SPEECH DELIVERED BY RIGHT HONOURABLE EMMANUEL SINZOHAGERA, SPEAKER OF THE SENATE OF BURUNDI, DURING THE SOLEMN CLOSING OF THE ORDINARY PARLIAMENTARY SESSION OF AUGUST 2024

Honourable Second Deputy speaker of the Senate;

Honourable Senators;

Your Excellencies Members of the Government;

Mister Governor of the province Gitega;

Ladies and Gentlemen, Representatives of the judicial authorities;

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and Representatives of Diplomatic and Consular Missions accredited to Burundi;

Dear Representatives of International Organizations in Burundi;

Mister Administrator of the Commune Gitega

Dear Representatives of the Defense and Security Forces;

Ladies and Gentlemen, officials of the Senate;

Dear representatives of the various services working in the political capital;

Dear Representatives of the media;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

1. First of all, let give thanks to God the Almighty who protected us during this session which we are closing. We remained in good health, which allowed us to successfully carry out the missions entrusted to us. 

Please join us in giving a loud acclamation to our God for all the blessings He has bestowed upon us during these three months that we have just completed.

2. Distinguished Guests, we welcome you to the Senate. We take this opportunity to thank you for responding to our invitation and coming to support us in these ceremonies. This proves that you care about us. 

Honourable senators;

Distinguished Guests; 

3. Along this session of august which we are currently closing, the Senate has carried out various activities in accordance with articles 192, 193 and 196 of the constitution of the Republic of Burundi.

Regarding the ​​voting of laws, the Senate analyzed and adopted five (5) bills which read as follows:

1. Bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against International Civil Aviation signed on September 10, 2010 in Beijing;

2. Bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Protocol amending the Convention on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft signed in Montreal on April 4, 2014.

3. Draft organic law on the revision of organic law No. 1/20 of August 3, 2019 on the organization and functioning of the Constitutional Court as well as the monitoring procedure before it;

4. Bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Constitutive Charter of the Group of Seven Plus (g7+);Bill on ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Benin and the Government of the Republic of Burundi on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, official, service and ordinary passports;

4. Concerning the participation in the national ceremonies, the members of the Senate Bureau as well as the other Senators participated in the ceremonies which took place in their respective communes, where they joined the population in the activities of the day dedicated to solidarity as well as the festivities of the communal day celebration, on August 2 and 3, 2024.

On August 30, 2024, the Parliament met in congress in the hemicycle of Kigobe in Bujumbura, to participate in the swearing-in ceremonies of members of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; CVR in acronym, which were enhanced by His Excellency President of the Republic.

Deputies and senators also met on October 24, 2024 to follow the report of the Prime Minister on the activities carried out by the Government of Burundi during the second term of the 2023-2024 budget year.

In addition, on October 7, 2024, during the ceremonies enhanced by His Excellency the Head of State, the 1^st Deputy speaker of the Senate, along with other senators as well as some female executives of the Senate, took part in the activities of High-Level Forum of Women Leaders, 5^th edition, organized by the First Lady’s Office for Development; OPDD-Burundi, in acronym.

In addition, the Senate Speaker participated in the commemorative ceremonies of the 31^st anniversary of the Assassination of the hero of Democracy, the late President Melchior NDADAYE. These ceremonies were held in Bujumbura, on October 21, 2024.

The 2^nd Deputy Speaker represented the Senate in the commemorative ceremonies of the 63^rd anniversary of the assassination of the national independence hero, Prince Louis Rwagasore. Those ceremonies took place in Bujumbura on October 13, 2024.

Honorable Senators;

Distinguished Guests; 

5. As our ancestors said earlier that knowledge is acquired through experience, on September 16, 2024, as part of capacity building for senators and Senate staff, the 1^st Deputy speaker of the Senate, along with women senators, participated in a workshop organized by the Association of Women Parliamentarians of Burundi in collaboration with UN Women, to analyze together the obstacles which often hinder women’s willingness to participate in the country’s politics. This workshop took place in the King Conference Centre hotel in Bujumbura. Participants in this workshop discussed the implementation of the 1325 United Nations Security Council Resolution. 

On October 12, 2024, the Second Deputy Speaker of the Senate, along with the other senators elected in the extended constituency of Burunga, participated in a workshop to assess the achievements of notable village women in resolving conflicts in communities and defending the rights of women and girls. This workshop was organized by the Association of Repatriated Women of Burundi (AFRABU).  The workshop was held in Rutovu commune of Bururi Province. 

Honorable senators;

Distinguished guests; 

6. With respect to the control of government action, during this parliamentary session which we are closing today, the Senate invited five (5) Ministers, namely the Minister of agriculture and livestock, the one of Education, the one of Sports, the one of the Civil Service as well as the one of Energy and Mines. These members of the Government provided answers to senators’ questions on the issues which concern the life of the population in the different sectors of these ministries. 

Honorable senators;

Distinguished guests; 

7. During this session which we are closing today, as part of the control of government action, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi, in its article 163, a delegation of Honourable senators, led by the Senate Speaker, carried out, on August 19, 2024, a visit to the Rusumo Falls hydroelectric power station in Kagera province of the United Republic of Tanzania, a power station common to three countries, namely Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania, in order to inquire about the progress of the construction work on this power station. After this visit, on August 20, 2024, these Honourable senators also visited places where agriculture and livestock projects are being carried out in Muyinga and Kirundo provinces.

Honorable senators;

Distinguished guests; 

8. With respect to the strengthening of cooperation with other institutions, the Right Honourable Senate Speaker received in audience the ambassadors of Germany, People’s Republic of China, Belgium and the one of the United States of America. These visitors had come to the Senate to exchange ideas on strengthening cooperation in different sectors.

In addition, during his missions abroad, the Senate Speaker met with various high-ranking personalities among whom the Prime Minister of Chad, the Deputy Speaker of the Senate of Russia, the Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as well as a delegation from Belgium.

As for the First Deputy Speaker of the Senate, on her working mission abroad, she met with the Speaker of the Senate of Equatorial Guinea, the Speaker of the Senate of Algeria, and the Deputy Speaker of the Senate of Côte d’Ivoire in charge of development.

9. In order to strengthen friendship and cooperation with other parliaments, the Right Honourable Senate Speaker attended, on September 1, 2024, the Indonesia-Africa Parliamentary Forum which took place in Bali in the Republic of Indonesia.

Returning from his working mission to Indonesia on September 5, 2024, he took advantage of his visit to Addis Ababa to visit the Permanent Mission of Burundi in Addis Ababa to inquire about the progress of the construction work on the buildings which will house the chancellery and the diplomats’ residences. This visit was an opportunity for the Senate Speaker to welcome the progress of the work and to express his gratitude to the Government which is sparing no effort to build administrative offices and residences of Burundian diplomatic staff abroad.

• The Right Honourable Senate Speaker also attended, on September 19, 2024, the 12^th Conference of Speakers of African Parliaments. This Conference was held in Midrand, South Africa, under the following theme: “Educating an Africa fit for the 21^st century: Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, quality and relevant learning in Africa, throughout life”.

• Furthermore, at the invitation of his counterpart, President of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (UPA), the Senate Speaker attended the 46^th Conference of the UPA which was held in N’djamena, Chad, on October 8 and 9, 2024. During this Conference, two themes were developed, one on the challenges of peace and security, in particular through the promotion of the involvement and empowerment of the youth in African countries, and the other on the economic development of African countries through the development of natural resources, the diversification of the economy’s resources and industrialization.

• The Senate Speaker also attended the 149^th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13 to 18 October 2024. Before attending this Assembly, he first participated in a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the French Speaking World (APF). 

Honourable senators;

Distinguished guests; 

• In addition to these working missions carried out by the Right Honourable Senate Speaker, the Deputy Speakers also represented the Senate abroad. From 26 to 27 September, the First Deputy speaker attended the 11^th annual consultation meeting of the Association of Senates, Shooras and Equivalent Councils of Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA) held in Malabo, Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Participants in this meeting discussed two main themes. The first was “Regional Integration: Strengthening Joint Parliamentary Action in Southern Countries to Address Development and Environmental Challenges” and the second was “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Southern Countries: Current Situation and Perspectives”. 

The First Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Honourable Dénise Ndadaye,   participated in the conference of African Senates, which took place at Félix HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY Foundation for Peace Research, in Yamoussoukro, in Côte d’Ivoire from October 10 to 11, 2024, under the theme: “Idea of Senate and senatorial experiences in Africa”.

• The Second Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Honourable Fabrice Nkurunziza, took part in the 10^th World Conference of Young Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) held in Yerevan, Armenia, from September 12 to 14, 2024, under the theme: “Avoiding lost generations: preserving education and employment in all circumstances”.

Honourable senators;

Distinguished guests; 

• Alongside all of these activities mentioned above, the Honourable Senators did their utmost to conduct diligently their constitutional missions. We analyzed together the report of a working visit which was carried out to the Rusumo Falls hydroelectric power station located in Tanzania. 

As we about to close this session, let us, once again, express our gratitude to the honorable senators. In addition to their constitutional missions, they have continued to engage with their electorate in various activities. This demonstrates their gratitude to the people who elected them. 

• Coming back to the missions carried out within the country, members of the Senate Bureau visited the provinces of Rutana, Bururi, Mwaro, Bujumbura, Bubanza, Rumonge, Ruyigi and the City of Bujumbura where they joined the population in community development work. 

Honourable senators;

Distinguished guests; 

• In conclusion, we would like to express our deep gratitude to the “Responsible and Hardworking” Government for the efforts deployed through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. Thanks to its initiatives, farmers have been able to access selected maize seeds and chemical fertilizers at affordable prices. This clearly demonstrates the Government’s commitment to fighting hunger in the country. 

We then take the opportunity to raise awareness among farmers so that they get to work during this period of the growing season A because “God helps those who help themselves”. 

• During this parliamentary recess which we begin today, senators know that we must be alongside the population development activities. To this end, we are invited to support them by participating in community development work which is regularly organized in the provinces and communes of our respective constituencies. In addition, we must reach our electorate while recognizing that we are called to find solutions to the grievances of the population ensuring that the bills passed are being implemented.

You know that we are going on recess as the 2025 elections approach; subsequently, we are called upon to raise awareness among the population so as not to be distracted by this election period because it is not the first time that elections are organized in the country. After all, let us recall that after elections, life goes on.

We cannot conclude our speech without expressing our warmest congratulations to His Excellency the President of the Republic for the outstanding actions that honor our country, particularly for hosting the 23rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of COMESA, which is taking place this week in Bujumbura. On behalf of the Senate of Burundi, we also extend our sincere thanks for the trust placed in him to continue leading the proceedings of this Summit. May God assist him in this noble mission.

To conclude, we once again urge the population to continue to protect themselves against the “monkey pox” by following the advice provided by the ministry responsible for public health.

It is with these words that we solemnly declare closed the ordinary parliamentary session of August 2024.

Thank you,

God bless you!