Under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister having Foreign Affairs in his attributions, the diplomatic week was officially opened on Monday 27 June 2022 in the presence of heads of diplomatic and consular missions, international and regional organisations working in Burundi.
In his speech, Minister Albert Shingiro first recalled some major priorities of the Government of Burundi in terms of economic development. The six absolute priorities that have been defined by the responsible and hard-working government concern good governance, agriculture and livestock, public health, youth employment, pension provision and the repatriation of refugees. They are detailed in three key documents, namely the Burundi Vision 2025, the National Strategy for Good Governance and the Fight against Corruption and the National Development Plan 2018-2027.
The Minister then explained the significance of this diplomatic week. He said that this seventh edition of the diplomatic week, which comes in a new political-diplomatic context of Burundi, has the theme: “Active diplomacy for agricultural development and strengthening of national sovereignty“, a topic that, according to Minister Shingiro, highlights the ambitious socio-economic character of the development plan with particular emphasis on the agricultural sector.
It is in this perspective that the government of Burundi has declared 2022 an agricultural year in Burundi with “agriculture, source of the national economy” as the general theme. This edition coincides with the 60th anniversary of Burundi’s independence, an opportune moment to demonstrate its maturity, bravery and determination in pursuing its objectives.
The opening activities were closed by the presentation of Ambassador Laurent KAVAKURE on the recovery of the national sovereignty of Burundi. Sovereignty must be understood, according to him, in the sense of dignity, of the man standing upright who eats sufficiently and takes charge of his destiny, as advocated by the responsible and hardworking government under the enlightened leadership of His Excellency Evariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi.
