The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) last week held a consultative meeting with its stake holders to present its four year strategic plan from 2009 to 2012.

NURC executive secretary, Fatuma Ndangiza. (file photo)

The commission will also encourage its volunteers to form cooperatives which will be supported by NURC so as to promote voluntary activities.

By strengthening the collaboration with local authorities, the commission plans to set up early warning mechanisms to identify potential conflicts.

NURC also plans to promote best practices through study visits to areas that have performed well in the unity and reconciliation process and whose achievements could be duplicated in regions which are doing less well.

Moreover, the commission will continue to contribute in promoting unity and reconciliation in national programs such as Gacaca courts, TIG as well as Genocide commemoration.

It will further mobilize other institutions such as the private sector on systematic integration of unity and reconciliation in their activities.

In order to disseminate accurate information on its activities, the commission will create a database which will be regularly updated. It will also perform an impact assessment on its four year strategic plan which will be performance- based.

The budget for the four year strategic plan amounts to Frw 28 billion. According to the NURC executive secretary, Fatuma Ndangiza, the funding is expected from budget allocation to the commission as well as NURC partners who include the Belgian and Chinese embassies, UNDP, the EU as well as nongovernmental organizations and civil society groups.

Significant achievements

NURC was established ten years ago with a mandate of promoting unity and reconciliation among Rwandans, and it has registered significant achievements. For instance the institution has managed to create a permanent civic platform for debates which has inspired Rwandans to express their views on unity and reconciliation.

The Commission has also helped families of both genocide survivors and perpetrators to reconcile and get involved together in income generating activities. It has also educated and mobilized the public on the importance of unity and reconciliation as well as mainstreaming the program into all the sectors.

Furthermore, it has so far organized solidarity camps (ingando) for returnees and ensured their smooth reintegration in to society, established unity and reconciliation club in schools, trained about 3700 volunteers and worked with communities to ensure stability and continuity of the unity and reconciliation programs.

NURC has also facilitated the introduction peace centers across the country and last year inaugurated the Unity and Reconciliation Week which will be celebrated annually.

The commission has supported Gacaca courts activities by sensitizing the public to attend them and has facilitated smooth cohesion between former prisoners who have completed TIG and communities.

Through its nationwide consultative process and together with other stake holders, NURC launched a national civic education forum (Itorero ry’Igihugu) which will engage all citizens in promoting positive Rwandan values.

Genocide ideology still alive

Despite the achievements, NURC has experienced a wide range of challenges. One of the fundamental challenges is still building trust among Rwandans. Also, the commission has not yet managed to fully eradicate the genocide ideology, as was shown towards the end of 2007, when it came to light that genocide ideology was still rampant in several schools, prompting the commission charged with fighting genocide ideology in parliament to conduct an investigation.

Fatuma Ndangiza pointed out that fighting genocide ideology has become a regional issue due to genocide perpetrators who fled the country and are continuously sowing the seeds of divisionism. “The result is that the reintegration of ex-combatants and those who have finished TIG is not easy and that is a challenge we have to tackle,” Ndangiza said.

She further remarked that unity and reconciliation activities have not yet become sufficiently embedded at the grassroots level as citizens consider that those are issues that are supposed to be handled by the Commission. She explained this by the fact that NURC is understaffed and therefore cannot reach the grassroots level, but added that unity and reconciliation activities have already been introduced in all sectors where the commission’s volunteers spread the message.