Today on 15th September, Never Again Rwanda (NAR) joins the rest of the world to celebrate the International Day of Democracy 2020, under the theme: “Youth participation in democratic and political processes in Rwanda”.
On this day, we reflect on the Government of Rwanda’s relentless commitment to democracy, through the respect of liberties and human dignity, as well providing for a vibrant, diverse, and independent civil society. Today, we also acknowledge and renew our commitment to support the goals of democracy and participatory governance.
Never Again Rwanda, through programs like the ‘Societal Healing and Participatory Governance for Peace in Rwanda’ and the ‘Enhancing and reinforcing Rwandan citizen participation in existing local government consultation processes and platforms project’ both jointly implemented with Interpeace, enhances the meaningful and inclusive participation of citizens in political participation and local decision-making. Also, the recently concluded three-year Inzira Nziza project which focused on youth political participation aimed to contribute to the promotion of dialogue and democratic values through human rights based approaches.
Given the fact that the world is working towards combatting the spread of COVID-19 by practicing social distancing, we have organized an online youth dialogue to discuss “Youth participation in democratic and political processes in Rwanda”. The dialogue will consist of a panel of four youth, streamed live on NAR’s YouTube channel and its affiliated social media platforms. This dialogue will discuss the current status of youth engagement in political and democratic processes, as well as challenges and opportunities for increased youth participation. Youth will share their different experiences related to their participation in democratic processes.
Never Again Rwanda is committed to continue providing youth with opportunities and platforms to engage in democratic and political processes as a means of empowering them to constructively participate in decision-making processes.
We are founded on a vision to promote and protect democracy, alongside human rights and the rule of law. We believe that without democracy, lasting peace cannot be guaranteed.