Today, Jersey will welcome Her Excellency Yamina Karitanyi, the Rwandan High Commissioner to the Court of St James’s, for her first official visit to the Island.
During her three-day visit, Ms Karitanyi will attend a series of events which aim to strengthen the business, cultural, and government ties between Jersey and Rwanda.
Her Excellency will hold meetings with the Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré and Minister for International Development, Deputy Carolyn Labey. She will also meet the Bailiff, Mr Timothy Le Cocq QC and will call on the Lieutenant Governor, Air Chief Marshall Sir Stephen Dalton, at Government House.
Her Excellency will be the guest of honour at a Government event to mark the extension of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to Jersey.
CEDAW is one of the core United Nations (UN) Human Rights treaties and promotes the rights of women and girls to be treated equally around the world. Rwanda has ratified the Convention and makes regular reports to the UN on its progress in ending discrimination against women.
In addition, Ms Karitanyi will meet with representatives from Jersey Finance, visit La Ferme dairy farm to learn more about cattle breeding programmes that aim to boost dairy productivity for Rwandan farmers. She will also visit Jersey College of Girls and take a tour of St Helier.
Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, said: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome Her Excellency to Jersey. I hope this visit will give us the opportunity to discuss how we can continue to strengthen the many and varied links between our Island and Rwanda.”
Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, said: “This visit will help us build on the relationships between our jurisdictions. It also highlights how important it is that we continue to work with and learn from global partners on how we tackle key social issues, including discrimination and violence against women.”
Minister for International Development, Deputy Carolyn Labey, said: “I am delighted to welcome HC Yamina Karitanyi to our Island to mark the extension of CEDAW to Jersey. As Rwanda leads the way in female representation in public life, she will be a valuable member to the panel of speakers at the open event to mark the occasion.
“Having met with HC Yamina Karitanyi before my Jersey Overseas Aid visits to Rwanda in the past, I am especially grateful that she is giving more time to her visit to discuss further our dairy and financial inclusion projects and to enable her to visit a local working dairy farm and home of the Jersey Cow and the original herd book at the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society.”
Government of Jersey News Release.