38th ACP-EU Assembly: dialogue on cooperation challenges in Kigali

Members of the European Parliament and parliamentarians of 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will meet in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly, from 17 to 21 November 2019. The formal opening of the session will take place on Tuesday 19 November and will be co-chaired by Carlos Zorrinho, Portuguese MEP and Joseph Owana Kono, member from Cameroon. The opening session will be followed by a debate with Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International cooperation and development. President of Rwanda Paul Kagame will address the session on Wednesday 20 November. Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs for Finland, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, will make a statement followed by a debate on Thursday 21 November. On the morning of Sunday 17 November, members will be able to make field visits. Two visits have been planned. The first group will visit a “modern village” which is sheltering 240 families displaced from areas at high risk of environmental disaster in the Kigali region, in the district of Nyarugenge. There will also be a visit to a hydroelectric substation in Nyamirambo in the district of Nyarugenge, funded by the European Union to increase Rwanda’s electricity capacity. The second group will visit a horticultural project in Gishari in Rwamagana district in the Southern Province. On Sunday 17 November, the members will also meet with Rwandan youth during the Youth Conference.