COMMUNICATION BY THE RIGHT HONORABLE EMMANUEL SINZOHAGERA, SPEAKER OF THE SENATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BURUNDI ON THE 11th CONFERENCE AND THE 12th MEETING OF THE ASSECAA COUNCIL

Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco,

Friday, March 4, 2022

Theme:  The Role of Senates, Shooras and Equivalent                      Councils in strengthening South-South Cooperation

1. Peace and development remain the two major themes for the world peoples. Peace is a prerequisite for development, while development is the guarantee of peace.
2. Ensuring development in a peaceful environment, this must remain an aspiration of Senates, Shooras and Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab world.
3. The world is far from being peaceful, as the uncertainties jeopardizing peace and development are increasing.
4. The unconventional factors of instability, derived from the misdeeds of terrorism, cross-border crime, spread of epidemics and environment pollution, bring many new opportunities and new challenges for the preservation of peace and the promotion of shared development.
5. In this context, the Senates, Shooras and Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab world are seeing their concerns become increasingly the same. They should encourage States of Africa and the Arab world to work together to seize historic opportunities, deepen cooperation and promote shared development.
6.  To this end, the Senates, Shooras and the Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab world have to invite their States to strengthen not only their cooperation on the economic and commercial levels, but also to extend it actively in the domains of science, technology, culture, education, health, tourism, etc.
7. We must work together to do everything that contributes to peace and progress in Africa and the Arab world.
8. Senates, Shooras and the Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab world should encourage the pursuit of mutual assistance on the basis of reciprocal benefit.
9. Senates, Shooras and the Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab world must finally encourage States to continuously strengthen cooperation to jointly defend their rights and interests.

Thank you- God bless you