RWANDA CAADP POST-COMPACT MEETING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KIGALI 000847 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - SBU PARAGRAPH MARKING SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT PLE1=@MSQr12958:N/A TAGS: ECON EAGR ETRD PREL EAID AU RW SUBJECT: RWANDA CAADP POST-COMPACT MEETING REF A: KIGALI 747, B: KIGALI 835 KIGALI 00000847 001.4 OF 002 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: On 7-8 December 2009, the Government of Rwanda hosted Africa's first Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) Post-Compact HiQuF[0Fe&Zi. Stakeholders at the meeting endorsed Rwanda's Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture and applauded the Government of Rwanda for its strong Investment Plan and ongoing leadership of the CAADP process. Development partners agreed to review the Investment Plan in detail and communic!T@bf2nment of Rwanda by April 2010. Development partners will also mobilize support for scaled-up financing from both traditional and non-traditional sources. ¶2. (U) On 7-8 December 2009, the Government of Rwanda hosted a CAADP Post-Compact High-Level Stakeholder Meeting in Kigali. In his openingoQXUN5Zxn African governments and development partners to recommit themselves to CAADP and deliver on commitments made at the G-8 Summit in L'Aquila, Italy. Speaking to policymakers; African Ministers of Agriculture; donors; and representatives from the African Union (AU),the New Partnership for Africa's$Ya1|0d for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA),and other international organizations, President Kagame stressed the imperative of CAADP's success in Rwanda and throughout the continent. He encouraged the stakeholders present to use the meeting to translate Rwanda's CAADP compact into concrete actio}IJjQships and mobilizing the resources necessary to achieve jointly agreed upon goals. ¶3. (U) The Government of Rwanda received praise for its leadership and willingness to champion the CAADP process, providing a strong example for other African countries. Rwanda was the first country in Africa tQQ/>]~B#ow the first country to submit its investment plan to a CAADP post-compact technical review (see Reftel A) and to convene a post-compact stakeholders meeting. Ministers and other high-level representatives from COMESA, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia participated in th%K,RkQNQ with the CAADP process in their respective countries. To date, 13 CAADP compacts have been signed across the continent, and this meeting is expected to foster increased momentum for the process. ¶4. (U) The Ministries of Agriculture and Finance presented Rwanda's achievements in terms of the CaL!od!tment to raise agricultural productivity and increase food security through the Rwanda Agriculture Sector Investment Plan for 2009-2012. The Plan identifies the investments necessary to implement Rwanda's Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA II) outlined in Reftel B. IncreaseQp