Nile Basin Discourse Forum (NBDF)

About NBD is a network of civil society organizations from the 10 countries of the Nile Basin -- Burundi, DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. This network seeks to achieve positive influence over the development of projects and programmes under the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) and other Nile-related programmes The Nile Basin Discourse Forum in Rwanda (NBDF) was launched in June 2003 by the Minister of State in charge of Water and Mines, Professor MUNYANGANIZI Bikoro, during the workshop-Seminar on the role of the Civil Society in the process of the Nile Basin Initiative. The setting up of the bureau of the Forum took place during the workshop organised in Kigali in September 2003. Those workshops grouped together various representatives from governmental institutions, UN Agencies, NGOs, Public and private media, researchers and academicians. Their Excellencies Ambassadors of Egypt and Burundi to Rwanda also participated in that seminar as a sign of encouragement and support for the commitment of the Civil Society in the Nile Basin Initiative. The Forum has a local NGO status, grouping associations that intervene within the fields of environment protection, rural development, gender, human rights, etc. Mission of NBDF Rwanda The main mission of the NBDF is to bring the Civil Society Organisations to a level of fully playing their role in the Nile Basin development designed by the Nile Basin Initiative through competence development, capacity building, setting up networks and solid links on all the levels of the Civil Society and the Government. The following missions come from member associations of the Forum, and the NBDF integrated them to reinforce the main mission. It is a matter of: - Promoting a safe and pleasant environment for a reinforced and durable socio-economic development - Reinforcing associations and cooperatives in order to ensure food security through a durable agriculture based on rational exploitation of local resources free of danger towards the environment. - Contributing to make the Rwandan woman from the rural area a player of her own development and the development of her society and we should notice that a woman is considered to be a recognised spokesperson as far as development is concerned. - Promoting the active contribution of the Rwandan woman to the development - Working for sustainable human development in the rural area, shared between women and men. - Empowering the population to build a better and durable development. - To ensure the culture of respecting the civil, political, cultural and socio-economic rights in favour of every person living in Rwanda without any discrimination. - To plead in favour of Environment and natural resources protection in order to ensure a durable development;