SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE EMMANUEL SINZOHAGERA, SPEAKER OF BURUNDI SENATE, OPENING THE ORDINARY PARLIAMENTARY SESSION OF AUGUST 2022

                                                                        Gitega, August 1^st, 2022

Honourable First Deputy Speaker of the Senate;

Honourable Second Deputy Speaker of the Senate;

Honourable Senators;

Your Excellencies members of the Government of Burundi;

Mister Governor of Gitega Province;

Dear representatives of judicial institutions;

Dear Heads of the Defense and Security Forces;

Your Excellencies Ambassadors and Representatives of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited to Burundi;

Dear Representatives of International Organizations in Burundi;

Mister Administrator of Gitega Commune;

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Good morning!

1. First of all, I would like to thank the Almighty God who kept us safe and sound- to this day, and who accompanied us during this month of recess. Let us applaud Him as a sign of thanksgiving!

• On June 30, 2022, at the closing ceremony of the ordinary session of April, we informed you that we would meet in this hemicycle today on August 01, 2022 for the solemn opening of the ordinary session of August, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi, in its articles 179 and 190.

• On behalf of the Senate of Burundi, and on my own behalf, we welcome you. We reiterate our sincere thanks to you for having left your multiple obligations in order to respond to our invitation.

Honourable Senators,

Distinguished Guests,

• During this recess, as members of the Senate Bureau, we visited the provinces of Muyinga, Cibitoke, Mwaro, Ruyigi and Bururi. These visits permitted us to join the population in their development work, talk to them and hear their grievances.

• The Senate Speaker held meetings for representatives of the people from the communes of Muyinga province. He took this opportunity to explain to them the role that communal and village leaders have to play in the management of the administration and in the awareness-raising about sustainable development.

We explained to the representatives of the population the worthy behaviour of a good leader in representing others and we sensitized them to respect the country’s rules and laws. We also gave them pieces of advice on how to fight against illegal trade, as in this province there are often many cases of seizure of some harvests before they cross the national borders.

• Concerning the strengthening of the justice system, the members of the Senate Bureau explained to the visited population about the organization and the functioning of the village courts which will be set up. In our talks, we did not forget to sensitize young people to set up projects for development and to take out loans from banks such as BIJE and more others.

• During these visits, we explained to the population some of the bills passed by the Senate, especially those concerning the recruitment of workers between the Government of the Republic of Burundi and foreign countries with which Burundi has signed cooperation

agreements.

• The Honourable First Deputy Speaker of the Senate visited Mwaro and Cibitoke provinces. She joined the population in the development work and called on them to work assiduously for development. During these visits, the First Deputy Speaker took that opportunity to sensitize the population to respond massively to the elections of the members of the village courts. She urged them to respect the law, fight corruption, safeguard peace and security, protect the environment and form cooperatives.

• As far as he is concerned, the Second Deputy Speaker of the Senate visited Ruyigi and Bururi provinces where he joined representatives of the population. He exchanged with them on various issues and he gave them some advice related to characteristics of a good leader. After that, the Honourable Second Deputy speaker of the Senate represented our institution in the priestly ordination ceremonies which took place in Nyabitare parish of Ruyigi Diocese.

In the sidelines of these activities, the Second Deputy Speaker of the Senate visited modern agro-breeders. He also visited some tourist attractions such as the source of the Nile. 

Honourable Senators,

Distinguished guests,

1. During the recess that we have just concluded, Senators did not fold their arms. A group of Senators participated in Ngozi, from 13 to 14 July 2022, in a sensitization seminar for the ratification of the African Union Convention on the Protection and Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons in Africa, signed in Kampala.

1. Another group of parliamentarians participated in a meeting of African parliamentarians working to fight corruption, held in Cotonou, Benin, from 25 to 31 July 2022. The theme of the meeting was “Creating Synergies for an Effective Fight against Corruption: the Role of the Parliament and Parliamentarians.

Honourable Senators,

Distinguished Guests,

1. In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Burundi in its article 163, during this ordinary session of August, the Senate will analyze and adopt 16 bills which are added to those remaining from the previous session.

Those bills are the following:

1. Bill on Ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the ‘Agreement amending for the second time the Partnership Agreement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group States on the one hand, and the European Community and its Member States, on the other hand, signed in Cotonou on June 23, 2000 and amended for the first time in Luxembourg on 25 June 2005;

• Bill on Ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Agreement on the Establishment of Standby Force in East Africa;

• Bill on the accession of the Republic of Burundi to the 1954 Convention on the status of stateless persons;

• Bill on the accession of the Republic of Burundi to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness;

• Bill amending law no 1/35 of 31 December 2014 on the organic framework of religious denominations;

• Bill on the peaceful use, safety and security of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation;

• Bill on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the economic and technical cooperation agreement between the Government of the Republic of Burundi and the Government of the United Arab Emirates;

• Bill revising Law No. 1/28 of 23 August 2006 on the general status of civil servants;

• Bill amending Law No. 1/21 of December 31, 2010 amending Law No. 1/15 of April 29, 2006 on the status of officers of the Burundi National Defense Force;

1. Bill amending Law No. 1/20 of December 31, 2010 amending Law No. 1/16 of April 29, 2006 on the status of non-commissioned officers of the Burundi National Defense Force;

1. Bill amending Law No. 1/19 of December 31, 2010 amending Law No. 1/17 of April 29, 2006 on the status of troops of the National Defense Force;

1. Bill on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the Bilateral Agreement on the abolition of visas for the benefit of holders of diplomatic or service passports between the Government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria and the Republic of Burundi, signed on March 17, 2022 in Algiers;

1. Bill on ratification by the Republic of Turkey and the Government of the Republic of Burundi with a view to avoiding double taxation and preventing tax fraud with respect to income tax;

1. Bill on the ratification by the Republic of Burundi of the General Cooperation Agreement between the Government of Burundi and the Government of the State of Israel;

1. Organic bill on the delimitation of Provinces, communes, Zones, Hills/Quarters of the Republic of Burundi;

1. Bill ratifying the African Youth Charter.

1. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Government for the efforts it has made in protecting animals following the outbreak of diseases. It would be an added advantage if medicines and vaccines were accessible in order to reduce losses.

1. During this ordinary session of August, we will continue the process of evaluating the implementation of the laws we have passed as well as that of the measures taken. We will continue to ensure that agro-pastoralists receive selected seeds and chemical fertilizers on time.

We will visit the ISABU centre to realize its preparations for season A with regard to the multiplication of seeds. We will closely monitor whether the elections for members of the Hill Courts proceed normally.

1. To end this remark, we would like to announce that we solemnly open the ordinary session of August on this day of August 1, 2022. We take this opportunity to wish the Honourable Senators every success in their work throughout this session. And to all of you who came to participate in this ceremony, we wish you a good return to your duties.

GOD BLESS YOU.

THANK YOU !