SUMMARY REPORT OF THE PLENARY SESSION OF APRIL 23, 2024

In the year two thousand and twenty-four, on the twenty-third day of April, senators gathered in the Senate hemicycle for the 187^th plenary session of the sixth legislature under the chairmanship of the Honourable Denise NDADAYE , First Deputy-Speaker of the Senate, to consider the following points:

• analysis and adoption of the bill ratifying by the Republic of Burundi the loan agreement between the Republic of Burundi and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa relating to the financing of the rehabilitation and equipment project of the University Hospital Centre of Kamenge, signed in Marrakech, Morocco on October 13, 2023;

• analysis and adoption of the bill ratifying by the Republic of Burundi the loan agreement N^o. 5/812 between the Republic of Burundi and the Saudi Fund for Development relating to the financing of the rehabilitation and equipment project of the University Hospital Center of Kamenge;

• follow the presentation of the mission report carried out in the Kingdom of Morocco by the commission in charge of administrative and decentralization issues .

The session was attended by 31 senators and a Government Representative, namely, Mr. Prosper DODIKO, Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock. The session began, as usual, with a prayer at 9:56 a.m.

Opening the session, the Chairperson of the session first welcomed the Honourable senators present and, subsequently, after a word of welcome addressed to the guest of the day, gave him the floor to present the explanatory memorandum of the two above-mentioned bills.

In his presentation, the Government Representative indicated that in reality, the two ratifications are not different but rather that it is a single project which has a funding from two donors. This project then aims, explains the Minister, to reduce infant mortality; neonatal; juvenile and deaths due to infectious diseases and to combat chronic and non-communicable diseases. This project also aims to strengthen the health system by increasing the supply and improving the quality of health care for the population by increasing reception capacity through the training of executives in the field of health in ensuring its accessibility and proximity.

The other aspect of the project concerns the building and equipment of health infrastructure to meet national and international standards.

After the explanatory statement and the presentation of the report of the committee responsible for the first project, the floor was given to the Honourable senators so that they could express themselves in the general debate and ask questions for clarification.

To the question of knowing the added value of this project in the sense of reducing the movement of Burundians who go to seek treatment abroad, due to the lack of medical equipment here at home; the Minister responded that the project under analysis comes as a solution to this problem. The acquisition of modern and reliable medical equipment which can facilitate the diagnosis of many diseases is planned, specifies the Minister.

To the concern of Honourable senators to know what the ministry may have envisaged as a prevention mechanism so that the buildings which will be erected can last longer; the Minister indicated that substantial measures had been taken, in particular:

• in-depth study of the soil and the corresponding materials;

• the establishment of an interministerial steering committee taking into account training profiles;

A construction expert from Arab countries will come and help with this work.

As for the question of why in certain projects, additional financing is often used, the Minister indicated that this is due on the one hand to the underestimation of the costs of the work during project studies. Added to this is the devaluation of the local currency. On the other hand, the additional financing is used when it comes to possible additional work aimed at improving or strengthening the work.

At the end of the debate, the bill was put to a vote and was adopted unanimously by the 39 votes cast, including 31 senators present and 8 proxies.

Secondly, the chairperson of the session gave the floor once again to the chairman of the committee responsible for presenting the report of the second bill.

As the two ratifications related to the same bill, the representatives of the people went directly to the vote and the bill was adopted unanimously by the votes cast.

The session continued with the presentation of the mission report carried out in the Kingdom of Morocco by Honourable NJIJI Désiré.

In his presentation, he stressed that the objective of the mission was the exchange of experience on Decentralization and Governance of the Kingdom of Morocco in relation to the implementation of the law on decentralization and governance in the Kingdom of Morocco.

At the end of the presentation and discussion, the Honourable senators suggested that it would be better for the Parliament of Burundi to take inspiration from this report to strengthen the content of the communal law currently being analyzed.

After the opinions and considerations of the plenary, the report was received.

The session, which took place in a climate of perfect understanding, was closed at 13:40 with a prayer.