a general agreement in the Ministry of Education of the need to appraise and review the current education curriculum to ensure that it is contributing to skills development strategies that meet the needs of future labour markets. There is also the challenge of ensuring greater alignment of quality curricula with quality teacher training, classroom practice, quality assurance and learning assessments. In 2012, joint planning with the Rwanda Education Board (REB) resulted in agreement on a plan and schedule to review the curriculum for primary and secondary levels. UNICEF was requested

by REB to lead coordination of the curriculum review, which would involve several development partners, beginning with the appraisal of the current curriculum, that started begin in early 2013.

For the last five years, the Government of Rwanda has achieved notable results in the management of natural resources and environment, despite a number of bin ding constraints in the sector. Several policies and strategies in the different sub sectors (land, mining, forestry, environment and climate change) have been put in place, including but not limited to the country’s Five -Year Strategic Plan for the Environment and Natural Resources Sector (2013-2018), the Green Growth and Climate Resilience strategy, Rwanda’s National Forest Policy, the National Land Policy (2004), the Mining Policy of 2010 and the National Policy and Strategy on Energy.

In the course of EDPRS1 implementation, among the key results achieved, the following are notable: 1. With regard to the environment and climate change sub -sector, the area of protected land to maintain biological diversity for 2011/2012 stood at 10.13% against the planned target of 9.6%. The GoR also established the Fund for Environment and Climate Change (FONERWA) as a reliable and sustainable funding mechanism; 2. Concerning the EDPRS1 Results, Policy Matrix and CPAF, the percentage of national forest cover increased to 22.4% as planned; 3. In the mining sub-sector, exported minerals were tagged and mining companies were certified.

Mineral traceability was successfully performed, and so far 146 mining sites are implementing the tagging system; 4. In Lands and Mapping, 10.3 million land parcels were demarcated and adjudicated by the end of 2012 and 6.3 million leasehold titles approved and printed for issuance.

5. In water resources management, the essential infrastructure of the hydrometric network was rehabili-

6. In the energy sector, access to electricity increased to 13% from 3% during EDPRS 1 implementation, the percentage of households using biomass decreased from 94% to 86.3% in 2011 and special economic zones were created to minimize industrial pollution.

7. Environmental awareness and education reached children in schools as ‘agents of change’. The school greening programmes were initiated and supported in 32 schools in Bulera district and activities included reforestation and solid waste management around schools and homes.

However, despite these achievements, Rwanda continues to face some daunting challenges, including: increased pressure on renewable and non-renewable natural resources due to high population pressures, and unsustainable agricultural practices.

With the majority of Rwandans relying on subsistence agriculture to meet their daily needs, the state of the environment has overwhelming implications for the wellbeing of most people. Widespread environmental degradation is undermining access by the poor to land and natural resources on which they depend for their livelihoods. Also, the country remains highly vulnerable to climate change.

At the planning and programming levels, there was the problem of insufficient mainstreaming of environment and climate change into different sectorial policies, compounded by weak monitoring and evaluation systems.

2012

Summary of significant national achievements

tated, with 44 stations made operational. In addition, the water Hyacinth removal project produced tangible results in Eastern Lakes and upstream rivers and lakes. Rain water harvesting has been promoted through pilot projects in Bugesera, and this experience provided a clear picture of what needs to be done to scale up rain water harvesting throughout the country;

Annual Report

UNDAF Result on Environment

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Part 4:

UN specific contribution The UN supported the establishment of FONERWA (Fund for Environment and Climate change), the

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Terracing boosts production for Gicumbi farmers

The year 2012 saw renewed influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Rwanda.

Among these refugees, there were approximately 2,000 of pre -school age and 4,500 of school -going age, all now located in Kigeme refugee camp in Nyamagabe District.

Terracing has boosted food production in Mukarange Sector, Gicumbi District, farmers and local leaders say.

integration of environment and climate change in all development decision making process as the crosscutting issue. In 2012, with the assistance from UN, Rwanda Environmental and climate change information System (RENVIS) as a website based databank was created and operationalized.

The UN also played a lead role in the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and in the establishment of the mitigation measures through training of local cooperatives in preparation and plantation of trees in most vulnerable areas such as lakeshores of MUHAZI, Kivu and of many rivers in Rwanda. Radical and progressive terracing on 935 ha in Rusizi, Nyamasheke, Rutsiro and Rubavu was also carried out.

It is projected that 18 tons of Irish potatoes would be harvested from 59 hectares of land which was cultivated. “This area once used to be unproductive until the introduction of terracing techniques, where farmers are expecting a high yield of Irish potatoes during this harvesting season.” said Paul Mbonyi, the Sector Executive Secretary. He credited the introduction of terracing techniques to the government’s Vision Umurenge Program (VUP), which paid local residents to carry out the terracing of the hilly slopes.

“We intend to practice crop rotation, where creeping beans will be planted on the terraced farms after harvesting the Irish potatoes during the B farming season,” added Mbonyi. The sector agronomist, Ildephonse Ndizihiwe, explains that area residents have adopted land consolidation to realize high crop yield. He added that 47 more hectares of terraced land are earmarked for Irish potatoes growth during the next farming season. A representative of Mukarange Sector cooperative society (COPETRA), Drocella Mutuyeyezu, observed that terracing guarantees food security in the district.

Outcome 1: Enabling Policy framework to support effective system for environmental management and ecosystem conservation established.

Supporting the environment policy and planning framework: In 2012, with support from the UN, the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) continued to train key government ministries and institutions to ensure that environmental sustainability targets are integrated into policies, plans, budgets and monitoring systems. The poverty and environment initiative has also revamped the internship program at the sector and the district level to better influence the thinking and effectiveness of the sector engagement and make informed budget allocations and investment decisions to develop and manage their natural resources sustainably for pro -poor development.

across economic, social and governance sectors.

It is imperative that policies, strategies and plans appropriately inform and are in turn supported by budget allocations and expenditures in order to realize net benefits to an expanding economy that is anchored on sustainable development. In order to consolidate on the gains towards the contribution of sectors to national growth, the government is committed to mainstream environment and climate change in the planning and budgeting processes for all sectors in order to target performance and productivity benefits from sustainability. The contribution from prudent use of natural resources, environmental management and climate resilience has immense potential to provide significant benefits from sustainable resource use and management and climate proofing of national economy for improved livelihoods of present and future generations of Rwandans.

For the 2012/2013 budget preparation, it is imperative that budget agencies ensure environment and climate change priorities are appropriately reflected in the budget submissions in accordance with the environment and climate change mainstreaming guidelines that will accompany the second BCC for which technical support will be provided as needed. Additionally, all new capital intensive projects will be required to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as part of their planning and ensure that budgets are allocated for mitigation measures in the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) in adherence to the procedures set by the Public Investment Secretariat of MINECOFIN.

In 2012, the joint One UN funded project “Sup porting the establishment of a Centre of excellence in Biodiversity in Rwanda” continued creating an enabling institutional, legislative and technical human resources environment for the start-up of the Centre.

Upon request from REMA and MINEDUC, technical assistance was provided towards a legal framework for Bio prospection and Research policy in Rwanda.

Based on documentation and field research, an analysis of the current legal and policy framework for Access and Benefit Sharing in Rwanda was carried out.

The research report containing a set of options and recommendations regarding the key areas of access to genetic resources policy in Rwanda will be completed through consultations within the Government and w i t h key stakeholders. With regards to human resources capacity building, lack of taxonomists has been one of the finding of the gap analysis carried out in 2010. In this connection, three training sessions in taxonomy of groups, which were also considered to be good environmental indicators, (aquatic invertebrates, algae and diatoms, bryophytes) were conducted by trainers from Mbarara University (Uganda), University of Burundi and Cape Town University (South Africa).

2012 Annual Report

“Rwanda’s aspiration of national sustainable development and poverty reduction must take in account mainstreaming of environment and natural resource management and climate change resilience

The law makes it compulsory for development projects, which are likely to affect the environment, to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). In line with this requirement, a training workshop held on 27-29 March 2012 at the Nyakinama Military Academy in Musanze, in the framework of the second phase of the joint One UN funded project on Mainstreaming Environmental Assessments and Environmental Policy Knowledge developed and implemented by UN. Fifty officers from active and reserve forces of the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) underwent the training with a view to assisting them when called upon, to provide rescue and relief services to the population affected by natural and environmental disasters. The training equipped the officers with tools for Environmental Security Assessments (ESAs).

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Through the support of the UN in the Poverty and Environment Initiative project, key government ministries were strengthened in the mainstreaming aspects. The PEI Program Management Unit assisted in the formulation of a paragraph on the environment, which was included in the Budget Call Circular. The paragraph reads as follows:

The institutional component is still facing challenges due to the lack of human resources at MINEDUC, which has delayed the process.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 38

During the reporting period, the UN also assisted with the production of 300 booklets on Integrated Water Resource Management policy and the dissemination of the policy at the level of decision makers including school head masters. The policy was to be explained to school children at the start of the school year. The intention was to make the children agents of change about environment issues in their communities. UNICEF partnered with USAID to support MINERENA and facilitated the policy launch during the celebration of the World Water Day under the theme: water and food security.

The UN was an important player in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project development which supported the Government’s objective to assist and guide investors through national regulation and policies about CDM investment and other business investment in general. A sizable number of project developers such as Nyanza District and the national electricity company benefited from the CDM project expertise.

Air pollution is responsible for the burden of noncommunicable diseases, including pneumonia and heart diseases. In response to this, UN supported the Ministry of Health for the development of policy and strategic plan for indoor/outdoor quality management and health.

Grounding the UN support environment programmes

in

existing

With the UN support, the Decentralized Environment Management Programme (DEMP) contributed to the improvement of productivity and sustainable management of natural resources; namely: land and water resources management and ecosystem rehabilitation. The programme supplied safe water. The population is not only now enjoying access to clean and safe water but also more than 100,000 temporary green jobs were created. The programme enabled households to earn additional income and to benefit from other livelihood opportunities it offers. This is also in line with the objective of the project, which aims at protecting riverbanks and lakeshore and provision of adequate sustained capacity for effective environmental governance and decentralized service delivery.

The effects of climate change are critical to the achievement of development objectives, especially with regards to the most vulnerable groups and communities.

Through the Africa Adaptation Fund (AAF) and the Least Country Developed Fund (LCDF), the UN has closely worked with REMA to strengthen national capacities to adapt to climate change. Since the start of AAP, many events have taken place in Rwanda that created a conducive environment for the project to achieve its objectives. Firstly, the start-up of the project coincided with the preparation of the second edition of the Rwanda Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRSII). Secondly, Rwanda Vision 2020 was updated to put more emphasis on environment and climate change as a necessary means to ensure sustainable development. Thirdly, a new Department of Climate Change and International Obligations was created under the Rwanda Environment Management Authority. Fourthly, the establishment of the fund for environment and climate change (FONERWA) was under preparation. Lastly, during the same period, Rwanda was finalizing its new Green Growth and Climate Change.

Resilience strategy, which was adopted later in December 2011. As a result of the country’s commitment to sustainable development and climate change mitigation and adaptation, the Vision 2020 and EDPRS were updated to integrate environment and climate change not only as a cross cutting issue but as a sector on its own.

In a situation where extreme events of recurrent droughts and torrential rains are regularly causing loss of lives and properties, an early warning system is an effective way to adapt or mitigate climate change related adverse events.

In collaboration with REMA and METEO Rwanda, the UN contributed to the establishment of an early warning system for Rwanda. This activity was also implemented in collaboration with the LDCF Project. The LDCF project helped in testing the system in the districts of the western province of Rwanda prone to flooding and landslides. The System will be finalized using the results of the pilot tests being conducted by the LDCF Project.

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24 Automatic weathers stations (including 2 mobile for calibration and control) for meteorology and hydrology data collection and automatically send to the meteorology Centre; •

1 Cluster computer, 6 computers for data reception and workstation for Numerical weather Prediction and climate modeling, 10 computers running LINUX for training and modeling laboratory.

(ii) In collaboration with UK Met Office (United Kingdom) two trainings in meteorological & climate data analysis and early warning preparedness were organized for professionals from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs and Meteo Rwanda. The first training was on Weather Forecasting, Climate Prediction, Modeling and Special Warning Packaging. Fifteen people attended it. The second training was on early Warning and Disaster Management Cycle. In total,

Among other environment related initiatives to which UN contributed during the period under review, were improvements of urban infrastructures and basic equipment for poverty reduction, environmental protection and durable socio-economic growth of the population of the two slum zones of Kamembe in Rusizi District and Kiniha in Karongi District of the Western Province. In this connection, UN-HABITAT completed in Kiniha zone of Karongi district, construction works

Rwanda Meteorology computing system provided by AAP

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(iii) A scoping study for the establishment of an early warning system for Rwanda was carried out. The first step consisted of a gap analysis of the capacity of METEO Rwanda to deliver the products and services to effectively support the operation of an early warning system in Rwanda. The second step consisted of an assessment of how such a system, focusing on severe weather could be developed on a pilot basis in the north west of Rwanda based on (a) consultations with key stakeholders (b) an assessment against international best practice and (c) a ‘gap analysis’ of the national meteorological agency conducted earlier by METEO Rwanda. The study proposed activities that would be required to operationalize the EWS and presented a plan for implementation. The LDCF Project with METEO Rwanda would continue this work after the Project closure.

Annual Report

(I) The AAP Project purchased and installed meteorology and forecasting equipment at METEO Rwanda to improve its capacity in weather/climate data collection, processing and forecasting. Some of the equipment supplied and installed, include:

15 participants attended it from METEO Rwanda, MIDIMAR and MINAGRI.

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The achievements of the project consisted in:

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 40

Shores of Kivu Lake

to cover walkways at Nyegabo Primary School and the storm water canal of 450-meter length at NyakigeziOnatracom Valley. Similar works were completed In Kamembe zone of Rusizi District, for two storm water canals totaling 570 meters length.

Outcome 2: Ecosystem restoration & protection Restoring and protecting the ecosystem remains one of the prerequisites for the Environment and Natural Resources Sector to effectively contribute to the achievement of the EDPRS objectives and the Vision 2020 targets for sustainable growth and development.

Commendable achievements were registered in regard to the Ecosystem Rehabilitation, by focusing on protection/rehabilitation of lakeshores, riverbanks and watersheds for selected lakes and rivers. These include: protection of Muhazi lakeshores (93.8% of target achieved) ; Mugesera lakeshores (45 % of target achieved); rehabilitation of Lake Kivu watersheds (110 % of target achieved) and Lake Kivu tributaries (266% of target achieved); protection of Nyabarongo River banks (81% of target achieved). Rehabilitation of ecosystems provided opportunities for temporary and longer-term income generating activities through

creation of green jobs such as nurseries development, handicrafts and eco -tourism.

The UN contributed also to the ecosystem rehabilitation by supporting REMA through LCDF project. As part of the interventions to reduce the adverse effect of floods and droughts in the Nile -Congo crest watersheds (Nyabarongo and Sebeya rivers) and Gishwati ecosystem, activities related to ecosystem rehabilitation and livelihood improvement were implemented in four districts (Nyabihu, Ngororero, Rutsiro and Rubavu) of Western Rwanda.

The capacity of local communities in the above mentioned districts to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change was enhanced by training a total of 782 persons on nursery tree establishment, fruit trees grafting and cultivation techniques of horticulture and forestry trees. The training also sensitized the participants to the role of fruit and tree production as income generating activities and environmental conservation.

As part of ecosystem rehabilitation activities a total of 717,418 agro -forestry and fruit trees were planted while an estimated 2,000,000 seedlings were prepared

Protection of river channels, lake shores and watersheds remained high on the government agenda during 2012. In this connection, the UN contributed to the planting of 11,500 Bamboo trees in 33km of Muhembe river bank to create a buffer zone against soil erosion.

In addition, 80, 200 seedlings of Bamboo were also planted in 25 ha and 10 km to protect the upstream of Nyamukongoro river watershed thereby rehabilitating the surrounding Lake Karago. In Ngororero district, 27,418 trenches were also established in farming fields for erosion control.

The implementation of these activities was expected to contribute to the reduction of the vulnerability of the Gishwati ecosystems and its associated Nile-Congo crest watersheds, and protect the people who derive their livelihoods from them.

In the area of biodiversity, the UN supported the elaboration of the Rwandan “Wildlife” and “the Biodiversity” Policies. Assistance was also given towards the planting of bamboo and sisals to provide additional income and ecological benefits to communities involved.

In addition, development of Payment for Ecosystem

Also in this connection, the UN provided technical assistance to industries through Rwanda Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre (RRECPC), whereby industries were helped to reduce their resources consumption, especially energy and water. In addition, UNIDO-UNEP experts presented to key stakeholders the main elements to mainstream and institutionalize the program and as a result, MINICOM has assumed the full ownership of the RRECPC. In 2012, the use of solar energy was promoted while training and empowering women from remote rural villages around the Virunga biosphere reserve. The methodology applied for rural solar electrification is unique to the Barefoot College and has already been experimented in Rwanda. As part of the decentralization and demystification process, the College essentially trains a few members of the community to be ‘Barefoot Solar Engineers’ (BSEs). These in turn were responsible to install, repair and maintain solar lighting units for a period of five years at least. Also, they were expected to set up a ‘Rural Electronic Workshop’ where components and equipment needed for repairs and maintenance of solar units were be stored.

2012

The implementation of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) Program in Rwanda resulted in better understanding of the efficient utilization of resources and improved cumulative socio - economic gains (reduction of processing costs or protection of employee’s health etc.) . In 2012, twelve (12) industries benefited from the program. On the Government side, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, under the Industrial Development Program, made the RECP its own and it is committed to facilitate the activities of the program to ensure that it continues to benefit enterprises. The RECP program was also strengthened in human resources and equipment and as a result, six new industries received on-site training and were committed to become new active members.

Annual Report

Working with REMA, the UN provided support in the implementation of the greening program in 32 schools in districts of Bulera, Musanze, Rubavu and Nyabihu.

A total of 1022 individuals including teachers and students, were trained on greening program and tree nursery techniques. Green spaces with passparum were developed and managed by students. Leucaena and Calliandra trees were planted at school and in villages through the student participation. The project provided hand -washing facilities in every school. Existing hygiene clubs in schools were invited to promote hand-washing practices as one way of mitigating water-borne diseases.

Services (PES) schemes and carbon marketing were initiated.

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and placed in the nurseries waiting to mature and be planted during the rainy season. These seedlings comprise: Alnus acumunata, Calliandra calothyrsus, Tamarillo, Leucaena leucephala, Maracuja, Eucalyptus, grafted avocado, grafted mango as well as indigenous trees like Podocarpus. These trees are very important in controlling soil erosion, nitrogen fixation in the soil, (improving soil fertility), wood production or fodder for livestock.

Partnerships In pursuing the UNDAF Result on Environment, a proactive partnership had been developed and

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

maintained. UN Rwanda worked closely with various Government ministries and institutions including MIDIMAR, MINECOFIN, MINAGRI, MINEDUC, REMA and Rwanda METEO, particularly on policy and strategy setting and mainstreaming issues.

Sustained collaboration was pursued with national and international NGOs, private sector and local communities in carrying out operational activities. For instance, UNHCR partnered with the American Refugee Committee (ARC) by contributing financial resources in rehabilitating gullies and ravines in the refugee camps and surrounding areas in Gihembe and Kiziba. UNICEF partnered with Kigali Health Institute (KHI) in testing the safe use ECOSAN product in farming in Burera district.

UNDP joined hands with the African Adaptation Fund and the Least Developed Country Fund to equip the METEO Rwanda and train the personnel in the weather early warning system and disaster preparedness.

a) Sustainability of results: The main challenge encountered during implementation of many environment related projects, is the apparent lack of a sense of ownership and care by the beneficiary population. The situation often leads to neglect or mismanagement of project outputs/outcomes. For instance, in the case of the AAP project, in some districts along the Nyabarongo River, planted vegetation and trees protecting the riverbanks have been severely damaged as a result of illegal cutting by local population in order to feed the cattle.

Therefore, there was a need to sensitize the local population about the gravity of their actions and to involve them more in the planning for the best use of these natural resources in the interest of their communities. The youth cooperatives also need to be encouraged to develop income-generating activities from the buffer zone.

The UN also partnered with the private sector through among other things, Rwanda Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre “RRECPC�, whereby industries were helped to reduce their resource consumption, especially energy and water. It is expected that this multifaceted partnership will be continued and strengthened in the future.

b) Funding challenges: One other major challenge in implementing some activities under this thematic area has been unpredictability of funds. Such a situation was experienced particularly when efforts were initiated to rehabilitate some of the environmentally degraded areas owing to activities in refugee camps and surrounding communities. There were other cases in which projects could not be fully completed (construction of canals under UN-Habitat), due to shortage of funds.

Key Challenges and Opportunities High population growth and the resulting increased pressure on the ecosystems, due to high demand for natural resources with all the consequences (soil erosion/degradation, land fertility losses etc.) , presents a serious challenge to Rwanda in its determination to become a middle income country by the year 2020.

However, notwithstanding these challenges, there are notable opportunities within the sector of natural resources management, environment and climate change, particularly the strong commitment of the national leadership to place environmental concerns at the centre of development and to ensure that they are mainstreamed into all other sectors.

Some of the specific challenges inherent to the environment sector in Rwanda can be divided into three distinct clusters, namely:

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c) Change of behaviour: Environment awareness is by definition a long-term process, which requires good understanding by all stakeholders of the longterm costs of environmental degradation. Change of behaviour and attitude by all the stakeholders about Resource Efficient and Cleaner production (RECP) remains a serious challenge. Therefore, mainstreaming RECP into national policies and strategies would serve an opportunity to increase public and private awareness.

Agaseke Project

Part 5a: UNDAF Result on Sustainable Growth Summary of significant national achievements The Rwandan economy maintained its good performance in 2012. The overall annual growth is estimated to have reached 8.3 percent against 7.7 percent earlier projected. According to the quarterly bulletin of the Central Bank released end September 2012, the major growth has been in the second quarter 2012, whereby the re al GDP grew by 9.9 percent after 7.7 percent in the first, a performance attributed to a strong growth in services (+14.4 percent) and Industry (+9.2 percent) sectors, despite a moderate result in agriculture sector (+3.8 percent).

Food crops production in 2012 increased by 3.0 percent down from 10.2 percent recorded in 2011.

The industry sector is composed mainly of manufacturing industries, energy, mining and construction. Compared to the same period of 2011, turnover for the industry sector during the third quarter 2012 grew by 10.4 percent, a growth attributed mainly to the construction (+17.8 percent), manufacturing industries (+14.6 percent), and energy (+5.3 percent). Turnover in the mining sector continued to decline due principally to a fall in copper prices. In the third quarter, the turnover declined by 13.4 percent on annual basis, after -7.6 percent and -7.

1 percent recorded in the second and first and quarter respectively.

The performance of manufacturing industries and construction dominated industry sector turnover in the third quarter of 2012 as they contributed 54.7 percent and 24.9 percent respectively. Turnover of manufacturing industries rose by 14.6 percent compare d to 30.8 percent of the same period of 2011.

Regarding the services sector, in the third quarter 2012, the turnover grew by 16.2 percent on annual basis.

However, this performance was much lower than 34.2 percent recorded in the same period of 2011. Increase in turnover of Services sector resulted from favorable developments in trade services (+19.3 percent), petroleum companies (+12.0 percent), banks and insurance companies (+8.7 percent), transport and storage services (+41.8 percent), garage services (+68.1 percent), and post and telecommunication (+11.8 percent).

2012 Annual Report

Industry and service performance rose by 14.3 percent during the third quarter 2012 on annual basis, compared to 29.2 percent in the corresponding period of 2011.

Turnovers in industrial sector grew by 10.4 percent and accounts for 30.8 percent of the total sales while in the services sector grew by 16.2 percent.

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This relatively weak production was influenced by unfavorable climatic conditions in the beginning of the year. Export crops comprised mainly of coffee and tea. The production for export crop s was weak in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the harvest of the corresponding period of 2011. Coffee declined by 12.1 percent while tea dropped by 14.6 percent. Despite the considerable utilization of fertilizers, adverse climate conditions and diseases caused this weak harvest.

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In the third quarter of 2012, the declining trend in inflation was mainly due to prices for imported goods following a stability or deceleration of inflation in trade. The tight monetary policy also helped to contain demand pressures, as indicated by a significant decline in underlying inflation from 2.5 percent in August to 2.1 percent in September 2012. Inflation in Rwanda was maintained at moderate levels in 2012 as a result of efficient monetary and exchange rate policies and sustained overall improvement in the supply side, despite some sporadic shocks, especially on food and energy products.

Outcome 1: Intensified and diversified production for increased income generation

In September 2012, Rwanda’s headline inflation reached 5.6 percent compared to 5.8 percent of the previous months and 8.3 percent in December 2011. The main driver of inflation in Rwanda remained food and nonalcoholic beverages, the prices of which increased by 13.7 percent in September from 11.3 percent in June 2012. Food prices were pushed up primarily by vegetables (+29.0 percent) and non-alcoholic beverages (+9.7 percent).

In 2012, many achievements were registered in improving living conditions at the community level.

They can be summarized in four main areas, namely:

Local inflation stood at 6.8 percent in September after 6.7 percent in June while imported inflation decelerated to 1.2 percent in September 2012. The main driver for domestic inflation was fresh food prices, which increased on an annual basis by 25.7 percent in September 2012. Higher food prices were mainly due to lower harvests compared to the previous periods caused by adverse weather conditions.

(a) reform of the rural settlement program with the aim to save land for agriculture and increase access to social and economic infrastructure; (b) increased agricultural productivity through modern farming; (c) income raising of communities through introduction of value - added activities and off farm activities; and (d) strengthening of social integration, cohesion and solidarity in communities.

UN Specific Contribution In 2012, the UN had set itself the goal to support Rwanda’s economic growth through two outcomes: a) intensified and diversified production for increased income generation and food security, with a focus on innovations and greater value addition; and b) Economic governance and trade facilitation by putting various measures in place , including popularizing the regional integration (RI) agenda, addressing issues concerning women in informal cross border trade (WICBT), agriculture and agro processing.

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The UN provided financial and technical support worth USD 1,7 million to Rwanda Integrated Development Initiative aimed at strengthening the National Human Settlement Policy and Strategy in aspects related to environment management, local governance enhancement and technology -driven local productivity.

This flagship project had been operating in three districts namely Musanze (Northern Province), Kayonza and Rwamagana (Eastern Province).

Outcome 2: Economic Governance and trade facilitation The UN continued its support to the City of Kigali through the ongoing flagship program (Agaseke) that

With regard to the support of SME development, the UN has registered notable achievements during the year under review. These include:

c) Setting up of a functioning shoe making unit of Masaka Business Incubation Centre; including development of business strategy for the Centre, elaboration of training manuals, organization of various training sessions on shoe making technology.

The UN support to building an Inclusive Financial Sector in Rwanda (BIFSIR) , contributed to poverty reduction and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG1) . Specific achievements so far registered included on capacity building of the various stakeholders at the macro and micro levels, with a view to enabling the development of sustainable, quality and diversified financial services that are accessible to less advantaged Rwandans, both in rural and in urban areas.

In the area of institutional and regulatory framework for food safety control, industrial governance and competitiveness, the UN registered the following achievements: (a) capacity development for 25 personnel from 5 industries in auditing food safety management system; (b) two stages of company system assessment/auditing conducted for 5 industries , 4 out of which were recommended for food safety system certification;

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b) In partnership with MINICOM/SPIU and IFAD, organization of two rounds of trainings for 424 rural-Proximity Business Advisors (PROBAs) in entrepreneurship and business management skills.

Training was also given for 30 Rural SME Facilitators in Business Development Services; and for 30 District cooperative officers in business management;

Annual Report

In this connection, assistance was given to the City of Kigali to organize Agaseke Week Trade Fair that brought together women and men weavers from over 58 cooperatives with the objective to promote and ensure the visibility of their products. The main activities included exhibition of different products, promotional activities such as TV and radio spots, talk shows, media coverage, sports competition between weavers and on the spot weaving competition. Agaseke weavers were facilitated to participate in international exhibitions held in Gikondo (Rwanda), Bari (Italy) and Kampala (Uganda). This inspired the Ibanga Union of cooperatives to access a new market in Uganda. A five-year Agaseke strategic plan was been developed and it put more emphasis on key areas of intervention for a more productive and profitable business. With regard to capacity building, 179 members of Agaseke cooperatives were trained in cooperative management, business development and marketing. Also more than 800 Agaseke weavers participated in the training in leadership and civic education that took place at the Rwanda Peace and Leadership Academy from 18th to 30th September 2012. The training was an opportunity for women to increase their leadership skills, promote Rwanda positive cultural values and rethink their way of doing business. This was reflected in performance contracts the weavers signed with the Mayor of the City of Kigali. Under the Livestock Resources Value Chain Development project, the UN supported the Government’s One Cow Programme to poor families (Girinka Programme). In this regard, IFAD fundedproject donated 900 heifer crossbreds in Kirehe District and in addition, kits of artificial insemination (AIs) and technical support have been provided to Kirehe District and Sector Veterinary Services.

a) Carrying out a gap analysis of National Proximity business advisory service providers, entrepreneurship and business management;

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aims to improve the livelihoods of women in the City of Kigali through basket weaving. Under this program, the UN through FAO financed the plantation of sisals (10 Ha in Nyarugenge District). The rationale behind this action was to avail the required raw materials for basket weaving and reduce the production cost of Agaseke (Basket) weaving.

(c) support to Rwanda Bureau of Standards in interlaboratory testing comparison at international level; (d) capacity development for Rwanda Bureau of Standards in laboratory system auditing at the level of lead assessors for self-assessment.

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E-Soko Project –Enabling access to market information to farmers, traders and other stakeholders

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Certificate and Trophy awarded to e -Soko Project by Arch of Europe in Frankfurt, Germany, Photo by FAO

From 2010 the UN among other partners, embarked on supporting the Ministry of Agriculture to implement Market Information Systems known as e -Soko Project. The e -Soko is a tool designed to increase accessibility of market prices for government, farmers and traders. The tool enables electronic market prices collection via web (http://www.esoko.gov.rw),

With regard to advancing regional integration in Rwanda, the UN supported project for Women in Informal Cross Border Trade (WICBT) contributed to the regulation of cross-border trade among CPGL countries.

With regard to trade facilitation, the UN support project on advancing the regional integration carried out a training course for Government officials on regional integration. Officials were drawn from Government Ministries and Bureaus responsible for regional integration. The workshop treated topics relevant to the GoR as they implement the EAC Common Market.

SMS, and a call -in feature called Interactive Voice Recognition. Either by calling in, sending SMS or visiting the e -soko website, anyone needing information can access the commodity prices for a given market.

The e-Soko has fundamentally transformed the agribusiness by alleviating the information gaps existing between markets and farmers. Since a typical farmer lives far from the consumer markets and re lies on middlemen for delivering his/her produce to markets, negotiations between the farmer and the middlemen are skewed in favor of the middlemen because of price information asymmetry. By making market prices accessible, the e -Soko Market Information System empowers the market-oriented farmer to make informed decisions in the transaction s/he is involved in. The performance of e -Soko was recognized locally and internationally and as a result, on 28th April 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany, the project received a Quality Award in the Gold Category from the International Arch of Europe (IAE).

According to Jose E. Prieto, President and CEO of Business Initiative Directions, this award is a symbol of Commitment to leadership, technology and innovation, and representing progress of success for Rwanda.

Partnership arrangements Partnerships were strengthened with the main government ministries such as MINAGRI, MINALOC, MINICOM, MINECOFIN, MINEAC, MINIRENA, MININFRA and MIFOTRA. In addition, the UN maintained a very meaningful partnership with decentralized government entities especially at the Districts level.

The SWAp (Sector Wide Approach) remained an important mechanism that helps strengthen the

eRegulation Portal

The « eRegulations Rwanda » business facilitation project started in October 2009. It is implemented by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) with technical assistance from UNCTAD and financial support from the One UN fund. It aims to strengthen Rwanda’s business environment by clarifying, simplifying and widely publicizing administrative rules related to business and investment. The eRegulations Rwanda system displays laws and procedures in a perfectly transparent way and always from the user’s point of view. It ensures that the user, at every single step, knows who to contact, what documents to bring and to obtain, what to pay, how long to wait, who to complain to and what laws regulate each interaction with a government institution. Simplification of procedures is achieved by eliminating unlawful steps and unnecessary requisites and by reengineering processes.

Today, 88 procedures and more than 270 formalities are available online through the Rwanda eRegulations portal (http://rwanda.eregulations.org). 420 documents (including forms) and 62 legal justifications are uploaded. An entrepreneur can easily get in touch with more than 20 public institutions and 100 civil servants involved in handling administrative procedures whose full contact details are publicized.

All information is kept updated by an autonomous team at RDB who also ensures that the information is officially approved and user queries are answered swiftly and precisely.

Thanks to several communication efforts led by RDB (TV, national and international news, radio, poster campaign) the eRegulations system, which is available in French and English, is now visited by an average of more than 5000 visitors a month making it the most visited eRegulations system in Africa, ahead of Cameroon’s and Côte d’Ivoire’s. A total of 37 708 users visited the portal in 2012.

Next steps of the project involve updating the system to include the latest generation of web interfaces, extending documentation of cross border trading procedures and further involving RDB’s partner institutions in documenting, updating procedures and in responding swiftly to the rising number of customer queries voiced through the eRegulations Rwanda system.

UN partnership with a wide range of bilateral and multilateral development stakeholders such as the European Union, DFID (UK), the World Bank, the GITZ, BTC, JICA, USAID, CIDA and SIDA.

UN continued to forge partnership with the Private Sector Federation (PSF) to help stimulate sustainable growth focusing on the highly increased productivity and quality service delivery.

Also, the UN has continued to work with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and local associations of farmers and producers in a bid to enhance their capacities and to enable them to influence policy formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. The

Key Challenges and opportunities

2012 Annual Report

One UN support to the development of a portal on the eRegulations Rwanda RDB Project

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In pursuing the outcomes under the sustainable growth, some key challenges were identified as follows:

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 48

Unpredictability of project/program funding.

Whenever funds were received late and were supposed to be disbursed within the year, the consequence was that the implementation timeline of some of the projects was not always conducive to yielding expected results. This was particularly true case with regard to agriculture related projects, which were behind the planting season, thereby causing some of the activities to be postponed until the next season.

Urbanization;

Limited access and supply of certain raw materials such as seeds, and other production inputs did result in delay of project implementation and increase the costs of the projects.

2) Support to urbanization process that will transform the quality of livelihood and promote skills development and decent employment opportunities in both urban and rural areas, especially for youth and women;

Based on the above GoR priorities, it is expected that the One UN will focus its support on the following main areas: 1) Provide technical and financial support to pro-poor and economic transformation interventions leading to a reinforced inclusive economic development and poverty reduction;

The unpredictability of the One UN funding and in particular the discontinuation of some of the activities, which impacted adversely on the beneficiaries.

3) Support to development and expansion of agriculture value chains for increased competitiveness in international, regional, and local markets;

The EDPRS II highlights clearly specific areas that have to be covered under Economic Transformation theme as follows:

4) Support to sustainable management of natural resources, clean renewable energy resources and use, environment and climate change resilience.

Diversification of economic base;

Depending on the comparative advantage of the One UN family, the capacity development will be a prerequisite and a crosscutting theme over all key support areas.

Private sector development; Infrastructure development;

2012 Social protection remained a priority of the Government of Rwanda during the review period. In the past 2 years, the sector architecture and policy framework had been strengthened. MINALOC has the overall policy lead on social protection and chairs the Social Protection Sector Working Group (SPSWG). Whereas only a few years ago the social protection sector was characterized by a host of fragmented, un-coordinated and poorly funded programs, the sector is now aligned behind a common strategy and implementation programme and comprises large and growing Government led programmes. The increased harmonisation of the sector was evident from the fact that it received the most positive appraisal of any sector in the MINECOFIN Assessment of SWAp (2012), despite not having a formal SWAp in place.

There is strong Government ownership of programs and activities within the sector, supported by an active partnership between the Government, Development Partners and Civil Society.

Substantial progress was made in the area of Universal Social Protection coverage, particularly with respect to social security and health insurance. Regarding the social security, steps were taken to implement the social protection floor through a sensitization campaign on the extension of social security coverage to workers in the informal economy and to strengthen the capacity of the tripartite constituents. The ILO convention No 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers was adopted by the State members in June 2012. The UN also supported the ratification of this convention through advocacy. Regarding the Community Based Health Insurance (Mutuelles de Santé), priorities and strategies for the next 5 years were developed through the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP3), based on the principle of “Universal Health Coverage”. The national targeting database ‘UBUDEHE’ was adapted to the CBHI categorization for the projections of resource collection and planning of resource pooling.

EICV3 data confirms substantial reductions in poverty (from 57% to 45% of the population) and extreme

Remarkable efforts were made to support Rwandan refugees to return home. Over the last 3 years,

Annual Report

Summary of significant national achievements

poverty (from 36% to 24%) between 2005/6 and 2010/11; and there are indications that the VUP social protection programme has made notable contributions to this in the sectors where it is active.

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Part 5b: UNDAF Result on Social Protection

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the Government intensified sensitisation in the neighbouring countries, encouraging refugees to return home. The cessation clause that was intended to end in December 2012 was extended to June 2013.

A reintegration programme headed by MIDIMAR is also getting support from various partners including UN and specific project through government Social Protection networking mechanisms was established, ensuring safety and dignified return of 10,230 Rwandan refugees in 2012 to their home-Country after decades in exile.

As signatory of UN convention of protecting refugees, Rwanda is a home to 57,000 refugees since 1995 where more than 90 % lives in the refugee’s camp.

The Ministry in charge of refugees, MIDIMAR, oversees their protection, security and daily livelihood. Despite the limited space to install new camps, Rwanda hosted the new influx of refugees from DRC since April 2012.

With the support of the international community, all refugees living in Rwanda were well protected and continue to receive basic support for their livelihoods.

In order to better fulfill its mandate, MIDIMAR has strengthened its policy and institutional frameworks.

The disaster management policy and strategy were reviewed and adopted. A monitoring system was put in place to monitor disasters and other natural or man-made shocks. The government has been able to assist populations who had been temporally displaced because of flooding and landslides across the country.

UN specific contribution Outcome 1: An effective social protection system is in place to promote equity and socio -economic inclusion of the most vulnerable The New Social Protection Sector Strategy Paper that is intended to be part of the EDPRS II, is a testimony of a harmonized engagement of stakeholders for the sector. It is visionary and sets out five priority areas, some of which are directly relevant to the UN’s mandate. These include: increased coverage of social protection for the poor and vulnerable and addressing child poverty and vulnerability within the poorest households. The fact that child poverty and vulnerability have been identified as sectorial priorities for 2013-2018 is an achievement for UN.

Women preparing maize before supplied to WFP, Photo by WFP Communications

In 2012, the UN sustained its support to the Sector by engaging in the Social Protection Sector Working Group and sub-committees. The UN strategic contribution to quality assurance and to the drafting of the new social protection strategy influenced national decision making about future priorities of social protection. In addition to financing the sector working group retreat, the One UN participated actively in the four sub- committees of the SPSWG; namely; policy, learning and capacity building; M&E and Finance; and early warning system.

Through regular technical assistance to specific SP programs (such as the VUP) the UN supported and helped strengthen the design of impact evaluations and monitoring of programs. A comprehensive food security and nutrition survey (CFSVA) was supported by the UN in collaboration with NIS, MINAGRI and other NGO partners. Government and other partners use the CFSVA report as a reliable reference source of information about food security and nutrition situation in the country.

The guidelines on Targeting, Exit and Graduation were approved, a process facilitated and supported again by the UN. Training for capacity building was provided through focused and custom-designed courses, for different Ministries, including MINALOC and MIGEPROF and NCC. To reach children with disabilities, the UN provided financial support to the National Council for People living with Disabilities to conduct an assessment of the

Technical and financial assistance was given to the Ministry of Health for the development of the Community Based Health Insurance (Mutuelles de Santé or CBHI). Through the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP), the Ministry was assisted in defining priorities and strategies for the next 5 years, based on the principle of “Universal Health Coverage”. The UN contributed to the discussion on the feasibility of the introduction of Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) in CBHI as a provider payment mechanism, in comparison to existing Fee -for-service. The One UN also supported the preparation and facilitation of the EAC Ministerial conference on Social Health Protection, which was concluded with “Kigali Declaration”.

During the year 2012, important achievements were accomplished in the area of protection against GenderBased Violence (GBV) and child abuse. Specifically, the Ministry of Health was supported both technically and financially in the finalization of the National Scale-up Strategy for One Stop Centers (OSC). As a result of this effort, 4 OSC are currently operational in Rwanda and 5 more are to be opened in 2013. The program continued to support existing pilot OSC in Kacyiru District in Kigali and in Rusizi District in the western province as well as the development of a Strategic Plan for the Kigali Police Hospital. A final project evaluation of the OSC pilot at Kacyiru has also been initiated and the findings would be available beginning 2013.

The UN also contributed to the strengthening of the capacity of the GoR and the Civil Society Partners to effectively engage men and boys in the prevention of gender-based violence. In August 2012, the UN provided assistance to the Rwanda Biomedical Center/ Institute of HIV/AIDS Disease Prevention and Control to conduct the first national ‘Men Engage’ workshop with key stakeholders, designed to identify strategies for engaging men and boys in preventing HIV/AIDS and GBV. The identified strategies would be utilized to strengthen the gender-responsiveness of the national HIV response during the development of the new National Strategic Plan on HIV in 2013 and would facilitate the implementation of the National Policy and Strategic Plan on GBV. In 2012, one of the major achievements of the UN towards strengthening the child protection environment and system for Rwandan children was its contribution to the revolutionary shift from residential to family and community-based care operated by the GoR for children without appropriate care. Committed to build a solid national child protection system, the GoR through the National Commission for Children has engaged into a profound reform of its child care system. Working in close collaboration with the Nation al Commission for Children, the UN role was critical in the adoption of two legal and policy milestones, namely: i) the Strategy for National Child Care Reform adopted on 16 March 2012 and ii) the Law 54/2011 on the Rights and the Protection of children published in June 2012. The Strategy on National Child Care Reform foresees to close down and transform all institutions identified in

2012 Annual Report

The UN worked to strengthen the capacity of Rwanda’s Social Security Board and the Ministry of Labor with respect to social security and health insurance.

Assistance was also given to build awareness and capacity of the trade unions and workers, most especially children involved in domestic work, with a view to mitigate situations where working conditions were hazardous or exploitative. In addition, the UN contributed to the implementation of the Decent Worker Country Programme (DWCP). This is a national program that includes 4 priorities, one of which relates to social protection for all.

In the Kacyiru OSC the total number of survivors treated from July 2009 to August 2012 was 5,482 with the majority of survivors being children and youth (65%) and female (95%). The OSC in Rusizi treated a total of 310 survivors in 2011 and during the first 6 months of 2012, 210 survivors 91% of who are female and over 50% children were received. In 2012 an estimated 1,895 survivors received legal support through the OSCs. In the Eastern province 316 conclusions were drafted for the purpose of submitting cases in different courts, while 466 survivors received legal education and advice. Legal counsels hired by AJPRODHO assisted twenty five cases.

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situation of children living in Institutions, the capacity and relationship with their decentralised structures and their integration into the District plans. The Council was also assisted in developing its strategic vision and plan.

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the country as an entry point for building sustainable child care and protection systems.

Following the adoption of the strategy, the National Commission for Children in close partnership with the UN has developed a detailed cost implementation plan to ensure that critical linkages between the child care reform process and the strengthening of the national child protections system are established at the very start of the implementation phase. Using the institutionalization and the strengthening of alternative care mechanisms as an entry point, the UN support to the building of the national child protection system includes the following: i) to operationalize the legislative and policy framework for child care reform; ii) to strengthen the human and technical capacities of institutions at the national and district levels to administer child care and protection and oversee the system; iii) to create a national framework for alternative care; iv) to build a strong professional social welfare workforce; v) to develop efficient Information Management on child protection and Monitoring and Evaluation systems.

The UN also played a significant role in supporting the National Commission for Children in establishing coordination mechanisms between public and private stakeholders involved in the reform process. Indeed, as an increasing number of national and international stakeholders have showed an interest in implementing the strategy for national child care reform, coordination remains a challenge and excellent coordination both from NCC as well as between interested partners was key to ensure that the reform was implemented consistently across the country. Also in the area of child protection, technical assistance was given to MIFOTRA to organize the commemoration of World Child Labour Day in June 2012 and to an assessment on child labour activities through key stakeholders.

Outcome 2: An effective disaster management system is in place to minimise risks and respond to shocks Being the government Ministry responsible for disaster management, MIDIMAR continuously benefited from the UN support in the pursuit of its mission. At the upstream level, the UN supported MIDIMAR with the

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disaster management policy and strategy review and the development of the database system to monitor natural or man-made disasters and other shocks.

In addition to assisting the Ministry (SPIU) reinforce its capacity in project design, implementation and monitoring, the UN supported the deployment of seven district disaster managers in most disaster prone areas, provided transport equipment and trained these district disaster managers in the use of early warning system.

Through the Social Protection Working Group, the UN contributed to the government efforts both technically and financially by ensuring safety and dignified return of 10,230 Rwandan refugees to their home Country after decades in exile. On arrival, all returnees received a reintegration package composed of assorted core relief items and three months food ration. This helped them to focus on other critical areas of their reintegration without having to worry about where their next meal would come from. The actiivity also facilitated the transfer of the returnees to their area of origin and the continuous monitoring of their resettlement. Monitoring activities sought to establish the major gaps which returnees face in their reintegration process. In 2012, the UN assisted over 57,000 refugees in Rwanda hosted in four camps and Kigali . Food and non-food items were regularly supplied to refugees living in the camps and income generation activities were introduced and supported.

During the refugee influx from the Eastern DRC, the UN worked very closely with the government and provided technical and financial assistance through its emergency

In a follow-up to the MISP training, a more in-depth training on GBV was organised for 25 staff from NGOs working in the refugee camps. The training focused on aspects of the international and national legal frameworks on GBV and refugees, medical treatment, psychosocial support, data collection and M&E. During the initial operating months of the newly established Kigeme camp, a joint GBV assessment was undertaken by the UN Agencies together with key partners such as the Rwanda National Police and NGOs. As a result of this assessment, an action plan was developed for prevention and response to GBV and an IP was under recruitment for the implementation of the plan, as well as several GBV monitors for the camps. Another important outcome of the assessment mission was an update of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on GBV in refugee camps in Rwanda, an important guiding document for all actors intervening on GBV in the camps.

(1) data monitoring tools put in place to systematically collected harmonized data relevant for all partners, (2) CP forums established in all three camps, (3) customized SOPs developed for referral of cases of child violence, neglect and/or abuse; (4) standards and guidelines established for the development and running of ECD centres capable of reaching over 2000 children five days a week, to ensure that they were taken care of in a safe environment; while their parents are busy providing for their families, (5) targeted sensitization sessions on child protection issues, reaching over 36,000 people in a three months period.

Partnerships The UN continued to build on established partnerships with the Government, Development Partners and Civil Society. The majority of interventions were conducted in coordination with the relevant sector stakeholders through the appropriate Sector or Technical Working Groups; including: the Social Protection Sector Working Group (SPSWG), the CBHI technical working group, the GBV Technical Working Group, etc. Where specific sector and technical groups were not yet established, the UN worked in partnership with different Ministries (MINALOC, Ministry of Public service and Labour (MIFOTRA), Ministry of Health (MoH), RBC, MSH, Rwanda Social security Board (RSSB), Rwanda Local Development Support Fund (RLDSF), MIDIMAR,

2012 Annual Report

Various training programmes were conducted, including the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for reproductive health for 15 participants from NGOs working in the Kigeme Refugee Camp, the surrounding health centres and the district hospital. An action plan was developed for coordination of sexual and reproductive health activities, prevention of HIV and STIs, prevention and treatment of sexual violence, and prevention of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Moreover, 274 hygiene kits were distributed to women and girls in Nkamira Transit Centre through AHA. These kits contain, among others, soap, hygienic pads, underwear, and male and female condoms. 400 more kits have been ordered for Kigeme camp. As part of the MISP, UNFPA also provided Reproductive Health kits for both sites. Some examples are the kit for clean delivery by individuals, the kit for treatment of rape, and the kit for treatment of STIs, which can all serve over 10,000 people during 3 months.

Through the Child Protection (CP) interventions in the refugee camps, the UN provided support to over 44,000 children in 4 refugee camps. A new project was initiated to build on the first phase of moving towards a Child Protection Systems (CPS) approach in the camps.

As a result over 540 cases of child abuse were reported since the initiation of the project from 2010 to the end of 2012. Notable achievements were made with regard to capacity to prevent and respond to violence against children. To this effect, the following was accomplished:

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preparedness and response supplies. Human resources and pre -positioning of basic services (food, Core relief items, shelter, health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and education) and logistics were made available during the emergency phases in Nkamira Transit Center and in the newly established Kigeme Refugee Camp, home of over 14,000 refugees.

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MIGEPROF, RALGA, NCC, MCPD), different DPs ( DFID, SIDA, EU, GIZ, USAID), and a variety of CSOs, CDC, GIZ, ICAP, INTRAHEALTH, IJM and USAID in supporting the Ministry of Health and the Rwanda National Police in the scaling up of OSC. Early in April 2012, the UN response to the refugee’s influxes was commendable; owing to an excellent collaboration with NGO partners namely American Refugee Council (ARC), Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA), Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) together with community based refugee groups. This collaboration helped in identifying goals and objectives, defining roles and strategies, mobilization of resources and commitments, and ensured the implementation arrangements and processes were respected in order to get the work done.

Key Challenges and Opportunities The main Challenges in the pursuit of the UNDAF Result on Social Protection can be summarized as follows: Insufficient disaggregation of data hindered policy planning, dialogue and appropriate targeting; Efforts need to be made to improve the scale and coverage in terms of Social Protection services to reach more vulnerable persons.

Technical and policy developments in the Social Protection Sector over the last 4 years have revealed the need for a revised National Social Protection Policy and this is planned for 2014. There is a need to strengthen national systems for the effective delivery and monitoring of social protection programmes, including: Management Information Systems (MIS), appeals and complaints mechanisms and effective targeting and disbursal mechanisms. Key technical personnel in key ministries were unavailable and recruitment was slow, therefore, delaying activities related to GBV/VAC and VUP/SP. Delay in requests and change in priorities were experienced from the government side, a situation that often leads to delays in program implementation.

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There is a need to address on-going coordination challenges around OSCs for GBV and child abuse, especially regarding the scale-up strategy.

With regard to key opportunities within the sector, the following were identified: Family policy revision is the government’s priority.

It allows space for better coordination of family support and creates linkages with Social Protection strategy.

The Del initiative provided a platform for a child protection system approach. There is a momentum within ministries to move toward a system’s approach in CP; Focus of SP sector on child poverty and vulnerability allowed the UN to more focus on research on this area (KAP, DeI) and to better support child-sensitive research and data analysis; There is a strong commitment and leadership of MOH with clear vision and strategies with regard to the SP sector.

Sustained political commitment alongside the involvement of trades unions and civil society to undertake decisive steps to improve the level of social security for all, presented an opportunity for further action in support of the sector.

In the area of disaster management and response, the protracted situation was at the core of the most serious problems for the protection of refugee. Refugee households in Rwanda remained highly dependent on the protection and assistance provided by the UN. The lack of land (including for agricultural purposes) and income-generating activities as well as limited access to secondary education and low skill levels, all hinder selfreliance. Gender-based violence was rife in the camp setting including instances: domestic violence, sexual violence and exploitation and child marriage. Child protection also remained a serious concern, particularly in camps where many instances of child abuse, neglect or exploitation have been recorded.

One of the classroom blocks constructed at Gasaka primary school by ADRA funded by One UN Funds

The year 2012 presented Rwanda with a number of significant challenges resulting from natural disasters and regional insecurity as a result of the conflict in Eastern DRC. The regional insecurity has resulted in the large influx of refugees from the Eastern DRC into Rwanda. In the context of Delivering as One, the UN Rwanda under the overall leadership of UNHCR responded to the influx of refugee through a coordinated approach, building on the spirit of Delivering as One. This enhanced the UNHCR collaboration with other partners operations like MIDMAR, UNICEF, WFP, UN WOMEN and UNFPA and many other International and national non-

government organizations. As a result multi -sectorial interventions were successfully implemented and produced visible impact on well -being of refugees.

One of the significant achievements is the integration of refugee children into national education system.

In mid-June 2012, UNHCR started the transfer of refugees to Kigeme in collaboration with MIDMAR and ADRA and this was followed by the orientation of 2783 refugee’s children of the Congolese education back ground into Rwandan school system which prepared them for the academic year 2013 school enrollment. With the funding from One UN Fund and with the support of many other stakeholders that included MIDMAR, UNICEF, local authorities and other international NGOS like OXFAM, Care, AHA, ARC, ADRA, managed to successfully construct 62 classrooms, 130 latrines, furnished them with 972 desks for the refugees children. By the inception of 2013, 51 70 refugee children were integrated into Rwanda national schools of Kigeme and Gasaka primaries and these were 2442 girls and 2728 boys respectively.

This Sector Lead Approach has resulted in the swift UN response that is comprehensive; thereby reducing duplications and increasing synergies. The UN also played an important role in enhancing coordination among development partners and civil society organizations in responding to this situation.

Annual Report

One UN Response to the Refugee Influx

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continued. The recovery phase was planned to start with January 2013. This required continuing searching for additional funding that will guarantee sustainability of interventions for the coming years.

2012

The emergency humanitarian interventions in the Kigeme refugee camp were planned and budgeted until the end of 2012. At the end this period, all interventions would still need to be sustained and

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UN Country team Retreat-Rubavu-Lake Kivu Serena Hotel-September 2012

Part A: Governance and Coordination Structure

I

n response to the recommendations of the Report of the High-Level Panel on the United Nations System-wide Coherence in 2006 to establish Delivering as One-country programmes, Rwanda volunteered to participate in the DaO pilot initiative along with seven other pilot countries (Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet Nam). The Delivering as One in Rwanda was launched at the beginning of 2007 with the broad objective to improve the UN’s impact, coherence and efficiency. The first year (2007) was the year of preparation of the four pillars that are central to the Delivering as One initiative, namely: One Programme, One Budgetary Framework, One Leader & One Voice, and One Office. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) 2008 -2012 as well as the Common Operational Document (COD) were developed as the pillars for the Delivering as One. The year 2008 was the first year the Delivering as One was implemented in Rwanda through the implementation of UNDAF/COD. In Rwanda’s context, the Delivering as One has been built on the principle of national ownership and leadership and it aims at enhancing effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance of UN in support of national development and poverty reduction efforts.

The Delivering as One also aims to reduce transaction costs for Governments as well as decreasing overhead costs for the UN system and its partners.

2012 Annual Report

Progress in Delivering as One

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Chapter 3

The year 2012 was the final year of the DaO pilot. Hence, it provided an opportunity for deeper reflection on achievements, progress towards attaining the underlying objectives and remaining challenges in the implementation of the DaO. The independent evaluations of the Delivering as One and the UN Rwanda’s Focus Study provided useful inputs into this reflection. The four years of the implementation of DaO resulted in the strengthened UN internal coordination structure, thereby

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facilitating the UN Agencies to work much more closely together. Through joint planning to reduce duplications and to increase synergies, measurable gains were achieved. The Government leadership and ownership of the UN programme has made it possible to increase contributions in support of national and local capabilities to effectively tackle national development priorities.

In a number of sectors, the UN plays an important role in policy dialogue and formulation, research and analytical studies and capacity strengthening.

The UN Country Team has also intensified the planning for the next UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) 2013-2018. In close dialogue with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the UN Country Team provided strategic oversight. The Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) facilitated the formulation of the UNDAP. The planning of the UNDAP also identified the need to further enhance UN internal architecture that is results-focused with stronger accountability. To this end, the Development Results Groups (DRGs) were established to develop the UNDAP Results Framework as well as manage and coordinate UN Agencies planning, programming and implementation of key actions toward the UNDAP outcomes and outputs. The One UN Steering Committee has been revived and it will continue to play a leading strategic role, with enhanced decision making responsibilities.

The UN Country Team (UNCT) is the main decision making body within the One UN governance structure.

Under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, the UNCT is responsible for the overall management and implementation of the One Programme and ultimately accountable for UN’s work and results of the Programme at the country level. Thanks to its leadership role and the commitment of its members, UNCT constitutes a strong element of the DaO reform process.

Through regular monthly meetings, two retreats, various consultations and continuous cooperation, the UNCT played a lead role in UN’s internal reflection on achievements and challenges and adopted the Musanze Compact for Renewed Commitment to Effective and Efficient Implementation of Delivering as One in Rwanda in May 2012. The Musanze Compact covers the following commitments of the UNCT: 1. Effective participation and engagement in key national development policy dialogue; 2. UN relevance and significance (focusing on maximum of three development result areas);

The One UN Steering Committee is responsible for the overall strategic orientation and management of the UN DaO reform process. The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning chairs the committee and the UN RC acts as Co-Chair. Other members participating in the committee include three other Government Ministers, four heads of UN agencies, all development partners resident in Rwanda who are contributors to One Fund as well as two civil society organisations.

Based on the recommendations made by the Country Led Independent Evaluation of DaO, the roles and the functions of the One UN Steering Committee were strengthened to provide strategic guidance to the development and implementation of the UNDAP as well as DaO agenda in Rwanda. This includes review and validation of the UNDAP, consolidated annual work

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plan, review and validation of flagship programmes/ projects, allocation of One UN Fund, and annual review of the UNDAP implementation.

3. Streamlining and reinforcing DaO internal structures; 4. Strengthening the One Budgetary Framework; 5. Strategic approach to resource mobilization; 6. One UN Fund primarily to advance development results and strategic engagement – supporting strategic initiatives and not as gap filling; 7. Affirming a “One Voice” for the UN through co -leadership in advocacy and communitarians underpinned by coherent messaging.

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One UN Architecture (2008 - 2012)

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Annual Report

2012

UNCT Musanze Compact-May 2012

The Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) performed a fundamental role in supporting the UN Resident Coordinator as well as the UN Country Team in the overall coordination of the One UN system in the country. The RCO ensured the secretarial functions for the UNCT and continued to assist and closely cooperate with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in supporting the GoR-UN engagement and dialogue in the planning of the UNDAP 2013-2018. The RCO also supported the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team in strengthening UN engagement with Development Partners and other stakeholders.

In 2012, the RCO core team was operating with minimum capacity, which included non-resident agencies’ Coordination Officer and Communication Specialist. Few short-term national consultants were recruited to strengthen the capacity of the RCO. The wider RCO team included a Human Rights Advisor, an

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Aid Effectiveness Specialist, Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor of UNDP, and an Aid Information Management Systems Specialist. Increased support from the wider RCO team was provided in order to ensure the RCO’s full support to the implementation of the UNCT work plan.

Due to the need to increase the capacity of the RCO, the UNCT decided to put together financial resources in order to recruit One UN House Project Manager, a Senior Policy Advisor and a second Coordination Officer. UNCT also agreed to utilize the One UN Fund to recruit a UN Change Management Advisor. The UN House Project Manager is expected to take on duties at the beginning of 2013, while the recruitment of the UN Change Management Advisor is expected to be concluded soon. The UNCT is mobilizing financial resources for the position of a Senior Policy Advisor for at least two years. Once the resources are secured, the recruitment process will be finalized.

One Programme In the context of the UN System-Wide Coherence and the One UN reform process, the One Programme represents a common programme, bringing together members of the UN country team less than one nationally -owned strategy that draws on the full range of UN expertise. Thus, it incorporates a set of strategic results based on national priorities and internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals, to which all the UN agencies present in Rwanda contribute, based on their respective comparative advantages.

The United Nations Assistance Frame work (UNDAF) 2008-2012 is the 5-year common strategic framework for all UN programming interventions in the country.

The contents of the UNDAF are strictly aligned with and respond to the priorities identified by Rwanda’s Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), also covering the same programming period 2008-2012, and Vision 2020. The Common Operational

1. Governance, 2. Health, Nutrition, HIV, and Population, 3. Education, 4. Environment, 5. Sustainable Growth and Social Protection.

In order to ensure adequate coordination and technical support for the implementation of the One Programme, all UN agencies – including resident and non-resident – were organised in thematic groups around the UNDAF result areas according to their respective mandates.

There were seven (7) thematic groups under the UNDAF 2008-2013, serving as coordination mechanisms to enable the development, implementation, quality, coherence and consistency of programme activities as well as monitoring of programme implementation, evaluation and reporting. Each thematic group was co-chaired by two agencies based on their respective mandates and all groups were supported by three inter -agency task forces (gender, human rights, monitoring & evaluation) that ensured the effective mainstreaming of all relevant crosscutting issues across the One Programme. The Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) is the main advisory body to the UNCT and support the coherence, effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the One Programme.

2012 Annual Report

The Delivering as One (DaO) initiative involves all UN funds, programmes and specialised agencies in Rwanda in a joint reform process based on fundamental pillars, the “Four Ones”: One Programme, One Budgetary Framework, One Office, and One Voice & One Leader.

The reform process carried out along the four pillars aims at strengthening the overall impact of the UN system at the country level, ensuring a closer alignment of programmes and funding to national priorities, while increasing transparency and accountability.

The DaO reform intends to create a more coherent and coordinated system for delivering UN assistance, increasing relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of UN interventions. At the same time it contributes to the strengthening of the Government ownership and leadership of development processes in line with the Paris Declaration, the Accra Agenda for Action, and the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. The reform also aims at increasing the efficiency level of operations, reducing transaction costs and optimizing financial and human resources.

Document (COD) 2008-2012 spelt out in detail how the UNDAF would be operationalized in Rwanda through coordinated and complementary interventions of the different UN agencies in the spirit of DaO. The main results of the UNDAF were jointly defined by the Government of Rwanda and the UN Country Team on the basis of the national priorities identified within the Vision 2020 and the EDPRS, and it included the following:

One UN Rwanda

Part B: The four Pillars of Delivering as One

Planning and implementation of joint interventions continued to be innovative instruments of the One UN Rwanda for strengthening synergies and reducing duplication s of UN programmatic operations. The UN Thematic Groups (TGs) played an instrumental role

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda

in facilitating joint planning and joint interventions through the Consolidated Annual Planning (CAP) process–a harmonized common programming/planning cycle. However, the CAP process of 2012 planning was significantly delayed, a situation that impacted greatly on the timing of resource allocation and disbursement, particularly for the One UN Fund. In order to address the matter, the PPOC urgently undertook an in-depth analysis of the CAPs process and recommended carring out a 3-year rolling planning cycle, aligned with the Government Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Year (July-June).

Regular monitoring of the implementation of the UNDAF and UN’s contribution to UNDAF results facilitated evidence-based decision making for coherent and effective implementation of UNDAF. While the UN Thematic Groups played a key role in monitoring the implementation of their contributions to relevant UNDAF result areas, the web-based One UN Programme Monitor system provided a central point of performance information. The Programme Monitor was updated regularly to provide timely information and supported the UNCT’s decisions on allocation of One UN Fund as well as identifying implementation challenges and priority actions for the coming year. The M&E Task Force currently manages the effective functioning of the Programme Monitor and monitor s with the PPOC and RCO the utilisation of resources, progress and achievements of activities, outputs, and outcomes. In order to strengthen the M&E system, the M&E Task Force working closely with PPOC and RCO embarked on the development of Di Monitoring (Devinfo). The Di -Monitoring will replace the Programme Monitor as an M&E System for the next UNDAP. The Di -Monitoring will facilitate regular monitoring of the progress towards agreed the UNDAP outcomes and outputs in addition to monitoring the execution of interventions/activities.

The year 2012/2013 was the final year of the implementation of the UNDAF/COD 2008-2013, with its planning cycle fully aligned to the Government’s national development and poverty reduction strategy planning process. With Rwanda’s first Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) coming to an end in June 2013, the Government embarked on the elaboration process of the EDPRS II 2013-2018. The

62

UN Rwanda also strived to contribute effectively and efficiently to the planning and development processes of the EDPRS II, particularly with regard to the review and development of strategies in a number of sectors.

The elaboration process of EDPRSII provided an opportunity to ensure full alignment of the next UN Development Assistance Plan (UNDAP) 2013-2018 to national priorities. The UN Country Team is committed to ensure that the next UNDAP (2013-2018) builds a solid foundation for coherent, relevant, effective and efficient UN programmatic operations for delivering more impactful results. In this context, the UN Country Team made conscious efforts to develop the UNDAP embedded in the national process of the EDPRS II elaboration. To this end, UN Rwanda decided not to undertake Common Country Assessment (CCA).

Instead, it contributed to the Government’s EDPRS review process as w ell as the EICV and DHS and in turn, it used the outcomes of the GoR-led review process to inform the country situation analysis of the UNDAP. Furthermore, the UN Rwanda also undertook the comparative advantage and stakeholder analysis to inform the UNDAP formulation in order to enhance its relevance effectiveness, and alignment with national priorities in a broader landscape of development partnership. The UNDAP 2013-2018 will thus speak directly to the national priorities as articulated in the EDPRS II and focus on key strategic result areas in which UN Rwanda can contribute effectively based on comparative advantages of the UN, including: inclusive economic transformation, accountable governance, human development and humanitarian response and disaster management. These strategic results areas were agreed through the Strategic Planning Retreat (SPR), which brought together the Government, Development Partners, Civil Society Organisations and UN Agencies.

One Budgetary Framework The One Budgetary Framework is a consolidated financial framework that reflects the agreed costed results of the UNDAF Action Plan and includes core and vertical funds of all resident and non -resident UN agencies operating in Rwanda as well as one Fund allocation for the implementation of the One Programme. The One Common Budgetary Framework increased transparency

The One UN Fund plays a strategic and catalytic role in facilitating enhanced UN relevance, significance and coherence as well as increasing effectiveness and efficiency of joint programming initiatives. As a rule, the One UN Fund is mainly utilized to support joint interventions, providing incentive mechanism for more coordinated and coherent joint actions (at least 80% of One UN Fund is usually allocated to support joint interventions). In 2012, 91% of One UN Fund was allocated to joint interventions.

Despite the intention for the One UN Fund to be catalytic and strategic in facilitating coherent, relevant, and effective UN programming, it is still used as a gap filler and its allocation is considered too scattered across many joint interventions. In this connection, the UN

2012

One Office By harmonizing business policies and procedures as well as common services and premises for UN agencies, this pillar aims at fostering cooperation in the spirit of Delivering as One and reducing operational and transaction costs both for UN and its partners. At the same time it intends to increase the efficiency and effectiveness in delivery and gives the opportunity to identify synergies and enhance economies of scale.

In 2012, the UN Operation Management Team (OMT) advanced the efforts on business operations by collecting information and data required to report on transaction cost. This was realized thanks to the business operations systems, tools, and procedures established since 2010. Since 2010, 11 common services were initiated and concluded. For all these common services, a business operations strategy has been put in place to plan, implement and manage them. The reporting systems implemented have made it possible to account for about $378,138 as savings on transaction costs.

With the use of the various long term Agreements signed, the gains in efficiency in terms of time saved from avoidance of duplicative procurement operations has been estimated at 88%.

The main challenge should be the management of Long Term Agreements (LTAs) to ensure that all agencies are using them to maximize cost savings and efficiency gains. To overcome this challenge, and ensure better use of the established LTAs, the OMT has prepared standard operations procedures that will be used by each agency in implementing common services. In addition, since the ONE UN in Rwanda has been the first pilot to report on efficiency gains and reduction of transaction costs, there is need for continuous innovation to reach more savings and keep the momentum in this area.

Rwanda is highly rated today for efficiency gains and is being called upon to support other countries as Pilot for Business Operations Strategy implementation.

Annual Report

In 2012, UN Rwanda allocated US$ 112.8 Million USD to 7 UNDAF result areas. About 44% of UN resource s allocated to 2012 interventions were Core Funds, 39% vertical funds, and 17% One UN Fund. The CAP process of 2012 planning was significantly delayed, which impacted greatly the timing of resource allocation and disbursement particularly for the One UN Fund. This affected the timely implementation of UN interventions, which resulted in approximately 47% utilisation of the disbursed One UN Fund between Januarys to September 2012. However, the speed of implementation was accelerated in the last quarter of 2012.

Country Team concluded that the One UN Fund should be primarily used to advance development results and strategic engagement through supporting strategic initiatives which would bring impactful results, drawing on UN comparative advantages.

One UN Rwanda

of UN activities, resulted in a clear overview of UN activities, available resources and funding gaps. The Consolidated Annual Plan (CAP) also serves as a joint planning process for resource allocation. The CAP, which is prepared annually by the UN, provides a clear overview of resource allocation from core and vertical funds as well as the One UN Fund. Based on the approved CAP, the disbursement of the One UN Fund to participating agencies is made by the Administrative Agency. At the end of the year, the Programme Monitor reports on the progress made against planned programmes and utilisation of funds thereby providing a comprehensive financial picture of UN programmes at the country level.

The One Budgetary Framework therefore increased the overall coherence and efficiency of resources planning and funding, and enhanced the transparency and accountability of the UN system in Rwanda.

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2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 64

With regard to the ICT, the working Group of the OMT is preparing a plan to implement a Rwanda consolidated network project. The phase d approach will initially involve few agencies to build a network infrastructure to be shared among them and the service will then be extended to the other UN agencies after its benefits have been demonstrated. In addition, all common services that have been renewed i n 2012 were evaluated in detail.

but that are ultimately contributing to it. Based on this, a clear follow up will be made to ensure continuity in reduction of transaction costs and efficiency gains. The upcoming recruitment of the Change Management Advisor will support the business harmonization and business operations process to achieve better savings and efficiency.

During the year 2012, the OMT identified other possible ways/areas for further reduction of transaction costs such as harmonized HR, HACT, pooling of vehicles, among others. A template has been developed to identify the transaction costs involved in HACT and strategies to reduce this by jointly conducting the assurance activities. In addition, the OMT undertook a study of external transaction costs, after consultations with the Government.

The One Leader & One Voice is a fundamental element of the DaO reform. It focuses on the strategic importance of the empowered role of senior management structures linked with a joint communication approach. In 2012, the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team including focal points of non- resident agencies provided strong leadership and effective management of the DaO processes as well as the development of the UNDAP. The UN RC, in this regard, led the internal reflection of DaO progress and challenges and provided guidance and support to the UNCT and the UN working groups in the development of the UNDAP. The UN RC also intensified strategic engagement with the Government, Development Partners, and national stakeholders on DaO and on re-positioning and enhancing UN relevance in Rwanda’s development efforts.

The One UN House project has seen a renewed momentum in 2012. An interagency committee formed and chaired by the WFP Representative and the UN Resident Coordinator intensified discussions on the One UN House. While the process to recruit the One UN House Manager saw some delays, the One UN House Task Team continued to advance the project.

The Government of Rwanda adopted a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for building the One UN House. There is an existing joint task force with the Government to coordinate information and the process toward the One UN House construction. This task force is comprised of UN, MINECOFIN, MINAFEET, Kigali City, MININFRA and RDB. As the UN Team developed the new UNDAP, the OMT continued to work closely with the PPOC, including the costing exercise of the UNDAP. Furthermore, the OMT organized a joint retreat with the PPOC and M&E Task Force to collectively review the Business Operations Strategy with a view to provide an efficient and harmonised operations support to the implementation of the new UNDAP. The OMT Business Operations Strategy focuses mainly on common services that may derive directly from the UNDAP and other Common Services that are not directly linked to program delivery

One Leader & One Voice

In his capacity as Co-Chair of the Development Partners Coordination Group the UN RC also promoted the quality and enhancement of dialogue among Development partners as well as between Development Partners and the Government. In this context, the UN RC co-chaired with the Government the two joint retreats of the Government and its Development Partners in March and in November 2012. The retreats provided opportunities for strategic policy dialogue on Rwanda’s development strategy – the EDPRS II as well as to enhance quality and effectiveness of development cooperation in line with the Paris Declaration, the Accra Agenda for Action and the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.

In line with the One Voice concept as part of the One Leader pillar, the RC and the UNCT are ultimately responsible for strategic and coherent messages and communications with external stakeholders. The UN Country Team identified the strategic importance of

2012 Annual Report

In particular, the One UN Communications Team ensured that the UN Country Team as a whole, under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, spoke with one voice. The One UN Rwanda Communications Team (UNCG) established in 2007 brings together a team of communications staff from various agencies chaired by the RCO’s Communications Specialist. The UNCG met once a week with the mandate to support the UN-wide advocacy and communication agenda, the internal and external communication needs of One UN in Rwanda, and the agency -specific communications needs of participating UN agencies.

In 2012, the UNCG, closely working with the PPOC, built a common communications strategy in light of the upcoming UNDAP and annual work plan to report on results that can be attributed to the work of UN in Rwanda. Importantly, the UNCG focused on communicating on the improvement in development results from the UN working better “as one”. The UNCG also contributed to the One UN Initiative and reinforced UN cohesion and image through providing communication support for special events, high- level delegate visits and the African Economic Conference.

Such communication support included but was not limited to the production of Op-Eds and video stories as well as the dissemination of communication materials for special events. The UNCG also worked closely with national and international media. Strong media contacts enabled the team to quickly and efficiently organize media briefings and press events and to proactively reach out to media on issues of UN concern or priority.

One UN Rwanda

an effective communication platform in enhancing UN strategic engagement in high-level policy dialogue.

Furthermore, the UN Country Team also identified UN communication and advocacy as essential to reinforce credibility, cohesion and image of UN in Rwanda. Under the supervision and strategic guidance of the RC and the UNCT, the Resident Coordinator’s Office and the UN Communication Group effectively contributed to the implementation of the UN joint communication and advocacy strategy.

65

I

n 2012, the UN Rwanda continued to support the Government of Rwanda (GoR) in reaching the development targets set at the national level. The UN Rwanda also contributed actively to the development of the second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II) through supporting the development process both at sector and strategic level as well as policy dialogue and advocacy. The UN Country Team also advanced the development of the UN Development Assistance Plan (UND AP) and re- confirmed their commitment to the DaO agenda and agreed on a number of strategic actions through the Musanze Compact in May 2012. Throughout this process, the UN Country Team adhered to the following renewed UN Rwanda’s Vision: UN Rwanda supports more effectively Rwanda’s national efforts.; UN Rwanda supports better aligned to national development priorities to enhance its relevance;

2012 Annual Report

Conclusion and way forward

One UN Rwanda

Chapter 4

UN Rwanda working more closely together to achieve more impactful results;.

UN Rwanda becoming more efficient to contribute better to Rwanda’s poverty reduction and economic transformation initiatives; UN Rwanda deepening its engagement with Development Partners and national stakeholders, such as civil society, private sector;

67

68

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report 2012

The year 2013 will be another important year for UN Rwanda’s Delivering as One Reform. Through strengthening the governance structures as well as planning processes, it is expected that the UNDAP represent will significantly reinforce the DaO in Rwanda.

The One Budget Framework will also provide a clear overview of resource gaps, which will be a basis for UN joint resource mobilisation efforts. The UN Country Team through analysis of external transaction costs and other change management initiatives aim to further enhance efficiency of the UN operations in Rwanda.

Further progress of the One UN House will contribute to this.

Increasing alignment and more focus contribution to national development priorities through the UNDAP; Improving accountability and results orientation of UN support through the UN Development Results Groups (DRGs); Developing flagship programme for efficient, effective and substantive support to national efforts;

2012

enhancing upstream/policy support and strategic engagement of the UN in key national development policy dialogue and EDPRS II;

Annual Report

Deepening engagement with GoR, Partners, and Stakeholders

One UN Rwanda

The UN Country Team is committed to realize the renewed UN Rwanda’s vision through:

69

UNDP Administrator and UNDG Chair, Ms. Helen Clark with the UN Country Team and the Resident Coordinator

2012

Annexes Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Rwanda 2012

On track Strong to moderate potential to achieve with support to accelerate progress Off track

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

Target

1990

20081

2015 Target

Target 1A: Halve between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people in poverty

47.5

56.9

23.8

Target 1B: Achieve full and productive employment % employees earning a poverty wage % employees own account or family worker Target 1C: Halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary intake Prevalence of underweight children under five year

54.9 80.0

34

37

17

29.0

15.8

14.5

Status

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

Annex 1: MDGs Progresses

1 Or most recent year.

71

2012

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Target

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

Target 2

72

Ensure that by 2015 children everywhere, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Net enrolment ratio in primary school Proportion of pupils starting grade one who reach la t grade of primary school Literacy rates of women and men aged 15 -24 years .

1990

2008

2015 Target

62.5 72.7

94.2 74.5 76.8

100 100 100

1990

2008

2015 Target

0.90 0.96 17

103 0.9 52

Status

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women 1990 2008 2015

Target

Target 3:

Ensure that gender dis parity in primary and secondary is eliminated, preferably by Ratio of boys to girls in primary school Ratio of boys to girls in secondary school Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament Share of women in waged employment in the non -agricultural sector

28.4

50

1990

2008

2015 Target

Reduce by two -thirds between 1990 and 2015 the under- five mortality rate.

Under-five mortality rate Infant mortality rate

141 85

103 62

47 28

Proportion of one-year-old children immunized against measles

91

90.4

100

Status

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality Target

Target 4:

Status

2008

2015 Target

Target 5A: Reduce by three-quarters , between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio Maternal mortality ratio Proportion of births attended by s killed health professionals

1300 26

750 52

325

Target 5B: Achieve by 2015 universal al access s to reproductive health Contraception prevalence rate (condom utilization 15 – 24 years ) Male Female Women 15-49 years using modern contraceptives

Status

39.5 26.4 27

Adolescent birth rate (% total live births ) Antenatal care coverage

3.6 96

100

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Target

1990

Target 6A. Have halved by 2015 and began to revers e the spread of HIV/AIDS HIV prevalence rate amongst population aged 15 -24 Condom us e at last high -risk s ex Proportion of population aged 15-24 years with comprehensive correct knowledge male female Ratio of school attendance of orphans to non -orphans aged 10 – 14 years Target 6B: Achieved by 2015 universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those that need it.

Proportion of population with advanced HIV infection using antiretroviral drugs2 Adults Children Target 6C: By 2015 have halted and began to revers e the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Incidence and death rates associated with malaria Mortality rate adults and children over 5 years (per 100,00 population) Mortality rate children 0 -5 years (per 100,000 population) Proportion of children under 5 sleeping under an insecticide -treated bed net Mortality rate per 1000, 000 population from TB

2008

2015 Target

2.1 39.0

53.6 50.9 0.92

77.0 49.0

100.0 100.0

Status

Annual Report

1990

One UN Rwanda

Target

2012

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

15.9 17.3 55.7 5.0

2 The issue is not access but take-up. All children and the majority of adult s diagnosed as in need of ant i-retroviral treatment are entitled to receive it.

73

Annual Report

2012

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability Target

1990

2008

2015 Target

Target 7A: Integrate the principals of sustainable development into the country’s policies and programmes and revers e the los s of environmental resources Target 7B: Reduce biodiversity loss 3 Proportion of land covered by forest C02 emissions total per capita Consumption of ozone-depleting substances Proportion of total water resources us ed Proportion of terrestrial areas protected

18.5

10.0

25.0

Proportion of species threatened with extinction

12

10

Target 7C: Halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and bas c sanitation Proportion of population us ing an improved drinking water source Proportion of population us ing an improved sanitation facility

59.9 56.3

82.0

2008

2015 Target

Status

3 Data for most of the Indicators for MDG Target 7B are not available;

One UN Rwanda

Goal 8: Develop a global partners hip for development

74

Target

1990

Proportion of ODA to basic social services (education, primary health care, nutrition , safe water and sanitation)

44.3

Access to essential drugs

89.0

Telephones per 100 population (mobile phone

13.1

Personal computers per 100 population

0.6

Status

Annex 2: Financial Reporting

For the period ending 31 December 2012 (Amounts in US$ Thousands)

Cumulative

Sources of Funds Gross Contributions

10,321,750

5,771,000

71,574,762

112,198

80,469

894,506

28,129

21,122

116,984

Refunds by Administrative Agent to Contributors

-

-

-

Fund balance transferred to another MPTF

-

-

-

Other Revenues

-

-

-

10,462,077

5,872,591

72,586,252

15,524,207

12,050,808

58,963,970

Refunds receive d from Participating Organizations

-352,500

-

-352,500

Net Funded Amount to Participating Organizations

15,171,707

12,050,808

58,611,470

Administrative Agent Fees

103,218

57,710

715,748

Direct Costs: (Steering Committee, Secretariat...etc.)

415,579

5,932,476

7,146,433

763

678

1,507

-

-

-

Total: Uses of Funds

15,691,266

18,041,672

66,475,158

Change in Fund cash balance with Administrative Agent

-5,229,189

-12,169,081

6,111,095

23,509,365

18,280,176

-

18,280,176

6,111,095

6,111,095

Net Funded Amount to Participating Organizations

15,171,707

12,050,808

58,611,470

Participating Organizations` Expenditure

13,706,811

9,129,316

50,247,409

Fund Earned Interest and Investment Income Inte rest Income received from Participating Organizations

Total: Sources of Funds Use of Funds Transfer to Participating Organizations

Bank Charges Other Expenditures

Opening Fund balance (1 January) Closing Fund balance (31 December)

Balance of Funds with Participating Organizations

8,364,062

Annual Report

Annual 2012

One UN Rwanda

Annual 2011

2012

Table 1. Financial Overview

75

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

2012

Table 2. Financial Delivery Rate by Participating Organizations Participating Organization

Net Funded Amount

Expenditure

Delivery Rate Percentage

ECA

1,929,644

1,646,210

773,836

47.01

FAO

4,455,213

3,305,956

3,194,618

96.63

I LO

1,827,423

1,293,801

959,095

74.13

I TC

110,000

-

-

-

1,462,160

709,217

358,205

50.51

UNCDF

248,799

190,388

136,024

71.45

UNCTAD

835,693

620,388

549,493

88.57

11,222,427

9,057,577

6,981,027

77.07

UNDP(UNV)

286,678

152,759

9,261

6.06

UNEP

346,031

285,636

113,774

39.83

2,388,016

1,819,545

1,403,647

77.14

11,094,109

9,447,560

8,911,219

94.32

UNHABI TAT

2,718,837

1,840,352

1,424,967

77.43

UNHCR

3,925,616

3,033,489

2,995,989

98.76

UNI CEF

11,986,607

10,664,541

9,762,743

91.54

UNI DO

4,186,155

3,094,589

2,509,588

81.10

UNWOMEN

3,744,716

3,287,047

2,722,008

82.81

WFP

5,293,743

4,288,572

3,755,755

87.58

WHO

5,453,513

3,873,845

3,686,159

95.16

73,515,380

58,611,470

50,247,409

UNAI DS

UNDP

UNESCO UNFPA

Grand Total

76

Approved Amount

Prior Years as of 31-Dec-2011

Current Year Jan-Dec-2012

Total

DEPARTMENT FOR I NT’L DEVELOPMENT (DFID)

10,499,650

-

10,499,650

Expanded DaO Funding Window

35,304,000

5,771,000

41,075,000

NETHERLANDS, Government of

6,149,550

-

6,149,550

NORWAY, Government of

3,661,542

-

3,661,542

SPAIN, Government of

6,000,000

-

6,000,000

SWEDISH I NT’L DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

4,189,020

-

4,189,020

65,803,762

5,771,000

71,574,762

Grand Total

Table 4. Total Expenditure by Category

Annual Report

Contributors

2012

Table 3. Contributions Table 3. Contributions

Expenditure Prior Year as of 31-Dec-2011

Current Year Jan-Dec-2012

Total

Percentage of Total Programme Cost

Staff & Personnel Cost (New)

-

1,404,701

1,404,701

3.01

Su pp l., Comm., Materials (New)

-

1,818,349

1,818,349

3.89

Equip., Veh., Furn., Dep. (New)

-

633,375

633,375

1.36

Contractual Services (New)

-

1,976,850

1,976,850

4.23

Travel (New)

-

-3,247

-3,247

0.00

Transfer and Grants (New)

-

1,456,574

1,456,574

3.12

General Operating (New)

-

1,013,037

1,013,037

2.17

Programme Costs Total

38,434,530

8,299,639

46,734,169

100.00

2,683,563

829,677

3,513,240

7.52

41,118,093

9,129,316

50,247,409

0.00

Indirect Support Costs Total Total

One UN Rwanda

Category

77

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

2012

Table 5. Transfer of Net Funded Amount by Participating Organization Prior Years as of 31 Dec 2011 Participating Organization

Net Funded Amount

Approved Amount

TOTAL

Net Funded Amount

Approved Amount

Net Funded Amount

ECA

1,145,908

1,058,408

783,736

587,802

1,929,644

1,646,210

FAO

4,026,135

2,984,148

429,078

321,809

4,455,213

3,305,956

ILO

1,342,627

930,204

484,796

363,597

1,827,423

1,293,801

ITC

110,000

-

-

-

110,000

-

UNAIDS

986,565

352,521

475,595

356,696

1,462,160

709,217

UNCDF

248,799

190,388

-

-

248,799

190,388

UNCTAD

694,473

514,473

141,220

105,915

835,693

620,388

8,631,975

6,860,314

2,590,452

2,197,262

11,222,427

9,057,577

UNDP(UNV)

223,000

105,000

63,678

47,759

286,678

152,759

UNEP

215,448

187,698

130,584

97,938

346,031

285,636

UNESCO

1,914,267

1,464,233

473,749

355,312

2,388,016

1,819,545

UNFPA

8,763,607

7,699,683

2,330,502

1,747,877

11,094,109

9,447,560

UNHABITAT

2,165,724

1,425,516

553,113

414,835

2,718,837

1,840,352

UNHCR

2,736,950

2,141,990

1,188,666

891,499

3,925,616

3,033,489

UNICEF

9,637,518

8,902,725

2,349,089

1,761,817

11,986,607

10,664,541

UNIDO

3,325,011

2,448,731

861,144

645,858

4,186,155

3,094,589

UNWOMEN

2,825,302

2,597,486

919,414

689,560

3,744,716

3,287,047

WFP

4,466,806

3,668,369

826,937

620,203

5,293,743

4,288,572

WHO

4,326,753

3,028,775

1,126,760

845,070

5,453,513

3,873,845

57,786,866

46,560,662

15,728,514

12,050,808

73,515,380

58,611,470

UNDP

TOTAL

78

Approved Amount

Current Year Jan-Dec 2012

Rio +20 article in the press

MoU signature between MIDIMAR and One UN

World Refugee Day celebrations with photo exhibition and film festival

MoU signature between International (JCI) and One UN

Junior

Chamber

Town Hall meeting for staff

Closure of the Gacaca article in the press Submission of success stories country examples for a publication at the

International Women Day celebrations and Women and girls’ month with

Tirana intergovernmental conference.

MIGEPROF

July-September

Launch of Agaseke week

Visit of Mrs. Valerie Amos, USG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency relief coordination.

(Information kit, press releases, schedule and press conference)

Launch of the joint UN programme of support to Imbuto Foundation UNECA Regional meeting – “Stakeholders Meeting on the Regional Anti- Corruption Programme for Africa”.

Visit of Hervé Ladsous, UN Peacekeeping Chief

Newsletter Special Issue

National Human Rights Commission media training on International Human

Support to the Comparative Advantage/Stakeholder Analysis consultancy

One UN briefing kit for the new RC

Rights protection mechanism following the UPR

Screening of the film on anti-corruption “Un pas en avant, les dessous de la corruption” with film director Sylvestre Amoussou.

Legal practitioners’ workshop (RCO Human Rights)

Visit of Deng Francis, Special Advisor to the SG on the prevention of genocide

International Day of Democracy Op-ed

International Youth Day celebrations

Annual Report

February-March

One UN Rwanda

in Rwanda in 2012

2012

Annex 3: Chronological overview of the DaO Reform Process

International Peace Day Op-ed Genocide commemoration for UN staff World Environment Day celebrations with REMA and screening of One Day on Earth UNCT retreat (UNDAP – SPR) press coverage

Showcase of DaO Rwanda at the ESA Regional Coordination officers workshop in Windhoek Task force meetings in preparation of the African Economic Conference

79

2012 Annual Report One UN Rwanda 80

October-December

International Volunteer Day celebrations

Visit of Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator (briefing kit, press releases and press conference)

World AIDS Day – Op-ed International Human Rights Day celebrations

African Economic Conference (press conference, press releases)

Social media Training (twitter) for UNCG, RCO and UNCT, UNCG

October Special Newsflash (Helen Clark’s visit and the AEC)

Creation of Twitter account

Global and UN Day celebrations

Video Training for UNCG

Town Hall meeting for staff

New UN Rwanda website (under construction)

4-day Media training and briefing in preparation of high level visitors and the

Visibility items (calendars, Christmas cards) Staff survey communications needs and contribution

AEC Launch of the joint GoR/One UN Returning and reintegration programme

DHS DMC DMTF DRGs ECD EDPRS ECOSOC EIA EICG ENR EPI ESSP FAWE FFW FTI GMO GoR GRB HAART HIV HMIS HSSP HSSP II IATI IDSR

IHP International Health Partnerships Imidugudu Villages Imbuto Foundation Local NGO Chaired by the First Lady of Rwanda IMIS Integrated Management Information system ISAR Rwanda’s Agricultural Research Institute JAWP Joint Annual Work Plan JRLOS Justice Reconciliation Law and Order Sector MARPs Most at Risk Populations MC Male Circumcision MDGs Millennium Development goals MHI Mutual Health Insurance MINAGRI Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources MINALOC Ministry Of Local Government MINECOFIN Ministry of Economic planning Finance MINEDUC Ministry of Education MINICOM Ministry of Commerce MINIJUST Ministry of Justice MININTER Ministry of Internal security MINISANTE Ministry of Health MoH Ministry of Health MoU Memorandum of Understanding MSMEs Micro small and medium enterprises Mutuelles de Santé Community Health Insurance MVP Millennium Village Project NEB National Agricultural Export Board NISR National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda NRAs Non Resident Agencies NSDS National Strategies for the development of Statistics NSS National Statistical System NSP National Strategic Plan NRL National Reference Laboratory NURC National Unity and Reconciliation Commission OMT Operations Management Team OVC Orphans and Vulnerable Children PAT Program Advisory Team PAPSTA Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture

Annual Report

CIP NAC CSO DaO DevInfo DFID (UK)

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Access to Justice Bureau’s Anti-Retroviral Therapy Avocat sans frontière African Union Consolidated Annual Plans District AIDS Control Committee Child Friendly School Comprehensive food security Vulnerability Assessment Crop Intensification Programme National AIDS Commission Civil Society Organizations Delivering as One Development Info Department of International Development (UK) Demographic and Health Survey Disaster Management Centre Disaster Management Task Force Development Results Groups Early Childhood Development Economic Development and poverty Reduction strategy Economic and Social Council Environmental Impact Assessment Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey Environment and Natural Resources Expanded programme of Immunization Education Sector Strategic Plan Forum for African Women educationists Food for Work Fast-track Initiative Gender Monitoring Office Government of Rwanda Gender Responsive Budgeting Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy Human Immunodeficiency Virus Health Management Information Systems Health Sector Strategic Plan Health Sector Strategic Plan II International Aid Transparency Initiative Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response

One UN Rwanda

AIDS AJB ART ASF AU CAPs CDLS CFS CFSVA

2012

Annex 4: Abbreviations

81

2012

PBF PCR PMTCT PSTA II

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

RAB RARDA

82

RBC RCO RDB REMA RNP RTP SGBV SPR SoER SNV SWAp UN UNAIDS UNCDF UNCG UNCT UNCTAD UNDAF UNDAP

Performance Based Financing Polymerase Chain Reaction Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture Rwanda Agricultural Board Rwanda Animal resources Development Authority Rwanda Biomedical Center Office of the Resident Coordinator Rwanda Development Board Rwanda Environment and Management Authority Rwanda National Police Reaching the Poor Sexual and Gender Based Violence Strategic Planning Retreat Rwanda State of the Environment Report Netherlands Development Organization Sector Wide Approach United Nations Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS United Nations Capital Development Fund UN Communications Group United Nations Country Team United Nations Conference on Trade and Development United Nations Development Assistance Framework United Nations Development Assistance Plan

UNDG UNDP UNECA

United Nations Development Group United Nations Development Programme United Nations Economic Commission for Africa UNEG United Nations Evaluation Group UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNIDO United Nations Industrial Organization UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNIFEM United Nations Fund for Women UNRC UN Resident Coordinator UNSSC United Nations System Staff College UNV United Nations Volunteers USD United States Dollars VSO Volunteer Services Oversees.

VUP Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme WISDOM Wood fuels Integrated Supply/Demand Overview Mapping WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization WTO World Trade Organization TBC Tuberculosis TSC Teacher Service Commission TTCs Teacher Training Colleges VCT Voluntary counseling and Testing, TB Tuberculosis

Member

Title

RCO

Lamin Manneh

Resident Coordinator

FAO

Vacant –WFP Representative acting

Representative a.i.

ICTR

Alfred Kwende

Head of Office

IMF

Dimitri Gershenson

Representative

MONUSCO

Joseph Felli

Head of Office

UNAIDS

Amadou Moctar Mbaye

Country Coordinator

UNDP

Auke Lootsma

Country Director

UNECA

Antonio M. A. Pedro

Regional Director

UNESCO

Joseph Massaquoi

Regional Director

UNFPA

Victoria Akyeampong

Representative

UNHCR

Neimah Warsame

Representative

UNICEF

Joseph Foumbi (until July); Noala Skinner (August)

Representative

UN Women

Diana Ofwona

Regional Programme Director

WFP

Abdoulaye Balde

Country Director

WHO

Delanyo Dovlo

Representative

World Bank

Omowunmi Ladipo

Country Manager

Annual Report

Agency

One UN Rwanda

UN Country Team Members and Resident Coordinator’s Office

2012

Annex 5: UNCT Members

83

One UN Rwanda

Annual Report

2012

Agency

84

Member

Title

Non-Resident Agencies IFAD

Claus Reiner

Country Programme Manager

ILO

Alexio Musindo

Regional Director

UNEP

Samba Harouna

Regional Programme Coordinator

UNCDF

Auke Lootsma

UNDP Country Director

UNCTAD

Manuela Tortora

Chief, Technical Cooperation Service

UN Habitat

Alioune Badiane

Regional Director

UNIDO

David Tommy

Representative

UNV

Ivan Dielens

Programme Officer

Office of the UN Resident Coordinator Name

Title

Lamin M. Manneh

UN Resident Coordinator

Nathalie Blaquiere

Communication Specialist

Olivia Taghioff

Communication Specialist

Solange Uwera

NRAs Coordination Analyst

Clarisse Uwambayikirezi

Consultant Coordination Associate

Immaculee Karake

Executive Associate to the RC and RR

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