Enshrined in the programming principles of the United Nations reforms – and indeed the Global Goals and other global development agendas – is the principle of leaving no one behind. In layman’s terms, this means putting in place measures to ensure that all facets of society – youth, women, the disabled, marginalized groups, etc. – have equal access to, and benefit from, sustainable development activities with no one being left behind.

Cyuve, Musanze District | August 11, 2017 – In Rwanda, many disabled persons including blind people often have little access to education, as the result of this, they cannot actively participate in their communities’ socioeconomic development. The plight of persons with disabilities further extends to their economic situation, where various studies and surveys have unquestionably linked disabled persons with increased likelihood of falling prey to acute poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition among other difficulties that make living a happy and fulfilling life, next to impossible.

To formally kick-off the start of the YouthConnekt Africa Summit, the RBA Director, Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, visited Rwanda from 15 to 21 July 2017. During his visit, the Director met with key constituents (the Senior Government officials, young entrepreneurs and the Civil Society Organisations) to discuss prospects for the new development agenda for Africa, and continued UNDP-Rwanda partnership to support the YouthConnekt initiative and other programmes. Highlights of this mission include a participation to the YouthConnekt Africa Summit 2017 themed “from potential to success”; meeting UNDP development partners, as well as the UN Country Team in Rwanda to discuss about the role of the UN in the country’s development.

This keynote address was delivered during the opening session of the Youth Connekt Africa Summit. The session was called "How do we get to 50 million jobs by 2020 session!" This is aligned to the overall of the summit which is about unleashing the youth potential of Africa

Introductory remarks given by UNDP Africa regional director, Mr. Adboulaye Mar Dieye. This was during the Youth Connekt Summit that took place in Kigali from the 19th-21st July 2017. The Summit was organised by the government of Rwanda in collaboration with UNDP and UNCTAD

With the elections forthcoming, a delegation composed of UNDP Rwanda staff, officials from the National Electoral Commission of Rwanda (NEC), the CEO of Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) and representatives from the National Parliament, CSOs and the National Forum of Political Organizations all convened in Nyabihu District to witness a demonstration by electoral volunteers on how ballot-box voting works.

Access to justice is a basic principle of the rule of law. In the absence of access to justice, people are unable to have their voice(s) heard, exercise their rights, challenge discrimination or hold decision-makers accountable.

While changes in the environment affect everyone, they affect men and women differently. Women’s and girls’ traditional responsibilities as food growers, water and fuel gatherers, and caregivers connect them closely to available natural resources and the climate, making them more likely to be impacted by environmental hardships.

From the 12th – 16th of November, representatives from 11 political parties were trained on “Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections" – commonly known as the BRIDGE methodology. This training was organized by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations (NFPO) in collaboration with the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Rwanda. The training was supported by UNDP under its “Deepening Democracy and Accountable Governance” (DDAG) programme.

To strengthen the capacity of civil society, the One UN Rwanda/ UNDP, and the Government of Rwanda launched a Joint Program called “Strengthening Civil Society Organizations for Responsive and Accountable Governance in Rwanda,” in 2014. To date, 26 CSOs working in a wide range of areas have received support under the programme. In 2016, the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) joined the programme as a partner, providing funding to 3 CSOs.

Life can be challenging for single mothers anywhere in the world, more so if they are teen mothers and living in poverty. In many parts of Rwanda, single teen mothers face financial challenges, and the majority of them that hail from rural areas usually lack specialized job skills, as well as the education required to get proper employment.The story talks about a civil society organisation named Tuvuge Twiyubaka that is transforming there lives for better.